Healthy In Disguise

Can I just give a shout out to all the mommas who struggle, like me, to get her kids to eat veggies at meal time? Do you stress like I do, that they aren't getting the necessary nutrients in a natural form, to make a difference? Me too. Well, I love, LOVE when I find a recipe that is healthy, but no one raises a fuss at the dinner table.

I love many of Rachael Ray's recipes. She's cutesy in kind of an annoying "you have no kids and can travel the world freely so I hate you" kind of way. I can look past all that though, when I come across an amazing meal that isn't complicated and makes my kids sing. So, here is the recipe I just tried this evening and was pleasantly surprised to find, just enough left over, too good to pass to the dog, so I can have it for a midnight snack. Another testament to how good this was: I ate until I hurt. Which I don't think I've ever done. I know that's probably not healthy, but I figured, since it was a heaping helping of dark leafy green veggies, it was okay.

Chicken Tacos w/Kale and Salsa Verde

• 2 tomatillos, husked and rinsed
• 1 clove garlic unpeeled
• 1 Serrano chile, stemmed, seeded, chopped coarsely
• 5 sprigs cilantro, stems removed and leaves coarsely chopped
• 1 Tbsp olive oil (EVOO is so dorky to say!)
• salt/pepper to taste

Preheat oven to °350 F. Place the tomatillos on a rimmed baking sheet, sprinkle with a pinch of salt, and roast for 20 minutes. Cool. Cut into fourths.

In a small skillet, roast the garlic over medium heat, turning once until the skin is slightly blackened and the flesh is soft and fragrant. I didn't have garlic cloves, but a jar of chopped garlic. So I heated olive oil and on medium heat (watching closely as it can burn quickly), let it cook until it started to turn golden brown. I spooned out the garlic, draining slightly of the olive oil, but leaving the oil in the pan for later.

In a food processor, place the cooled tomatillos, garlic, chile, cilantro, and olive oil into a food processor with a pinch of salt, and pulse until a coarse textured salsa. Taste and add any additional salt and pepper if needed.

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 C. firmly packed green or black kale, chopped
• 1/2 C. cooked chicken (I had turkey), shredded or cut into small cubes
• 4 Corn tortillas (though we used around 6)
• 1/4 C. red onion chopped
• 1/4 C. crumbled queso fresco (a Mexican cheese)
• Mexican crema or sour cream

In the skillet with left over garlic olive oil, add another tablespoon of olive oil, and heat over medium heat. Add the kale, season with salt and cook until wilted. Stir in the chicken and tomatillo salsa you just made. Cook until heated through. Lower the heat to keep warm and cover.

Preheat a griddle or large skillet. Cook the tortillas on both sides until soft and warm. We like to sprinkle with a little salt. The shortcut is to wrap the tortillas in a damp kitchen towel and microwave for 30 seconds.

To make, place a few heaping tablespoons of the chicken mixture onto each tortilla, sprinkle with queso fresco, onion and drizzle with Mexican crema or sour cream. Then, ENJOY!

You have to have the onion, it ties the flavors all together. So, if you aren't a fan of onion, try to just have a little onion. It really makes a world of difference. Also, white corn tortillas, we found, have the best flavor for this recipe. We noticed the difference between flour and white corn, since we ran out of the corn tortillas part way through.

Finally Something Healthy!

 I've been getting good-natured ribbing from friends on my choice of decadent and rich foods and desserts to share on my blog. Well, of course the goodies and rich comforting savory dishes are meant as an occasional thing, though I must admit that it is more frequent than it should be, especially since tax season is nearing at a rapid pace.

So, I decided that I needed to post a healthier dish that is easy to prepare and better for you. I try to eat high protein, low carb meals whenever possible. As a diabetic, this type of meal can take you a long way into the day before you feel like you need to eat again, because it is so filling. If you like hummus, then this will be a little familier to you.  Falafel!

I told my kids, on the way home from church that I would be making falafel.
They squinched up their faces:
"WHAT'S THAT!?"
"Well, that's how I feel when I eat too much sugar." I said.
"Huh?" said Connor.
"You know, I Falafel!" I said, giggling.
It took a little explaining...

"Say, 'I feel awful' really fast, now say 'I falafel' fast."

Pretty soon they were repeating it over and over. Hmmm... maybe it wasn't such a good idea to share my corny humor with them. Oh well. So, here it is folks, falafel done simply. Oh, and my kids liked it, until I added a ton of garlic to it (how I like it) then they told me it tasted good at first, then "tasted stinky". My kids are so funny.

Feast Ala Mid-East

• 1 15oz can garbanzo beans
• 1/4 C. shredded carrot
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 2 Tbsp tahini
• 1 Tbsp water
• 3 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 425°F. Rinse and drain garbanzos, and mash together with remaining ingredients. It's fine if there are some big pieces of bean.

Grease a cookie sheet with olive oil and shape mixture into 16 patties the size of a half dollar. Place on cookie sheet. Brush with olive oil. Bake for 10 min or until crispy, turning once. I found that they didn't turn golden or crispy on me (unsure if that is because I use a gas oven or not), but firmed up at least, so I lightly oiled a skillet with olive oil and browned the patties I would eat right away, while anything left over, could be refrigerated for the next day.


Creamy Sauce For the Falafel

• 1/3 C plain yogurt
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp tahini
• pinch of salt
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika (optional)

Mix together well. If too thick, add warm water by the tablespoon until desired consistency is achieved. Stuff falafel, tomato, and lettuce and onion into mini pita pockets. Serve with sauce on the side and maybe fresh cucumber.