Kale Chips!!!

Alright, so I know some people have attempted to make kale chips time and again and probably failed miserably. I know this because I am one of those people. I have tried all different temperatures in the oven, different times, different toppings and never really got it down. They were either burned, soggy, or too salty. 

I recently acquired one of the most beautiful dehydrators I have ever seen and I have been putting it to good use! It's the Excalibur Food Dehydrator with multiple temperatures and a timer that goes up to 26 hours. 

Ain't she a beauty? Anywho, this has been the saving grace to the kale chip fiasco. One of the great things about making the chips in a dehydrator is that you are able to retain many more nutrients than when you bake them in the oven, because, technically, they are raw. 

So today I set to work in making a new flavor, as I have also recently become obsessed with making people's mouths water over kale. I also made a flavor that got me rave reviews, tomato basil. Or caprese as my boss calls it. 

The tomato basil is exactly what you think it is. A handful of yummy baby heirloom tomatoes, a handful of fresh basil, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper to taste. Delicious!! I place it all in my Ninja blender cup and bleeennnd. 

Next I tear up a bunch of kale (red and green) and put it in a huge bowl. Then I douse it in the sauce and massage it with my clean hands until everything is covered. 

One of the most important things to do is make sure you place the pieces evenly on the screens. If they are layered sometimes they won't dry nicely. 

The other flavor I have not quite mastered that I attempted for the first time today, was a soy ginger. In my Ninja cup blender I combined low sodium soy sauce,  sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, minced ginger, honey, and wasabe powder. Blend it on up! I poured it all over a fresh new bowl of kale and sprinkled roasted sesame seeds on it then massaged it with my hands. 

The outcome was very interesting, it honestly tasted just like Trader Joe's Soyaki sauce. Which is also a really good marinade for turkey jerkey.... More on that another time. 

Ps... I'm very aware that soy sauce is not gluten free as the second ingredient is wheat. But it does not bother my gut, so I have no need to eliminate it. If you have a gluten sensitivity that is worse than mine, then I suggest using tamari sauce in lieu of the soy. 

Here are the tomato basil chips finished:

And here are the Soyaki:

I piled them all up so it looks better/like more. 

The dehydrator, btw, was set to 160 degrees and I dried them for about 5 hours. Maybe a little longer. I have done them over night and had the same results as well. 

Storage is a little tricky. I keep them in a closed Tupperware and plan on investing in silica gel packs to absorb the moisture. Without, they last about 3 days. 

Hope this was informative!! If anyone has any suggestions for new flavors send them my way and I will get crackin'!!

"Pseudo Paleo"

Starting last October 2013 I began having the worst case of acid reflux I had ever encountered. I have been suffering on and off for about twelve years prior.  It happened to be while Derek and I were on our honeymoon, and for me, kind of ruined it a bit. Starting the day that we were leaving, I ran to the drug store inside the train station and got some Zantac. Unfortunately, it never worked. Even after taking multiple pills. I spent four days in the beautiful south of France eating delicious food, drinking amazing wine, taking in the gorgeous scenery, and enjoying time spent with my brand new husband, while simultaneously suffering. It got to the point one night that I actually had to go vomit because my esophagus was so swollen that my gelato would not go down. Peristalsis had halted. 

The next day we went to a few different, French speaking only, pharmacies and I mimed my symptoms. I FINALLY found a lovely man that knew what I was saying. He gave me a prescription pill right over the counter. I was saved. 

We spent the last few days having an even more wonderful time than we had the first few. When we got back I attributed my symptoms to stress and possibly change in diet. So I tried to calm down and cut out the crappy food. Prior to the wedding and for a couple years leading up to it, I had been a very healthy eater, as you have read in my previous posts. However, three weeks before the wedding, my seamstress told me I couldn't lose anymore weight or my dress wouldn't fit. So I switched from salad for lunch to sandwiches. And then it was a vicious tail spin. 

Fast forward to March 2014. I couldn't take the pain of the acid anymore. On top of that I had developed constipation and very sharp pains in my abdomin. Long story short I needed up getting a colonoscopy and an upper endoscopy and was diagnosed with GERD and IBS. Yay!! So I have two prescriptions. One for the pain in the top, and one fore the pain in the bottom. I was also told to take probiotics every single day. 

After a few months of taking my meds, I really got tired of it. And I wanted to be med free before I get pregnant. It's a pretty big deal to Derek, and I believe it's the safest for the baby. So I thought back on how I used to eat a couple years ago and I just snapped. I snapped out of my funk, I snapped out of my terrible food rut (which is really just normal eating for most average people) and I went back to my mostly paleo ways. 

By mostly I mean that I am not eating processed food, aside from a carton of egg whites, and rice paper wraps for summer rolls. No dairy, no bread, no pasta, extremely limited grains, etc. 

I started eating like this almost two weeks ago. I have taken my heart burn medication once. ONCE! And it was only because I had wine and a half a bread roll the night before. Needless to say, I am hooked. Just the fact that I am not in debilitating pain all day every day, makes me want to stay on this track. My new old way of life. 

Full disclosure, if you decide to start this eating habit, be warned that the first week or so you may feel a little sleepy or kind of run down. I believe it is your body ridding itself of the toxins from all the other yucky food you had been eating in the past. But fear not! You will perk back up soon enough, and I highly suggest you begin working out at that point. It all melds nicely together once you get in a good habit. 

Without further adieu, here is the recipe I have been obsessing over thanks to a good client of mine: 

Paleo pancakes

One egg (or a half cup of egg whites)

One banana

Tsp cinnamon,

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Or pumpkin pie spice if you have it. 

Mash the banana up. I like to smoosh it inside the peel first and then with a fork in a bowl. I add the spices to the banana. Then add the egg and stir it all up. Heat up a pan and spray coconut oil "Pam" on it. Pour the "batter" in the pan and wait. I wait until it's barely liquidy on top then flip it over for a couple seconds. That's it!!

It's so delicious and nutritious. You will be fully safisfied and so happy that there are basically only two ingredients in it. 

So if you are thinking about becoming Paleo, or something similar, do a little research and just try it. It can be very beneficial for many different types of ailments. I'm obsessed (for now) and will try and keep that going really forever. There are plenty of substitutes out there so don't get discouraged.

As always, please ask any questions you may have. I would be happy to answer. 

My first attempt at the pancake, not pretty, but delicious.