Moderation

Moderation is not my strong point. I'm a true believer that if you buy pint of ice cream, you should eat that pint. Why delay the inevitable? It's all going to the same place. You are simply being more efficient if you eat it all now. Am I right here or what?

I remember listening to Howard Stern one morning talking about how much he loves almonds. Each day he would count out 12 almonds to eat for that day. He never ate more that than. How can a man so lacking in boundaries be able to tame his love of almonds everyday? I'll telling you, the world is a baffling place.

My weekend consisted of not enough moderation. This seems to seep into my daily life as well. I feel the need to curb some of my indulgences. I know I'm worth it, but I'm not sure my body and mind are thanking me for my lack of discipline. Perhaps April is my month to restrict such loves as cheese, chocolate and dare I say, wine. I need more sleep, so maybe less outings and more early bedtimes. I also need more exercise. April sure is starting to sound like a drag.

I recently got introduced to a very tasty kale salad. I'm not claiming that this is exciting news, it's simply a fact. I have no problem eating kale in moderation. Why is that? April is my month to change such discrepancies, and I'm starting with the recipe below.

Kale Salad with Pecorino Cheese and Lemon

1 large bunch of kale, washed and trimmed of stems
4 ounces Pecorino Romano, grated
2 lemons juiced
Handful of tamari almonds, crushed
1/2 cup olive oil
Kosher salt and fresh black pepper to taste

Slice deveined kale into thin ribbons. Toss the shaved kale with teh cheese in large bowl.
Whisk lemon juice and olive oil together and pour over salad. Season with salt and pepper. Let salad sit at room temperature for an hour before serving. Sprinkle with almonds before eating.

Juicing.

Well it's official. I'm a bonafide health nut. I started juicing. I should put on a sweatband, and start drinking raw eggs for breakfast. I've always been health conscious but it's probably more for vanity reasons as opposed to real health concerns. If I were a slim, high metabolism, I can eat whatever I like and still look fabulous kind of gal I'm not sure I would ever get off the couch. I would fill my bedroom full of Cracker Jacks and eat my way out of bed every morning. I would use ice cream as a milk substitute for my cereal. At lunch I would use slabs of chocolate instead of bread for my ham and cheese sandwiches. I think you get the picture.

But alas, I am not that girl. So here I am juicing. And I wouldn't swap my fresh juice for any skinny girl genes. That was a lie.

I do like my juice. My buddy Neil gave me a comprehensive tutorial on the machine and a few recipes. He also lent me his juicer which is great. I've already mailed my letter to Santa with my request. I sure hope he gets it in time.

I'm brand spanking new to this juicing thing so if you have any recipes or tips please send them to me.

Green Elixir

3 green apples

2 whole lemons

3 celery stalks

1 cup torn romaine lettuce

2 cups chopped and densely packed dark greens (kale, collards or parsley)

Wash all of your produce. Quarter you apples. Turn your juicer on and start shoving it in. Enjoy and feel virtuous for being so healthy.
This will yield a larger batch of juice then one sitting - store in vacuum sealed thermos for next day or freeze it.

Kale

I hate kale. Well, that's not entirely true, I just don't know what to do with it. I rarely buy kale but it tends to show up quite frequently in my organic box. I know all the wonderfully boring things about how good it is for me, but that still doesn't make me excited about seeing it all smiley faced in my fridge. I am ashamed to say that in my past, I've let many well intentioned bunches of kale go limp with neglect until they are a sad pile of limp in the dark corners of my crisper. I will abuse kale no more! I have a few recipes that might help us get through all that damn kale that gets planted.

Kale and Sundried Tomato Pesto

1/2 bunch of kale
250 ml jar of sundried tomatoes in oil
1/2 cup of toasted pine nuts
juice of half a lemon or to taste
1 clove of garlic
1/4 cup of grated parmesan

Steam kale until desired consistency. Combine all ingredients and blend with a hand blender. Serve over pasta. My daughter actually cheered when I served this to her.

Kale and Chickpea Curry

1 bunch of kale chopped
2 tbsp of vegetable oil
1 medium onion chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic crushed
3-6 tsp of curry powder
1 can of diced tomatoes (796 ml or 28 fl oz)
1 can of chickpeas drained and rinsed
salt and pepper to taste
chopped coriander (optional but I feel like it's essential)

Saute onion until golden. Add garlic and curry powder for another minute. Add tomatoes, chickpeas, and kale. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 15 minutes or until kale has soften to your liking. Season with salt and pepper. Serve over rice with chopped coriander.

Kale and Almond Butter Sammy

1 leaf of kale
1 tsp of oil
2 toasted slices of light rye
1 tbsp of almond butter
Salt to taste

Lightly saute your kale in heated oil. Sprinkle liberally with salt or as much as your heart can handle. Spread almond butter over your toast and assemble in typical sandwich formation.