Strawberry Kale Smoothie

This is our house smoothie and a great way to drink your kale if you need more greens in your life. It’s high in fiber, vitamin C, vitamin A (in the form of beta carotene), vitamin K, folate, and a myriad of other vitamins and minerals. We usually make a big blender full (which we call “mega smoothie”) for all four of us. I’m including the larger version as well as a single version below.

We bought our first Vitamix some years back despite my husband’s resistance and skepticism, which by the way, quickly turned into unabashed enthusiasm once he saw what it could do. If you’re interested in making smoothies to up your family’s fruit and vegetable intake, I highly recommend investing in one. It blends smoothies into creamy oblivion and therefore (scientifically speaking :) will notably increase your produce intake.

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Strawberry Kale Smoothie
Inspired by the Strawberry Cucumber Smoothie from Superfood Smoothies by Julie Morris

Notes: Play around with the proportions that work for you. The big variable is the kale, and how much you can handle before it tastes too “green.” This is different for different people (and kids, ha!). If you’re not sure, start with less and taste. Then add more and re-blend if you feel like it could use more. I usually use Lacinato kale, but curly kale also works. Also, you may choose to add more or a bit less water, depending on whether you prefer a thicker milkshake-like smoothie or a thinner juice-like one. If you’d like it more creamy, add more cashews. If you’d like it sweeter, add another date or two.

Special equipment:
Vitamix or other high-powered blender

Single serving portion:
Small handful raw cashews (about 1 1/2 - 2 tablespoons)
Generous 1/2 cup frozen strawberries
Filtered water to cover most (but not quite all) of the strawberries
1 Medjool date, pitted
1 1/2 inch piece of a medium cucumber
2-4 medium Lacinato kale leaves, de-stemmed

4 serving portion:
1/2 cup raw cashews
3 cups frozen strawberries
Filtered water
3 Medjool dates, pitted
1/3 - 1/2 medium cucumber, roughly sliced
Between 1/2 and 1 bunch kale (depending on size and preference), leaves de-stemmed

Put the cashews in the blender, followed by the strawberries, and pour in the filtered water to almost cover the strawberries (I stop about an inch and a half before the top of the strawberries). If you don’t have a high-powered blender, it helps to let the cashews and strawberries soften up in the water for a bit before blending. Add the dates, cucumber and kale and blend until smooth. Drink and enjoy :)

Simple Butternut Squash Soup

Hello and happy March! I've been thinking about how I can't believe it's almost spring, and how I feel like it's a sign of established adulthood to talk about how fast time is going. It never went fast as a kid. I think about that sometimes - how my son's experience of time is so much different than my own, and how strange that is given that we spend almost all of our time together. I didn't feel like my childhood went particularly fast, but apparently my parents did.

So, to slow the passage of time, I've instituted a few countermeasures.  First, I'm trying not to take on too much. I don't like going through my days rushing around like a chicken with its head cut off, constantly thinking about what needs to be done next. Second, every year I make a wall calendar with favorite family pictures and I'm making it a point each month, preferably each day, to really appreciate the pictures up there. Third, the kitchen. I've found that when I don't cook very much for a few days in a row, I initially enjoy the break, but after a short while I just don't feel like myself. I'm this way with yoga too. I certainly didn't expect this, but for the last couple years I really feel compelled to cook and create in the kitchen. And there's something about doing what feels right for you that makes time pass as it should.

Anyways - this soup. When I first made it I didn't expect too much. It was kind-of an experiment to both simplify an existing butternut squash soup recipe as well as use some homemade chicken broth. But it turned out fantastic and instantly became a favorite. My son loves it, which helps, because I don't like to make him separate food for dinner and I also, equally, don't like constant discussions about how this is the time to fill our bellies because there won't be any snacks or treats later if we don't eat our dinner. (I haven't yet mastered the art of serving dinner, letting him eat or not eat, and being OK with whatever happens. Why do you think I practice so much yoga these days? ;)

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Simple Butternut Squash Soup

Simplified, a lot, from this recipe published in the LA Times two years ago. 

Notes: Homemade broth gives you a huge boost in flavor and nutrition here, particularly since this soup is so simple. If you have any inclination to make it, do it! You'll be glad you did. Also, go slowly with the salt and the apple cider vinegar at the end. The amount really depend on what your broth tastes like as well as your own preferences. For salt, go 1/2 teaspoon at a time. For the vinegar, I start with 1/2 tablespoon and go from there.

Recipe updated 1/16/2018.

Special equipment:
Standard blender or immersion blender

2.5-3 lb butternut squash, peeled, de-seeded and chopped into 1-inch squares
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
5-6 cups chicken or vegetable broth (depending on the size of your squash)
Sea salt to taste (usually about 2 teaspoons but it all depends on how salty your broth is)
Apple cider vinegar to taste (between 1/2 and 1 1/2 tablespoons depending on broth and preference)

In a large stockpot, sauté the onions in olive oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the garlic and sauté for another 2-3 minutes, still stirring.

Add the chopped butternut squash and broth/water to just cover the squash, then bring the soup to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes until the squash is tender.

Puree the soup completely with a immersion blender. (Alternatively, you could put batches of it into a regular blender) and season to taste with sea salt and apple cider vinegar.

Serve with any kind of microgreens or other small greens and toasted slivered almonds.

Serves 6

Gluten-Free & Vegan Banana Chocolate Muffins

These are muffins for the serious chocoholics in your life. And even though they have a healthy amount of cocoa powder AND chocolate chips, they are also loaded with teff flour which is high in iron, they have a minimum of starch and sugar, and they come out moist and delicious.

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Gluten-Free & Vegan Banana Chocolate Muffins
Adapted from a combination of Chocolate Banana Bread and Banana Buckwheat Muffins in Nourishing Meals by Alissa Segersten.

Notes: As with all banana breads, the more ripe your bananas are, the better these muffins will be. I usually keep a growing stockpile of very ripe bananas in the fridge and make muffins or bread when I've saved up enough. For the milk, I use homemade nut milk and haven't tested this recipe with anything else, but I imagine whatever you have around will work just fine. Finally, when you get to the point of adding the melted coconut oil, everything should happen quickly after that, so have the dry ingredients, chocolate chips/chunks, and muffin tins all prepared beforehand. I've found that incorporating the melted coconut oil into a bowl of cold dry ingredients and going from there makes for lighter and fluffier muffins.

Recipe updated 12/10/2020.

Dry ingredients:
270 grams teff flour
30 grams arrowroot powder
30 grams / 6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Wet ingredients:
2 cups mashed bananas (4-5 medium bananas)
1 cup nut milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/3 cup coconut sugar
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted, plus more for greasing muffin tin

Other ingredients:
1/3 - 1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate bar or chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and brush your muffin pan with coconut oil.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.

In another bowl, whisk together the mashed banana, nut milk, vanilla extract and coconut sugar. This mixture will probably be on the cold side if your bananas and milk both came out of the fridge. This is good. When well blended, add the melted coconut oil and quickly whisk to incorporate so the coconut oil doesn't solidify in one big clump. Then quickly add the dry ingredients and chocolate chips/chunks and whisk just until blended.

Divide the batter evenly among 12 muffin cups and bake for 25-30 minutes, until done. My oven bakes hot so they may take a few more minutes in your oven. Also, if you're using a stoneware muffin pan these will bake on the longer side as well (30 minutes in my oven).

Enjoy!