Did someone say "State Fair"?

When I think of the state fair I think of hot, sweaty crowds of people wearing fanny packs and Zubaz.  Some people really dig the fair.  I will admit, I can handle it in small doses at the right times.  One great thing about the fair is all the FOOD!  (Deep-fried food to boot!)

This recipe is inspired by The Great Minnesota Get Together... Funnel Cakes!

What you need:

• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt

What to do:
1. Mix flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl beat eggs and milk.
2. Add flour mixture to egg mixture and beat with electric mixer until smooth.
3.  Heat oil over medium heat in a small frying pan.
4.  You may either put the batter in a funnel (hold finger over bottom opening) or put the batter into a ziplock bag and cut off the corner (this would be equivalent to a pastry bag). 
5.  Hod funnel/bag over hot oil, starting in the center begin releasing the batter into a swirling pattern.

6. Fry until golden.  Flip over with tongs to fry the other side.
7. Put it on a plate and let it cool slightly.  Add toppings of your choice.  I used powdered sugar and chocolate syrup. 

When I made this, I halved the recipe and still got about 8-10 funnel cakes.  You can also use a larger pan to make larger cakes.

My partner in crime= one happy guy!

Kale Banana Smoothie

My last post was Kale Chips... one way to get some kale into your diet.  This post is MUCH BETTER!  I was looking for better ways to use up the rest of the kale I bought and I kept seeing a lot of recipes for smoothies.  I found that apple juice was used commonly in the smoothies, but I never buy apple juice and it has tons of sugar in it (I'll save my high sugar doses for kale-free menu items).  I also saw a few recipes with bad reviews (the author of the recipe actually suggested chugging the smoothie and then drinking a glass of water to get the taste out your mouth!)

I ran across this recipe from allrecipies.com and it is good!  Like I said yesterday, I don't lie to you!

What you need:

• 2 cups chopped kale
• 1 banana
• 1/2 cup milk (I used vanilla rice milk)
• 1 tsp maple syrup

What to do:

• Throw it all in a blender and puree until smooth.  Serve over ice.

Kale Chips

I started reading a new blog all about real food (read: non-processed, good for you foods!) it's http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/

I love how this family decided to cook with only real foods... what a challenge!  It was here that I read about Kale Chips.  Since reading the post on these foods I've read a little more about the health benefits of Kale.  And now for your reading pleasure:

(From Health Diaries)

Kale is not only one of the more beautiful cruciferous vegetables, but it also one of the most nutritious. Here are nine reasons to eat kale, and eat it often. 

Diet and Digestion
One cup of kale has only 36 calories and zero grams of fat, which makes it a great diet aid. Furthermore, one cup contains nearly 20% of the RDA of dietary fiber, which promotes regular digestion, prevents constipation, lowers blood sugar and curbs overeating. Finally, kale contains the glucosinolate isothiocyanate (ITC) that fights the formation of H. pylori (Helicobacter pylori), a bacterial growth in the stomach lining that can lead to gastric cancer.

Antioxidants
Kale is a superstar in the arena of carotenoids and flavonoids, two powerful antioxidants that protect our cells from free radicals that cause oxidative stress. The key flavonoids kaempferol and quercitin (not to dismiss the 45 other distinctive flavonoids in kale) have also been shown to specifically fight against the formation of cancerous cells. With the addition of high doses of well-known antioxidants like vitamin C, vitamin A, and manganese, kale is certainly a smart choice in the battle against cellular oxidation.

Anti-Inflammatory
One cup of kale provides about 10% of the RDA of omega-3 fatty acids that helps regulate the body’s inflammatory process. A megadose of vitamin K further aids to fight against excessive inflammatory-related problems, such as arthritis, autoimmune disorders, and asthma.

Cancer
Not only do kale's antioxidant and anti-inflammatory qualities work together to prevent and even combat cancer, a healthy diet of kale also provides glucosinolates, which have been shown to prevent colon, breast, bladder, prostate, ovarian cancers, as well as gastric cancer.

Cardiovascular Support
The high fiber content of kale lowers our cholesterol by binding with bile acids that the liver produces from cholesterol for digesting fat. Because many of these bile acids are coupled with fiber, the liver is charged with producing more bile acid to digest fat, and therefore requires more cholesterol to so, ultimately lowering the amount of cholesterol within our bodies.

Detox
The isothiocyanates (ITC) from glucosinolates found in kale aid in both phases I and II of the body’s detoxification process. The high sulfur content of kale has further been shown essential for phase II of detoxification.

Vitamin K
Kale provides a whopping dose of vitamin K (providing 1327% of the RDA in one cup), which is necessary for the synthesis of osteocalcin, a protein that strengthens the composition of our bones. Vitamin K also prevents calcium build-up in our tissue that can lead to atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease and stroke. Finally, vitamin K is essential for synthesizing sphingolipid, the fat needed to maintain the myelin sheath around our nerves, and therefore our nervous system as a whole.

Vitamin A
With over 192% of the RDA of vitamin A, one cup of kale is an effective antioxidant, boosts immunity, maintains healthy bones and teeth, prevents urinary stones, and is essential to our reproductive organs.

Vitamin C
Vitamin C, which one cup of kale heartily provides (over 88% of our RDA), is not only a powerful antioxidant, but also lowers blood pressure, ensures a healthy immune system, and fights against age-related ocular diseases, such as cataracts and macular degeneration. 

Making Kale Chips is SUPER easy.  

 What you need: 

• 4 cups firmly packed kale leaves
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt, to taste

What to do:

1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. Wash and remove the stems and ribs from the center of the kale leaves.

3.  Place leaves on cookie sheet and sprinkle with olive oil.  Mix around with your hands to make sure the leaves are coated evenly.

4. Toss in the oven for 5 minutes.  Then flip leaves over and cook for another 5-7 minutes.  Watch to make sure you don't burn the leaves.  It should look dark green/slightly brown and should be crispy.

5. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with sea salt to taste!

 Now, I never lie to you.  These aren't great.  But they are good if you're looking for new ways to prepare Kale.  The salt is really what makes these doable.  Just my opinion :)  Stay tuned for a better way to use Kale! 

Painted Glass... (insert item name here)

These were super easy and cheap to make! 

All you need are some glass bottles/jars/candle holders, whatever you'd like.  I had an empty wine bottle and I went to the dollar store to get a couple of candle holders.  I also bought some rubber bands (for some reason I didn't have any?) and some spray paint.  I've seen this project done with "frost" spray paint- which might look kind of nice.  However, I couldn't find that variety, so I ended up getting a satin metallic paint in "nickel."  I like the way mine turned out, you could do whatever colors you'd like :) 

1.  Start putting rubber bands around your glass however you'd like.

2. Then paint!  I'm not so great with spray paint... I get drip marks and probably don't apply it so evenly- but hey, we can't all be great at everything, right? (I'm only kidding...)   I let the first coat dry 5-10 minutes and then let the final coat dry for a couple hours.

After two coats of paint and dry!

3.  Then remove the rubber bands and you'll be set!

A candle in these guys looks really nice (you can't tell that well from the pic)

Let there be pie!

Chocolate Pecan Pie

I've only made three pies in my entire life- all of which have happened within the last two months.  I was told this was the best pie a certain someone has ever tasted... however he might be slightly biased :) 

What you need:

1 1/2 cups pecans
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 unbaked 9 inch pie crust
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt

What to do:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Spread the pecans and chocolate chips evenly in the bottom of the pie crust.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients.  Pour the filling over the pecan mixture.

Bake until the filling sets, 50 to 60 minutes.  Remove from the oven and cool for 30 minutes before slicing. 

Roasted Potatoes, Sausage and Peppers

This is a really tasty (and easy) meal to make!

Again, this recipe was taken from Gina's Skinny Recipes.  I love her site! 

What you need: 

• 3 large potatoes
• 1 medium onion, peeled and quartered, layers separated
• 2 red bell peppers, seeds removed and cut into 1 inch pieces (I used one green one red)
• 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
• 1 tsp chopped rosemary (fresh or dry)
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• olive oil spray
• 1 lb Italian chicken sausage cut each link into 6-7 slices (I couldn't find chicken sausage, so I think I used turkey sausage)

What to do: 

Cut the potatoes into small 1 x 1/2 inch pieces. These take the longest to cook so cutting them small ensures everything cooks evenly.

Preheat oven to 375°. Spray one large non-stick baking sheet with olive oil spray to prevent the potatoes from sticking.

In a large bowl, combine potatoes, onions, peppers, olive oil, salt, pepper, rosemary and garlic powder. Mix well to be sure everything is coated with oil and seasoned evenly. Pour onto the prepared baking sheet and place in the center of the oven; bake for 15 minutes. Stir once or twice so nothing sticks.

Add the sausage to the baking sheet with the potatoes and vegetables and bake, tossing once or twice for 25-35 minutes, or until your potatoes are cooked through. Cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of your potatoes and sausage, keep an eye so they don't burn.