A Kale of Two Cities (and by cities I mean jobs)

So by "week" last time I apparently meant "month". Apologies for the delay in posting, but I just started a new day job while still working 3 days a week at the old one. And for some reason the day job doesn't want to pay me to write blog posts when it's slow. (not that it has been as of late. Yay filing...) And after working 8 hours at the day job and 7 at the night one, the only thing on my mind is surprisingly enough not 'Food blog!'

Anyhoo, tally ho and on to today's new thing.

(image source)**

Kale. It's green. It's leafy. And apparently the best thing you can eat on the the whole planet. Kale or borecole (who the hell calls it borecole?!) is a member of the cabbage family and is closely related to brocolli, cauliflower and collard greens. It's apparently high in beta-carotene, vitamins K and C and has anti-cancer properties because of it's high levels of sulforaphane. According to wikipedia (a very trusted and highly reliable information source) sulforaphane inhibits something that cancer does that's bad. The wiki page has all the scientifics of it, and if anyone reads this blog and is relatively science-y, I'd love to have you explain it to me in English.

After much perusing of the interwebs, I decided on Kale chips to test this leafy super food. I did two batches each with different flavours to see if I could fully appreciate the versatility of it's kale-y goodness. The first batch I sprinkled with curry powder. Interesting, but I think I cooked them for too long and the curry was a bit over powering. The second batch I did with cajun spice. DEEEE-LISH. I think the kale needs something with a little kick to balance out all of the greeny goodness it gives. The chips are also really light, so you can eat a whole bowl and only feel energized instead of quietly weeping while your hands slowly stain the couch sweet chili heat orange.

On a side note, if there's something you want me to review/cook or you just want to add something or just generically troll, please comment! I'd love to hear from my dedicated readers! (all 2 of you!)


**another note: the picture I got was from a blog called WTF Foods. Hilarious and informative! Like my blog, only better written. :P

Round Three! *ding ding!*

Okay, One more time!

So even after all this time, I still want this whole 'blogging' thing to happen. See attempt number three. One more make over, but I think this time it's going to stick.

I've recently decided to become a (mostly) vegetarian. This is also known as a 'flexitarian' but that word annoys me for some obscure reason. Basically, I will eat vegetarian meals for the most part, except when I can find locally sourced, free range meat. I just feel like there is a cornucopia of beautifully coloured recipes that lack meat that I'm missing out on. Plus, the extra fruits and veggies will be good for me ^_^

That being said, I've decided a regular feature will be to pick a new veggie/fruit/nut/food type item that I have never cooked with before and create a delicious meal. It will give me an excuse to get to know some new foods, practice my writing skills, and expose some of my friends and family to some amazing new food websites and recipes.

So, off we go!

A couple weeks ago I was at the Downtown farmer's market and bought a bunch of Swiss Chard. It was bright, it was green and it stared at me with leafy intensity, being all "what you gonna do about it, white girl?" and I was all like "challenge accepted mothaf--!"

But then I got home. I tucked the chard into my crisper and went "now what?". The next step was obvious.

TO THE INTERNETS!

After a lengthy peruse through tastespotting (the most amazing conglomeration of food blog recipes EVAR) I found this lovely number: Greek Swiss Chard Pie
Though a bit time consuming to prepare, what with all the layers of phyllo dough, it was actually really easy to make, and super healthy. A lot of spanakopita recipes call for so much cheese and butter my dairy sensitive intestines cringe at the first three ingredients. This one however replaces the butter with olive oil and uses significantly less feta than other versions. The swiss chard held up really well to the whole blanching/baking process and the pastry cooked up really nicely. Oh, and it was F*CKING DELICIOUS! I could have eaten the whole 10" pie myself.

Things I might try next time though:
- adding lemon zest to the egg/chard filling. I think it will give it some extra zing. Also, more pepper.
- baking the pie in muffin tins instead of a pie plate. I think you'll get a better filling-to-pastry ratio, and it will make it super easy for freezing/sharing. I have a theory that you could also do mini muffin tins and have them be appetizers. Soo cute!

I'll post something here again next week, so please check back! I'll give you a hint: it's radicchio.