Quick Kale Chips

Do you all LOVE kale as much as I do??!! I seriously eat it almost once a day! Substituting it for lettuce in salads, sauteing it as a side dish, using it to stuff in other veggies.. The possibilities are endless! But I have to say, one of my favorite ways to prepare kale- CHIPS! They will take you no more than 20 minutes to make, but if you are anything like me, you will devour them in a quarter of the time!

Ingredients

• Kale (get a big bunch, it shrinks majorly)
• Olive oil spray
• Seasoning of choice (I use red pepper flakes, garlic salt and cumin)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425. Tear the leaves of kale away from the stem, but keep in decent size chunks. Spread them out on baking sheet as a single layer.
2. Spray with olive oil and season the kale leaves and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until browned. 

Ummm epitome of easy??!! YES! They are so delicious and crunchy! Perfect for a totally nutrient-packed, guiltless snack! You can play around with the seasonings too. They would be so yummy with barbecue seasoning, Chinese five spice, or simple salt and pepper! Go experiment and enjoy!

Health & Love <3

Faux-Fried Sriracha Chicken

WHAT?! FRIED CHICKEN ON A HEALTH BLOG?! Umm… notice the “faux” part! It’s baked, I swear! But your mouth and tummy would never know if you ate it blindfolded! Seriously, I know this is another somewhat “simple” recipe, but it’s a staple of my diet. Maybe I should feel guilty making this once a week, but I definitely don’t. Everything in moderation including moderation, right? Well, that’s my story and I’m stickin to it! I have a feeling once you try this recipe yourself, it will become one of those things you just keep going back to. Get ready!!!

Ingredients

• 1 lb chicken (I like using tenders)
• 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup cornflakes
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 egg whites
• 1/4 cup Sriracha
• 2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
• Olive oil spray

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400. Prepare chicken in desired size; As mentioned above, I like using tenders but you definitely can use whole breasts or cut into small “nuggets.”
2. In a bowl, whisk together egg whites, Sriracha and mustard. If its too thick, add small amount of oil (safflower or olive).
3. In a separate bowl or plate, break the cornflakes into smaller pieces (you can put them in a food processor on pulse a few times, or do it by hand- go ahead and get some aggression out!). Mix cornflakes with bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese.
4. Dip chicken in Sriracha/mustard/egg wash and then dredge in cornflake/bread crumb/Parmesan mixture.
5. Spray baking sheet with olive oil spray and place the coated chicken on the sheet. Spray the chicken lightly as well. Bake until golden brown and crispy (usually about 25-30 minutes, but depends on the size of your chicken pieces).

NOM NOM NOM NOM… Sorry what did you say??? I was too busy shoving this crunchy chicken in my mouth. YEAH, it’s that good! If you read my blog, you know I usually offer substitutions for the ingredients that I list in my recipes. For this one, I really don’t know what would be better than what is already perfected! I encourage you to try this recipe “as-is,” but if you think of something, then leave me a comment and let me know! I’d love your feedback :) ENJOY!

Health & Love <3

Orange & Beet Spring Salad

WOW! I am averaging one post per month since February! How horrible! Not to excuse my neglect, but the past month has been quite a transition period for me. I moved into my very own solo apartment and have been slowly but surely settling in… Oh and I currently bum internet off of nearby restaurants. AWESOME! Not. Ha! Regardless, my kitchen is fully functional so I really have no reason not to be posting, and so here we are :)

I know a lot of you are probably thinking my first post back is going to be some crazy recipe, but sometimes you just gotta go back to basics! With spring in full force, I have been on a salad BINGE! This salad not only full of every flavor profile you can think of, but also extremely beautiful. Go get your paper and pen and start writing down the ingredients! I promise, you won’t be underwhelmed….

Ingredients

• 2 beets
• 1 orange
• Your choice of greens (I used kale)
• Herbed goat cheese
• Avocado
• Kalamata olives
• Salt & Pepper

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Clean beets thoroughly and pat dry. Place beets on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Cover with foil and bake for about 45 minutes.
2. Once your beets are finished baking, let them cool and then peel the skin off. Slice into medallions or cubes. Rinse your choice of greens and pay dry. Slice oranges into medallions or cubes, prepare avocado into slices/cubes, crumble goat cheese, and add olives. Season with salt and pepper.

ET VOILA! So easy! Great as a side salad, but you can also make it into a meal by adding some meat (rotisserie chicken anyone?!) or nuts (walnuts would be phenomenal!). Also, I know not everyone enjoys salad without dressing like I do, so if you are in need of dressing try something simple like a lemon vinaigrette (3 parts olive oil; 1 part lemon juice; lemon zest; touch of Dijon mustard). The components of the salad really are so flavorful that the dressing should just highlight that, not overwhelm. Try swapping kale for watercress, arugula or spinach – YUM!

I sincerely hope you all are excited to have me back up and running!

Health & Love <3