Kale & Peanuts Stir-Fry

1 cup basmati rice
1 bunch curly or broad-leafed kale, stems removed and leaves torn into pieces
1 Tbs olive oil
1 medium carrot, julienned
1 Tbs thinly sliced fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tsp tamari sauce
2 Tbs dry-roasted, unsalted peanuts, finely chopped

1) Cook rice according to package directions. Set aside.
2) Heat wok over high heat; add oil and swirl to coat wok. Add kale and carrot, and stir-fry 3 minutes.  Add ginger and garlic, and stir-fry for 15 seconds. Add tamari sauce and stir-fry for 15 seconds more.
3) Mix in rice and peanuts. Serve immediately.

Review: I've held onto this recipe for over a month, just waiting to have enough kale in my garden. Tonight I was able to harvest quite a bit!! I always complain about how many bugs are in kale when I get it from the grocery store. There were about 20 times as many in the kale from my garden, and lots of holes in the leaves. Ah, organic gardening!! It was worth it though, as the kale tasted so much more intense and fresh!!! This, coupled with the ginger and tamari made for a particularly savory dish. I was glad to have enough to have leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Yum.

Adapted from:
http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/flash-fried-kale-with-peanuts/

Surprise!!

This has got to be the worst gardening season ever. Between the long, cold spring and the summer's near 100 degree temps and frequent storms, it's been so difficult. The weeds are doing great, but the vegetables have struggled all season. My cabbage and carrots never sprouted, and my Swiss chard was eaten by bunnies. I do have some cherry tomatoes that are almost ripe. The real winner this season was my kale. Yes, they are holey from various caterpillars and grasshoppers, but there was plenty to harvest!

Discovered!

I have been making a favorite dish, Black Bean & Mozzarella Bowl, for quite some time. However, the recipe called for Drew's Smoked Tomato dressing. I couldn't find it anywhere!!! So, I made up my own vinaigrettes, but it never felt like the right flavor. Yet, this weekend, I found it at the Mount Kisco NY's Mrs. Greens!!! I made it tonight, as it was supposed to be made, and found it to be better than I could ever have believed! It was such a nice tangy/smoky flavor, that really couldn't be duplicated. Yum, I will definitely be making this again, and have plenty left in the bottle!!

Sugar Ann Snap Peas

This is the second handful I've harvested from my garden.

I don't personally like snap peas, but my husband loves them. So, I made sure to get an heirloom variety to grow in my garden. The first harvest was passed around at his birthday party this past weekend. Everyone raved about them. Mike got all of them this time and was a happy camper. I asked him to describe the difference between these and the ones he gets at the grocery store. He told me the flavor is much more intense. Ah, of course, most grocery store veggies tend to taste weaker than garden veggies!

SouthWest Rice & Bean Salad

1 cup instant brown rice
2 15oz cans pinto beans, rinsed and drained
3 Tbs lime juice
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup salsa

1) Cook rice according to package directions.
2) Meanwhile, toss all the other ingredients into a large bowl. Add the rice, once it has finished cooking.
3) Toss to combine and serve immediately.

Review: This recipe originally called for sushi rice, but I wanted to make it healthier. This was a great balance of flavors. The cilantro and salsa provided a significant amount of flavor, but wasn't overwhelming due to the pinto bean and bell pepper flavors. This will be great served cold for lunch tomorrow!

Adapted from:
http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/southwest-rice-and-bean-salad/

Cookies-N-Creme Glaze

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups sandwich creme cookies, crushed
2 Tbs butter, melted
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
3-4 Tbs milk

1) In a medium bowl, mix the powder sugar, cookies and butter, until well blended. Mix in salt and vanilla extract.
2) Continue mixing, while adding milk until the desired consistency is achieved.

Review: For this birthday, we went with a cookies-n-creme theme. For the cake, I used two boxes of Trader Joe's vanilla cake mix. It's a snack cake mix, so it's dense and designed to make an 8x8 cake. So, to fill the castle shaped bundt pan, I needed two boxes. I added one cup of crushed cookies (Trader Joe's Joe-Joe's). It's definitely a rich, dense, moist cake!! I came up with the glaze recipe after consulting a few vanilla glaze recipes. I must be the first person ever to want this flavor glaze, because I couldn't find a recipe online ANYWHERE!!  It looks kind of odd, but we couldn't decide if the glaze made it look like it was covered in mud or if it just looked like an older castle. Regardless, I think it looks delicious. We'll also be serving this up with ice cream on the side. Oh, what kind? Trader Joes' Joe-Joe's ice cream (cookies-n-cream). Yum!!

Edamame & Corn Salad

2 qts water
1 pkg (16oz) frozen shelled edamame
3 ears (2 cups) fresh corn, cooked and kernels cut from cob
1 medium red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
4 (1/2 cup) green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 Tbs oregano leaves
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

1) Bring 2 quarts water to boil in a medium saucepan on high heat. Add edamame; cook 4 minuts, or until edamame are bright green and tender. Drain and rinse under cold water.
2) In a small bowl; mix olive oil, cider vinegar, oregano, garlic powder, sea salt and black pepper, until well bended. Add edamame, corn, red bell pepper, green onions and parsley; toss well to coat. Cover.
3) Refrigerate at least 1 hour to blend flavors. Toss before serving.

Review: I always enjoy cold salads in the summer. Especially when it's unseasonably hot, as it has been lately. This particular salad was quite interesting. For the first time, I used Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar, instead of Heinz or the store brand. Oddly, it seemed to have a sweet taste instead of a vinegary bite. Mike asked a few times if I had put sugar or honey into the vinaigrette!

Adapted from:
http://www.mccormick.com/Recipes/Salads-Sides/Edamame-and-Corn-Salad-with-Oregano-Vinaigrette