FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

Sriracha Kale Chips

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Watching the incredibly cute video below reminded me that kale chips were on my baking to-do list.

Cute, right?  I love when he says “it seems to me that we can either pay the farmer or we can pay the hospital”.  So true!

Knowing that I’d want a spicier chip, I added a hefty amount of Sriracha.

Foodfash Sriracha Kale Chips

8 ounces of kale, de-spined and broken into bite sized pieces

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 tablespoons of Sriracha

salt to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix the olive oil and Sriracha in a small bowl.  Dry the kale completely and then drizzle the olive oil and Sriracha mix over the kale.  Use your hands to massage the kale, making sure that every piece has been coated.  Place the kale on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the kale is crispy.

The kale chips were exactly what I was expecting taste-wise: crispy, spicy goodness.  However, I did not anticipate how addictive they’d be.  I placed the bowl of chips next to me as I was editing photos and by the time I was finished with the photos, the kale chips were finished as well.  Oops!

Do you find kale chips addictive?  Have you tried any surprisingly good flavor combos?

Stuffed Breakfast

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It’s tough to think about recipes after gorging yourself on Christmas goodies.  I woke up this morning feeling full and fluffy.  Too fluffy for restaurant breakfast and not full enough for a green smoothie.

I cut the crusts off of two pieces of sprouted sourdough bread and hunted around my fridge for stuffing ingredients.

Why hello there, peanut butter and jelly!

While a pan was warming up over medium heat, I dabbed about a tablespoon of each onto each piece of bread, slapped the two together, using a fork to seal the edges for a PB&J ravioli.  I set the little ravioli into an egg/water mixture (I usually use almond milk) until both sides had soaked up most of the mix.  I cooked each side until both were golden brown.

Even though this is a little more caloric than my normal breakfasts, it was definitely better than anything that would have happened had I met up with friends for my first meal of the day.  The warm and gooey peanut butter and jelly inside went so well with the crisp and dense french toast outside that neither butter nor syrup was needed.

Calzone With A Kick

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Now that I, in my oh so humble opinion, have completely mastered pizza making, it only made sense to move on up to calzones.  Spinach, artichokes, and crushed red pepper?  Done and done!

No pre-shredded cheese for this girl, mozzarella di bufala all the way.

I used Jenna @ Eat Live Run’s pizza dough recipe again.  This recipe is spot on, no-fail goodness.  At some point I’d like to test out a less whole wheat, more authentic Italian recipe, but for now her dough is a staple in my kitchen.

FoodFash Spinach, Artichoke & Red Pepper Calzone

Yield: 3 calzones

1/2 Eat Live Run pizza dough

marinara for dipping

Stuffing:

1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

1 cup chopped fresh mozzarella

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 artichoke bottoms, chopped

2 handfulls of spinach, chopped

1 teaspoon of garlic salt

1 to 2 teaspoons of crushed red pepper

Egg Wash:

1 egg

1/4 cup water

Prepare the pizza dough.  While the dough is rising, preheat oven to 375 degrees and mix stuffing ingredients together in a medium bowl until well blended.  When dough is ready, use a rolling pin to roll out the dough until it’s large enough for three calzones.  Cut the dough into three sections.  Dollop 1/3 of the stuffing onto one side of each piece of dough.  In a small bowl, make an egg wash by beating together 1 egg and 1/4 cup of water.  Brush the edges of the dough with the egg wash, fold the dough over to completely cover the stuffing, and press edges with a fork to seam the calzones.  You may have to press twice to make sure that the edges have a strong seam.  Place the calzones on a greased and floured pan.  Brush the calzones with the egg wash.  Using a fork, poke holes in each calzone.  Bake for 30 minutes or until calzones are golden brown.

W-O-W!  As I removed these beauties from the oven, I had a perma-smile and a total feeling of accomplishment.  The egg wash ensured firm and toasty crust.  The contrasting brightness of green spinach and red pepper flakes made for a soft-on-the-eyes filling.  The red pepper flakes added a uniquely awesome kick.  I was 100% pleased and 110% stuffed.

What’s your favorite calzone combination?   

Concept Thieving

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One of my favorite lunch spots in Tampa is Pane Rustica.  If you haven’t been, think Anthropologie meets Panera.  It has casual counter service (during the day), an eclectic dining atmosphere, and stellar food.  Pane Rustica is a must-do-often lunch spot here in TPA.

One of their more unique menu offerings is an acorn squash stuffed with their chicken salad of the day.  Served with a small yeast roll and topped with fresh fruit, it’s quite simply lunch perfection.

Now that I’ve given credit where credit is due, I totally jacked their idea for this meal.  I split a sweet dumpling squash in two, coated it with olive oil, sprinkled with salt, and baked in a 450 degree oven for 35 minutes.  I let it cool in the fridge for 20ish minutes while I made tuna salad with vegenaise, dijon mustard, celery, and shallots.

I stuffed the cooled squash full of tuna salad and admired its prettiness.  Squash bowls are about to be all the rage in my kitchen!