Polenta Taco Bake

Who knew polenta was so awesome? I did not -- until yesterday. I'll be honest, it kind of creeped me out when I was slicing it up. Something about that didn't sit well with me. Texture thing. But when it's cooked, it's amazing! And yesterday was one of those days for me when I had a stroke of culinary genius putting random ingredients together from my fridge before they expired even more than they were already expired. So here we go...

Polenta Taco Bake

1 lb ground beef

1 roll of polenta (Is that normal? Mine came from Trader Joe's)

Mexican shredded cheese

Taco seasoning

Onions, chopped

Toppings: Taco toppings like shredded lettuce, guac, olives, tomatoes, sour cream

Brown the ground beef and drain. Add a half cup of water, seasoning, onions (or in my case, expired pico de gallo), and simmer till well seasoned.

While browning, spray a baking dish. Slice polenta and layer in baking dish. Sprinkle thin layer of cheese over top. 

Layer seasoned beef over top of polenta, then smother it in more cheese. 

Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes, uncovered. 

Remove from oven and add taco toppings.

You're welcome.

How to Make Kale Salad

Kale is like, the most popular vegetable on the planet right now. If it could get an academy award it would. In fact, it deserves its own cover on People. Do you know why it’s so popular? Because it’s like, the best thing you could ever put in your body. But if you’re like most people, you might be wondering why you can’t jump on the kale bandwagon. What is it about this leafy green and purple that even tastes remotely good? I’m here to save the day and let you know there are lots of ways to make kale delicious—the easiest and one of the healthiest of which is to make a kale salad. And here’s how you do it.

1)      Grab a bushel of green or purple kale. I like to mix green and purple so I get one of each

2)      Wash

3)      Peel kale from the spines

4)      Mush kale all together on a cutting board and slice very thinly, as if you were making shredded iceberg lettuce (which has like, no nutritional value by the way)

5)      Put in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil

6)      Add the juice of half a lemon (or whole, depending on how much you’re making)

7)      Add course sea salt and pepper

8)      Take off your rings and get your hands in there. Massage that kale like you love it. Get the oil and lemon juice all up in those leaves. (This makes sure the kale is not dry and gross, and is a very important step in the process)

9)      Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese (freshly shaved is the best but as you see from my picture I used (gasp!) Kraft)

10)   To make a real meal out of it and be like an incredibly delicious restaurant my sister Linde takes me to in Reno called Campo, pile salad high on a plate and top with an over-medium fried egg. You have to trust me on this.
 

 

 

 

Other Kale Recipes on BATF:

Kale Recipes

Where's the Kale?

Vegan Kale Dish (and fantasy dessert)

All Kale Bacon!

Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Recipe

Obviously we love our Kale.

And, the top 10 reasons Kale is so damn good for you, according to www.mindbodygreen.com :

Kale is being called “the new beef”, “the queen of greens” and “a nutritional powerhouse.” Here are ten great benefits of adding more kale to your diet:

 

1. Kale is low in calorie, high in fiber and has zero fat. One cup of kale has only 36 calories, 5 grams of fiber and 0 grams of fat. It is great for aiding in digestion and elimination with its great fiber content. It’s also filled with so many nutrients, vitamins, folate and magnesium as well as those listed below.

 

2. Kale is high in iron. Per calorie, kale has more iron than beef. Iron is essential for good health, such as the formation of hemoglobin and enzymes, transporting oxygen to various parts of the body, cell growth, proper liver function and more.

 

3. Kale is high in Vitamin K. Eating a diet high in Vitamin K can help protect against various cancers. It is also necessary for a wide variety of bodily functions including normal bone health and the prevention of blood clotting. Also increased levels of vitamin K can help people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

 

4. Kale is filled with powerful antioxidants. Antioxidants, such as carotenoids and flavonoids help protect against various cancers.

 

5. Kale is a great anti-inflammatory food. One cup of kale is filled with 10% of the RDA of omega-3 fatty acids, which help, fight against arthritis, asthma and autoimmune disorders.

 

6. Kale is great for cardiovascular support. Eating more kale can help lower cholesterol levels.

 

7. Kale is high in Vitamin A. Vitamin A is great for your vision, your skin as well as helping to prevent lung and oral cavity cancers.

 

8. Kale is high in Vitamin C. This is very helpful for your immune system, your metabolism and your hydration.

 

9. Kale is high in calcium. Per calorie, kale has more calcium than milk, which aids in preventing bone loss, preventing osteoporosis and maintaining a healthy metabolism. Vitamin C is also helpful to maintain cartilage and joint flexibility

 

10. Kale is a great detox food. Kale is filled with fiber and sulfur, both great for detoxifying your body and keeping your liver healthy.

 

Jack's Salad {Guest Post}

My very tall and handsome cousin Daniel married one of the kindest, most artistic women I've met in my life. Everything Beth touches turns to art. From quilting, to painting, to illustration, to jewelry to even her cooking, she is a true inspiration. And you can't even be mad at her for it because she is so humble and nice. And anyway, if you got mad at her she would stop making you her chocolate chip cookies and even worse, her most famous of all famous culinary creations: her salad. This month, I'm so excited to have her as a guest beauty for salad month. It truly is my most favorite salad of all time. - Amber

This summery, citrusy salad has long been a favorite of ours; it was even served at the dinner the night before our wedding. Nearly ten years later we still love it (and each other). It's really simple to make, with only one slightly tricky element... but don't worry, once you've made it once it's as easy as can be!

This salad tends to develop followers. The first one was Amber's father, Jack, and for a while we called it Jack's salad. We've since moved and it's collected a few other names, but I still think of it as Jack's.

Ingredients:

·        Lettuce, whichever you like (I use Boston Curly, or another crunchy lettuce if I can't find that)

·        Scallions, 1 bunch

·        Pecans, 1 cup, chopped into bits

·        Sugar, 1/4 cup

·        Fruit, whatever you have around, cut into chunks. Traditionally this uses mandarin orange slices, but I've used apple, strawberry, mango, you name it.

·        Blue cheese, crumbled

·        Brianna's Poppy Seed Dressing (1/2 cup)

·        Orange juice (1 cup)

Directions:

Chop up the lettuce into small enough pieces that you can eat them without looking terribly foolish. Chop the scallions into thin slices. Chop the pecans into bits. Chop the fruit into manageable sizes. Lots of chopping.

 

 

The next part is the tricky bit. You're going to caramelize the pecans so they're deliciously sweet and crunchy. In a skillet over medium high heat, pour the 1/4 cup of sugar. Flatten it out over the bottom of the pan and watch it. If you're like me, you'll probably poke it a bit. Eventually, it will begin to melt. At this point, watch it more closely. You want it all melted, and a lovely caramel color. It's very easy to burn it at this stage, so the moment it looks caramel colored, take it off the heat and set it on another (cold) burner. Pour in the pecans and stir them around until they're all nicely coated, then leave the pan there until they cool down.

 

In the meantime, mix up the dressing! Combine the Brianna's and orange juice and stir. It will look absolutely horrifying for a while, but it gets better, I promise. The orange juice thins the poppy seed dressing nicely and makes it fresh and summery.

When your pecans are cooled, have at them with a butter knife until they are in manageable clusters as opposed to one giant solid mass.

Assemble the salad. Lettuce, then scallions, then the lovely pecans you've just made, then blue cheese, then fruit. Dress the salad liberally; the orange juice makes it so you really can't have too much dressing, it just runs off.

Enjoy!
Beth Sobel

 

http://www.bethsobel.com
bethsobel@gmail.com

And as a sample of the amazing work Beth does, here's one of her illustrations. You can see more on her website at http://www.bethsobel.com or purchase the board game Vitaculture, of which she was the illustrator, also pictured below. Oh and just cause I can, a photo of her amazing henna work too. This girl can do anything!

 

 

 

 

Like Missy mentioned in her comment, I'm pretty boring with salads. Anyone who knows me, knows salad = a variation of spinach, pears, walnuts and blue cheese. Sometimes when I'm feeling really crazy, I mix it up with a kale salad. Needless to say, Curtis was pretty happy last night when "salad" meant something new: peaches, mozzarella and basil. It was super quick, easy and summery! And really delicious.

Peach, Mozzarella, and Basil Salad

from Real Simple

Ingredients

• 3 ripe peaches (peeled, if desired)
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
• 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 
  

Directions

1. Cut each peach into 6 to 8 wedges, then cut each wedge in half crosswise.
2. In a large bowl, combine the peaches, basil, and mozzarella. Drizzle with the oil, sprinkle with the salt and pepper, and toss. (You can cover and refrigerate the salad for up to several hours.) Serve cold or at room temperature.

Everything but the Kitchen Sink Salad {Guest Post}

My friend Jen Rittenhouse has been a Beauties and the Feast fan since its very inception. I consider her to be an expert in blogging and social media and therefore ran the idea by her before we even started the blog. It's an honor to have her as a guest blogger today, three years into what once started as just a simple idea! Thanks for all of your support over the years, Jen!

Everything but the Kitchen Sink

An Amazing Salad for Summer

By guest beauty Jen Rittenhouse

I am obsessed with this salad. I dream about it, write poetry about it, and in the summer I eat it just about every damn day.

Like most good things in my life, this salad was born on a whim. It was during my days as a crazed commuter (insert nostalgic pause here). I had a 5:30 a.m. train to catch and limited time to pack a lunch. Thankfully my weekly produce delivery box had just stocked me with all of my summer faves: lettuce, tomatoes, avocados, carrots, cucumber and corn. I threw it all together with a can of garbanzos, black beans, feta and a lemon and discovered the most amazing salad I’ve ever eaten.

You can’t eff this salad up, promise. And it can be modified infinity different ways. Cilantro, bell peppers and hard-boiled eggs make nice additions. The lettuce in this thing is more of an afterthought. Sometimes I don’t even bother.

Ingredients:

-1 can black beans*

-1 can garbanzo beans*

-handful of cherry tomatoes

-1 or 2 carrots

-1 avocado

-1 lemon

-a few shakes of feta

-1 ear of corn

-a few lettuce leaves

*I use half a can of beans when I’m making this for myself and use the other half for the next day’s lunch.

Directions:

-Chop vegetables

-Mix with feta

-Add juice from one lemon

-Eat it up!

Isn't she lovely?

Tip: If you are packing it for lunch, I recommend you layer the feta and beans on the bottom and build up to the lettuce on top.

Jen is a copywriter, mama, runner and denim enthusiast. She's been published a few times on the Internet but this is her first post about food. You can follow her on Twitter and see what she's up to on Instagram @YennyPie.

February's Ingredient: Kale

If you can identify this picture, you are already one step ahead of me! All I wanted to do for February was desserts or Risotto's but with this new diet I went with a fan suggestion: KALE.

Throughout time, I have always heard, “eat your greens!” And I don’t think they meant the romaine lettuce smothered in cheese, Caesar dressing, and topped with crusty white bread. But how do you incorporate more greens into your everyday meals that are edible for myself and my children?!

Well I don’t have a magic answer. I still don’t know the difference between most leafy greens but I am hoping to learn something about them this month. For instance here is a type of Kale called, “Lacinato”. It’s leaves are flat.




Missy found a great article titled, “7 Reasons Kale is the New Beef!”. Check it out to learn more facts about kale: click on kale or go to http://www.organicauthority.com/health/reasons-kale-is-the-new-beef-nutritious-sustainable.html
Seems like you can’t go wrong with all that calcium, iron, fiber, Omega fatty acids, antioxidants, and it even acts as an anti-inflammatory-all in one food!

I hope my beauties will help me in answering how to get more of this super food into my diet. I’ll kick us off with a funky recipe and then hope to do one more in a main dish later in the month.




Kale Butter(taken from “The Engine 2 Diet” by Rip Esselstyn)
1 bunch of kale, rinsed and chopped
½ cup walnuts
½ cup water
Salt to taste

Steam the kale for 5 minutes, until tender. Blend the cooked kale with the walknuts and ½ cup of the green water from steaming. Add salt to taste if desired. Process in a blender until smooth.

It reminded me of pesto. You could use it as a spread on a cracker, but that didn’t fly with the kids. But I did manage to get rave reviews putting it on their “meat” sandwich with some mayo & mustard! I bet you could even do a kb&j (kale butter & jelly). I am hoping to sneak it into a wrap for myself. Any other ideas?

Penne with Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese

In my house opening a jar of Prego over penne is usually the way we go. If we want to get fancy, we stir in some pesto. If we want to blow your mind, we open a box of Cucina Fresca frozen penne mac and cheese, throw it in a Pyrex and take credit for it. No, probably not. But I'm tempted...if you haven't had Cucina Fresca macs, they are the bomb.com, plus they are local (to Sea-town) like Beechers, easily rival Beechers in flavor and claim to be handmade using natural ingredients. BAM! Why aren't I getting paid for this?

Since I couldn't open a box of frozen mac this time, I opted for this simple recipe from Food Network: Penne with Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese. The inspiration behind this choice is merely the fact that I had a package of pre-cubed fresh butternut squash (thank you QFC for helping me cheat) that I needed to use. So I searched "penne butternut squash" and this recipe is the first one I landed on. It had me at goat cheese.

The result: It was like I had ordered a dish at some fancy restaurant where you think the chef is really brilliant for combining these flavors that you, in a million years, wouldn't have considered. And it was EASY! My favorite. The only downside: my toddler gave it a thumbs down and I'm not surprised. It's a pretty sophisticated flavor with the goat cheese, besides, if it's not Prego, a banana or a Ritz cracker, he's not interested anyway.

Next time I'm going to add in some ground Italian sausage just to see if I'm as brilliant as a top chef. Thank you Amber, for making me think outside the (frozen mac and cheese) box this month!




Penne with Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese

Ingredients

Vegetable oil cooking spray
1 (2-pound) butternut or kombucha squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 onion, diced into 1/2-inch pieces
Olive oil, for drizzling
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound penne pasta
1 cup (8 ounces) goat cheese, crumbled
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted (see Cook's Note)
1 packed cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan

Directions

Put an oven rack in the upper third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Spray a baking sheet, liberally, with vegetable oil cooking spray. Set aside.

Mix the squash and onion together and arrange in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bake for to 40 to 45 minutes until the vegetables are golden and cooked through. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly.

While the squash mixture is cooling, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drainand reserve about 2 cups of the pasta water. Put the pasta, goat cheese and 1 cup of pasta water in a large serving bowl. Toss until the cheese has melted and forms a creamy sauce. Add the squash andonion mixture, the walnuts and the basil. Toss well and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Garnishwith Parmesan and serve.

Cook's Note:
To toast the walnuts, arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven until lightly toasted, about 6 to 8 minutes Cool completely before using.

Missy's Note:
When toasting walnuts in a toaster oven, watch them carefully...

My fav gf brand pasta so far.

"Dearly Beloved," we are gathered here to marry some yummy ingredients. I bought this cheap bottle of wine for Halloween and forgot about it! So I opened it up with dinner and we LOVED it. Nice, smooth red. Just fyi, in case you ever come across this funky bottle.

Just before the magic happens.

Trivia: What smells like burnt popcorn, but isn't? Burnt walnuts. (Luckily, most were salvageable.)

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An Unexpected Outcome - Missy's Review

I was hesitant to make June's recipe yet strangely enough I had ALL of the ingredients for the cookies, minus the flour, already in my cupboard.

First off, I have to give a shout out to Jolie for picking a recipe with applesauce in it because it's a staple in our home these days. My son thinks it's like the nectar of the gods or something; he loves it that much. So we always have applesauce. The other ingredients...don't really know how long they've been in my cupboard but I found them and used them. Oh well.

So I made the cookies and switched up a few ingredients along the way: Instead of veg oil, I used extra virgin coconut oil (almost the full amount) and left a little space to add some flaxseed oil too (about 1/4 c). I used oat flakes instead of bran since that's what I had in my cupboard. I used finely chopped walnuts. And I used Amaranth flour which is gluten free. I also decided these cookies needed some spice. How about some cinammon with that applesauce? I added a couple heaping dashes of pumpkin pie spice and a couple dashes of cinammon too. I don't bake; why not?

Well, then I realized the requirement to get my husband to try these would be something much sweeter added in the mix, so I found butterscotch chips and chocolate chips in the cupboard (don't ask how old) that went in half the batch.

I was nervous. You know how you taste the batter and just know it's going to be amazing? Not so much my reaction this time. It was okay but not great. I wanted Betty Crocker and I was getting more hippy, Mother-Earthy.

The end result: Yummier-than-expected hippy Mother-Earthy! Something happened in the baking process and these little cookies turned out pretty good. I could really taste the spices, which I think were an important add. And for my husband's version, the spice with the butterscotch was awesome. I can't believe I'm going to type this; I would leave out the chocolate next time.

I'm happy with the outcome. And I'm happy to know I have a crap load of stuff for baking in my cupboards after all this time. Go figure...

June Recipe: Applesauce Cookies and Banana Bread

Even for a non-skilled cook like me, it’s hard to pick just one recipe to post. I have been dying to do a risotto because it is one of my favorite things to eat. But it’s summer (well in some parts of the country) and I know people don’t want to be slaving over a hot stove. So my second passion is baking! I do like to bake, although I don’t get to do it enough. I know when you are in summer mode baking isn’t the top of the list but how about all those weekend getaways?! You need to bring something to snack on all weekend and these recipes will get you through.

Again I am going to have to post two recipes because you can’t change up baking too much or it won’t work. Plus one is super healthy and they other is super…well it came from Emily so you know it is all about taste.

Renee’s Applesauce Cookies (from “Mommy Made and Daddy too!”)

¾ cup light brown sugar
¾ cup vegetable oil
1 cup Applesauce
½ cup finely chopped nuts
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup oat bran (I do half oat bran, half ground flax seed)
2 cups flour (use soy flour if you want to go wheat free)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine brown sugar and oil, stir until lumps are dissolved. Add remaining ingredients one at a time, mixing well.

Place level tablespoons of dough 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet and flatten slightly with a fork. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Cool before wrapping or storing in an airtight container; the cookies will keep for about a month.

Now don’t be shy, my husband ends up eating more than the children so this isn’t just healthy. I usually double the recipe because if you are going to take the time you might as well stock up.

Kona Inn Banana Bread

2 cups sugar
1 cup soften butter
6 ripe bananas, mashed
4 eggs well beaten
2 ½ cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 350 degrees. With the electric beater, cream the sugar and butter. Add the bananas and eggs. Sift dry ingredients together and then blend into the banana mix. Pour into two greased bread pans. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour. Cool for 10 minutes.

Emily and Megan know that the crowd pleaser is to throw in a cup of chocolate chips. This is a staple item at our girls getaways and freezes well.

The Guiltless Wonder Meatballs - Missy's Review

I basically followed the recipe, if you can call it that when you don't measure anything out. Measuring takes more time and effort (whiiiine), and really, who wants to wash another measuring cup? So I didn't measure a thing, although my trusty 1/4 cup hung out beside me willing me to use it. I decided much faster and more exciting to be risky and just eye it. As a result, I'm pretty sure I used more tortilla chips, garlic and pretty much more of everything than what the original recipe called for.

The other semi-important thing I did was go non-dairy on this one. In fact, I used turkey breast from Whole Foods, gluten-free rice penne pasta and soy-alternative Mexican cheese blend. I also used a big dollop of non-dairy mayo instead of an egg for binding.



Since I used turkey I let the meatballs simmer on low about triple the time so they could really soak in the flavor. I probably would've gone longer but I had an impatient, hungry husband on my heels. Finally, I didn't add much water to the sauce. 1/4 cup maybe? Nah, didn't measure that either. I let the sauce thicken and I cut up the meatballs during the last few minutes of simmer/stirring so it ended up being more of a meat sauce over penne dish.



The result was surprisingly awesome! My husband said it best: "I don't feel like this is so heavy but it's really flavorful." My thoughts exactly. And the other kick I'm on right now besides less dairy (less, not non) is herbal teas, so for dessert I kicked my feet up and sipped on some Kava tea.



This recipe was too easy, too yummy and too healthy not to make again. Great pick Rach!