When life gives you cauliflower, make reubens.

Nom nom nom. 

Monster cauliflower! Sweet pie pumpkins! Hearty kale! Oh my! Locally grown loveliness is bountiful as our CSA for 2014 is still going strong. In fact, despite the cold weather, we've been getting more veggies than this entire season! And they are beautiful.

Last week we got these massive cauliflower heads. It had big leaves attached, which I had to remove just to get it in my bag so I could get it home. I'm sure everyone has a million things they can do with cauliflower: Roasted with turmeric, raw cauliflower spanish rice (thank you Lori for bringing this to my attention!), roasted cauliflower & garlic soup, steamed cauliflower with garlic "butter". So, I'm not going to talk about the part of cauliflower that you typically eat. I'm here to talk about those leaves I cut off. 

We are always so quick to disgard leaves. But, when you think about it, lettuce is leaves. Kale is leaves. Chard is leaves. Collards are leaves. And if you can eat those, you can eat cauliflower or broccoli leaves. They are in the exact family as kale, you know. 

I've been known to fill & roll them with some soaked and cooked black beans, avocado and tomato and lightly sauté in a pan. Or just use them as a wrap for your sandwich. They are extremely low in calories, unbelievably high in nutrients and minerals and help you (and me) look younger than our years. Greens are the fountain of youth ... both inside and out. So, throwing them out is not an option for me. Here's a quick idea for lunch this week. Put the turkey sandwich down (I'm talking to you, my husband). Open your mind & your mouth. Taste the goodness.

Reubens, revisited

Vegan reuben: Plant based, full of probiotics & enzymes, vitamins, minerals and protein.

INGREDIENTS

• Cauliflower leaves
• Grain free tempeh (this is literally the only way I will eat soy products ... fermented)
• Real sauerkraut (I make this myself. It's super easy!)
• Homemade Thousand Island (I literally will just mix mayo/vegenaise with organic ketchup and relish or homemade chopped pickles). Alternatively, you can use Hummus or Tahini, which I also LOVE.
• (Optional) Wilted spinach leaves

STEPS

• Trim center stalk out of leaves.
• Lightly brown tempeh in a cast iron skillet.
• Roll spinach leaves in your hands until they are wilted and soft.
• Place tempeh, spinach & sauerkraut in your leaf & top with thousand island, hummus or tahini. 
• Roll the leaf around the goodies & eat your heart healthy.

Trim the tough center vein out of the leaf & toss that vein in your freezer for veggie stock later.

Add the tempeh, sauce, sauerkraut & wilted spinach. 

It looks divine and your cells (and energy levels) will say "thank you". 

 I can't talk while my mouth is being stuffed full of deliciousness.
Happy lunching!

I'm cheap: CSA, part trois

YAAAAAWWWWWWNNNNNNNN!!!!! Good morning. I promised you breakfast. I know. Today, skip the coffee. Coffee leaves your body in an acidic state. Your best body, mind and soul can take a break from it, just for today. I promise you won't miss it.

Hello? Are you still there? Beuller? Did I lose you? I hope not. Okay. This is going to give you a jolt, but not from caffeine. This jolt is from nutrients and minerals coursing through your veins. And your body will thank you with tons of energy and no post-caffeinated crashing!

Spare parts ready for juicing!

Take your spare parts:
1. Kale/broccoli/kohlrabi stems
2. The core of a pineapple. Yes. Start saving these now too!
3. The leaves of your celery

Pineapple core is no longer tossed away.

Add in one non spare part (optional): Lemon

Throw these all through your juicer, and you have breakfast. If you don't have a juicer, you can blend them in a vitamix/nutribullet/blender/etc and strain through a nut milk bag. If you don't have one, you can use an old tshirt instead. But you should really get a nut milk bag. They come in very handy for lots of things! This is my favorite of all I've tried. It has the tightest weave!

Pineapple crushin' on some cruciferous stalks!

Pineapple does an excellent job at covering the overwhelming green taste of the leaf stems. Lemon gives it a little zing.

I know you're probably thinking "I will be starving by 9, if I had only this for breakfast". And I get that. I'm a nursing mom and have to eat 2-3 breakfasts/day. But, often times we feel hunger simply because we aren't getting all the vital nutrients we need to sustain our bodies. Sometimes I can go until 2/3 o'clock on just my morning juice. Tis true. But always listen to your body. What works for me, might not work for you.

If the idea of green juice just makes you want to hurl, you can use those stems as a crunchy veg to dip into some hummus.

So, let's see, we got snacks for the week and one breakfast out of our csa so far.

I still have a ton of kale, beets, scapes, kohlrabi, snap peas, etc. to get to. Stay tuned.

I'm cheap: CSA, part deux

Part of our weekly CSA share.

In a continuation of this "eating on the cheap" segment, I am still talking CSAs. If you forget what we got this week, take a peek here. So, we got all this produce. Now what? Normally, when you see big leaves on your broccoli, you'd snip them and toss them. Same with kohlrabi. Maybe even with beets. But those pieces and parts are all edible. Not just edible, but delicious!

When I looked at my pile of veggie kingdom pickins', I went straight after those leaves ... you know ... the broccoli & kohlrabi ones I used to throw away. Well, not anymore. They now become my snack of the week. Chips. Yes, green/nutrient dense chips. And here's how.

BROCCOLI & KOHLRABI LEAF CHIPS: The simple version
First, cut them off your stalk.
Next, trim off the stem. The stem, if left on, will become a twig when done. So, it's best to cut them out to avoid feeling like you're eating sticks.
Make sure leaves are dry, then toss in olive oil, seasonings of your choice, sea salt and pepper.

 

Broccoli & kohlrabi leaves being tossed in their marinade.

Work the oil and seasonings into the leaves with your hands, making sure every bit of the leaves is covered.

Next, throw them on a dehydrator sheet and dehydrate overnight at 105. If you do not own a dehydrator, you can make these in your oven by putting it on low (anything under 350) and watching them closely for a few minutes. It usually takes less than 8 minutes, and they burn fast. So, keep a close eye on them.

See those in the second row? That's the brocc/kohl leaves ready to crisp!

And voila! You've got a tasty snack for the week. If you're not a vegan, you can toss in pecorino romano. I bet that would be tasty. I don't eat cheese, personally. But my mom does. So, I tried this out with her, and sent them home with her. She liked them.

brocc/kohl leaf chips - vegan

While I was at it, I decided to do the same with half of my kale. Green chips don't last long in my house (mainly my fault ... and Finn's too). So, extra are always welcome.

kale about to be turned into chips ...

I keep these stored in my fridge in the summer, because we have no AC, and the humidity can sog them up again. If they do sog on you, just dehydrate them for a bit again.

I have a few kale chip recipes that I love. I love these simple ones when it's hot, because they aren't heavy with rich flavors. And, I'm a busy mom. And I'm guessing you are a busy person too. And simple reigns king in my house, yo. Sometimes, I mix olive or coconut oil with stevia or honey and cinnamon and make "cinnamon sugar" chips. Hey, don't knock it till you try it.

Someday, I'll do a post on just kale chip recipes. I've tried a TON, and I have a few that'll win the hearts of even the most DIE HARD veggie loathers. I promise. 

So, now I have a pile of stems from my broccoli and kale. (DON'T TOSS THESE!) They are going to become breakfast tomorrow.Yes, breakfast.

Breakfast plans?

I will save the broccoli stalk too, once we eat the florets. I keep them in a container in my fridge and let them pile up over a month-ish. I'll explain that one later. My basic idea for you, is how to use every part so that you can get the most bang from your buck. Life is expensive. Feeding growing offspring is ridiculously expensive. And nobody wants to work 80 hours a week. Little things like this add up over a month and can shred your grocery bill. I call it "youponing". I'm not a couponer. There are rarely coupons for things that I use or eat. So, I had to find a different way to save. And I'll be peppering those ways throughout this blog as long as I'm alive and kickin. (Which will be a very long time with all these greens! Lucky you!)