Open-faced avocado and goat cheese sandwich. Eat and have your spirits lifted.

Oh blogging...you thwart me so.  I know I've got the raw skills to be good at this and share my passion, but life and my own laziness get in the way.

I've been having what my mom would call a boude week. ('Boude' is a cajun word which means 'to pout.')  If you're unfamiliar with the term, it's more than just pouting really: it's when you are in that place where you don't like ANY of your clothes, your temper is super short, and you feel like you can't do anything right, even though in reality, you are super fantastic awesome sauce. I don't know if it's been the weather or what, but I've just felt a little off my game and bleh.

It's cyclical of course because you are in a crummy mood, so you don't feel like doing anything, so then you don't, and then you feel crummy because you didn't do anything.  Sometimes I like to refer to this phenomenon as "being a lady" because it doesn't seem to plague men.  Oh the bliss of being a dude and not putting unreasonable, emotional, expectations on yourself.

When I'm in that icky blah place, this dish will put a smile on my face.  It doesn't fix everything because duh, it's just a sandwich, but it is a step in the right direction.

Open Faced Avocado and Goat Cheese Sandwich
1/2 avocado
1 tbsp goat cheese
1/4 tsp lemon juice
salt and pepper, to taste
hot sauce, to taste
two pieces wheat bread
cherry tomatoes, halved

Mix first five ingredients together: can be done the day before.  Top bread slices with avocado mixture and cherry tomatoes. Easier to make if the bread can be toasted, but just as yum regardless.

Kale and White Bean Stew

This weekend was a busy one for me with work responsibilities (retreats on Saturday and Sunday) so I didn't have as much time for cooking as I would have liked.  Also, whenever I have to eat out a lot in a short period of time I try to cook something healthy for dinner as soon as I can to balance the scales.

Don't get me wrong: the guacamole, Chinese food, cupcakes and Italian were all delicious.  You might notice that I said I ate out twice, but that sounds like more than two complete meals.  Welcome to working with college students. :)

Anyhoo, this kale and white bean stew from epicurious was just the ticket. Of course, it was 75 degrees (thanks Louisiana) but such is life.  I also think that this soup tasted WAY better than it looks.  This isn't just a commentary on my photography skills: it looks so healthy, amiright?  In my experience, something that looks this healthy might suffer in taste but trust me when I say this is de-lish.  While I'm calling this recipe vegetarian, I did use chicken stock because I just don't like veggie stock flavor as much, but feel free to substitute whichever suits your fancy.

Let me also take an opportunity to plug the Epicurious App: tons of great recipes, really easy to use, save, and share.  Check it out!

Kale and White Bean Stew (from Epicurious, with my modifications)


2 pounds kale leaves, center ribs and stems removed
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped peeled carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped shallots (about 4)
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 cup white wine (Elios Mediterranean White)
2 15-ounce cans white beans, drained
4 1/2 cups chicken broth
5 fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon garlic red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Cook kale in large pot of boiling salted water 1 minute. Drain. Transfer to bowl of ice water to cool. Drain. Squeeze out excess water. Coarsely chop kale.

Heat olive oil in medium pot over medium heat. Add chopped carrots, celery, shallots, and garlic; cook until soft, stirring, about 15 minutes (do not brown vegetables). Add white wine and simmer until liquid is slightly reduced, about 7 minutes. 

Add white beans, 4 cups broth, thyme sprigs, and bay leaf and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 20 minutes. Add kale and simmer 5 minutes longer. 

Remove thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Add remainder of broth to thin stew. Mix in red wine vinegar and chopped fresh herbs. Season with salt and pepper.

Grilled Squash Salad

On my new quest for more vegetables, I am trying to come up with easy salads to bring for work lunch.  This is a bit of a challenge for me because I have always been very unimaginative in this area.  For most of my life, a salad has been lettuce, tomato and dressing.  Anything beyond cucumber was exotic and perplexing.  "Olives?  In a salad?  THAT IS NEITHER LETTUCE NOR TOMATO!"

I've branched out a bit, but I'm always probably a little overly pleased when I come up with a "different" salad.  This one came together with zucchini that my fella grilled over the weekend.  I intended to do my usual spinach salad with fixins but the spinach was past its prime.  Instead, I ended up with zucchini as the base, which I liked even more.

While I'm having a salad confessional, let me also say that I don't make my own dressing.  I know how easy it is, and I have good olive oil and tons of vinegar, but I just can't be bothered.  And they just put it in bottles and make it so nice!  Who am I to put the hard working salad dressing folks out of business?

Grilled Squash Salad


3 zucchini, chopped
1 tsp lemon pepper seasoning
1 tsp olive oil
10 cherry tomatoes
1/2 tablespoon pinenuts
1 tbsp goat cheese crumbles
1 tbsp Ken's Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressing

Put zucchini on foil sheets.  Cover with lemon pepper seasoning and olive oil.  Wrap and close and place on warm grill until your fell says they are done, roughly 10 minutes.  Let zucchini cool and chill until the next day. (Note: If you can't grill the squash, roasting in an oven would work fine.)

Assemble all other salad ingredients and put dressing in separate container.  Bring to work and enjoy!

Roasted Salmon with Shallot Grapefruit Sauce

Salmon is one of my favorite fish to eat, probably because it's one of the first fish I ever cooked.  I remember the dish clearly: salmon covered in dill and yogurt, wrapped in foil, and baked in the oven.  The recipe was given to me by my college mentor, who is now my supervisor: oh life, you crazy weaving ride.

So, back to the salmon.  If you aren't a fish person, salmon is one to try.  It is flavorful without being too fishy, and filled with the good fat (omega 3 fatty acids) so that is a win-win-win situation, a fish triple threat, if you will.

I have been making this recipe since I was in graduate school and had decided to make a commitment to having a healthy balanced diet.  This was pretty necessary, as a response to my questionable food choices in college.  Bad day?  Console yourself with Taco Bell.  Good day?  Celebrate with Taco Bell!  I am proud to say I have been  taco bell free for at least three years!  As for Cane's...well, I have to draw the line somewhere!

And now, for the delightfully pictured salmon. (I swear, there is a recipe here somewhere.) This is a Ellie Krieger recipe.  She used to have a show on Food Network and has a great cookbook of yummy, healthy foods.  This is a meal that can come together in 20 minutes and never fails to wow.  I have always made it with basil but tonight switched it up (due to my mutant mint bush) and it was great.  It is imperative to serve it over spinach because it soaks up the sauce and is wilted by the salmon and really makes the dish.  My version of the recipe sticks closely to hers, but I actually make the amount of sauce for two that she makes for four.  A little extra grapefruit never hurt anybody!

Roasted Salmon with Shallot Grapefruit Sauce
Serves 2
2 skinless salmon fillets, 5-6 ounces each
pinch of salt, plus more for seasoning fish
2 ruby red grapefruits
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp minched shallot
1 tsp ginger powder
2 1/2 tsp honey
pinch of cayenne pepper
2 tsps lemon juice
1 tbsp basil or mint
baby spinach

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Season the salmon liberally with salt and pepper.  Place on a baking pan and roast until cooked through, about 16 minutes.

While the salmon is cooking, prepare the sauce!  Cut one grapefruit into sections and set the segment pieces aside.  Juice the other grapefruit and set the juice aside.

In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the shallot and saute until softened, about 2 minutes  Add the ginger, grapefruit juice, honey, and cayenne pepper and bring to simmer.  Cook until sauce reduces a bit, about 5 minutes.  Add lemon juice and season with salt, to taste.  Right before serving, toss the grapefruit pieces and basil or min into the sauce.  Put a serving of spinach on each dish and a portion of salmon on the spinach.  Spoon sauce over salmon and serve.

Stuffed patty pan squash. Thank you, farmer's market!

Shreveport has a great Farmer's Market that sadly had its last market of the season this past saturday: womp womp.  Luckily, I was able to grab a few things, including some patty pan squash and I was very jazzed with the results.

I'd only cooked patty pan squash once before and didn't have a recipe on hand, but based on a brief google search I knew I wanted to stuff it.  This recipe came together by investigating what I had on hand to get rid of before going out of town for Thanksgiving. As they say, "Necessity is the mother of invention," which certainly rings true when throwing together a meal.  It makes me a little anxious to do something completely new, but it's damn satisfying when it turns out well, and let's be real, it turns out well most of the time because of my MAD skillz.

I picked up yellow bell peppers and onion and the farmer's market and decided to use mint, to once again try to hack away at the towering mint plant I have in my yard.  In an effort to do a little pre-vegetarian detox, I tried to go light and vegetarian so I added corn, cheese, and rice, and called it a day.  It was a little time consuming to cook the squash, then scoop it out, but now that I've done it once,  it'll be easy peasy next time because there WILL be a next time, oh yes.  This dish, despite the lack of meat, is also fella approved, when served with a salad.

Stuffed Patty Pan Squash (Serves 3)
3 large patty pan squash
2 servings rice (Cooked w/ chicken stock.  Cook w/ veggie or water if desired)
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp balsamic vinegar.
1 clove garlic
1/2 onion, chopped
1 small bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup frozen corn, defrosted
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp cayenne
4 ounces manchego cheese, chopped
1 tbsp chopped fresh mint

Heat 1 inch of water in a large sauce pan or stock pot.  Bring to boil, then add squash and cover.  Cook for about 10 minutes until a fork can easily pierce the skin.  Put to the side and let rest and chill for a few minutes.  Carefully slice the top (stem side) off and remove seeds and discard and reserve all of the squash. Add cooked rice, lemon juice, and cayenne, and taste.  Adjust seasons as necessary and preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat 1 tsp of olive oil in same pan that cooked the squash.  Add garlic and cook one minute.  Add onions and bell pepper and cook until transluscent.  Add corn, balsamic, and oregano and saute for 2-3 minutes until warmed and add salt and pepper to taste.  Combine this mixture to rice/patty pan mixture and stir thoroughly.  Stir in manchego and mint and taste once more for seasonings.  Stuff squash, overflowing with mixture and cover loosely with foil.  Cook in oven for 10 minutes, until just warmed.

Realize that you actually only needed two of the squash and eat the other one for lunch tomorrow.  SCORE!


 

Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti. Your body will thank you.

Spaghetti squash spaghetti is one of my FAVORITE things to cook: healthy, easy, and sneaky.  It makes me feel clever as well, which is a lot to get out of a vegetable.

I had the chance to stop by the Shreveport Farmer's Market this past Saturday and found some lovely spaghetti squash.  For those of you local, the last market of the season is this saturday, so check it out if you have time, 8-12.  There are great produce items, meats, jams/jellies, and you could see yours truly selling some Zombee Candles for my bestie over at Hesson Haus. Hope to see you there!

Anyhoo, back to the squash.  In the past I've always baked it in the oven, but I came across a great post on Steamy Kitchen about microwaving so I decided to give it a whirl.  I'm happy to report that this method was easier and quicker and I will never go back!

Spaghetti Squash is great for satisfying the craving for italian while also bypassing the carby goodness.  Sometimes you feel like a carb, sometimes you don't.  I basically use the same ingredients I would for spaghetti, and bammo, you've got a delicious meal.

Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti
1 spaghetti squash
1/2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 onion, diced
8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, diced
1 small bell pepper, diced
dried oregano
dried thyme
salt and pepper
1/2 cup tomato sauce (I used Ragu this time, whichever one had lowest sodium)
1/4 cup red wine
parmesan cheese
pepperocini peppers

Stab spaghetti squash repeatedly.  Use this as a good time to take out any aggressions.  Be careful, as your squash will have the tendency to roll.  Microwave on high for 12-15 minutes, until tender and easy to insert a knife.  Let cool for 10ish minutes.

Begin sauce.  Heat olive oil to low and add garlic.  Saute for a few minutes and add onion.  Cook until translucent then add bell pepper and mushrooms and cook until veggies are tender.  Salt and pepper at this stage: light on the salt because of the lovely parmesan you'll add at the end.  Add the tomato sauce and stir to warm.  Season at will with thyme and oregano.  Add red wine and let simmer.

Carefully slice open spaghetti squash and remove seeds. Use a fork or spoon to remove all the spaghetti squash.  Add squash to sauce dish and stir to cover.  Sprinkle parmesan on top and serve with pepperocinis on the side for added spice.

Crispy Skin Salmon with Fiery Asian Slaw

Salmon is one of my favorite fish to cook, although (fun fact) it's one of my least favorites in sushi form.  This recipe in particular is a big hit in my household and one that I picked up from the September 2009 issue of Cooking Light magazine.  It has secured a spot in my permanent dinner rotation: quick, delicious, and healthy.  What are you waiting for?

I make the recipe pretty much as is and serve with rice as a side.  For tonight's version my fella made the basmati rice and slaw while I dealt with the salmon.  I also threw together some pickled onions and used a wheat tortilla to put all the ingredients together to make one slammin' fish taco.  The first five times I made this dinner I would say, without fail, "This would taste great as a taco," at which point I was reminded that I said the exact thing the last time I made this dish. Eventually, my taco dream came to fruition and it was fabulous.

Taste the slaw as you go and adjust quantities of ingredients to taste.  I wouldn't even bother measuring: life is to short to clean tiny spoons.  This slaw would be great with other proteins, or taste delicious the next day for a work lunch, accompanied by a salad.  In fact, I try to think up other things to make to go with this slaw, much like I go to Deli Tini (a lovely sandwich shop on Youree Drive) for the avocado potato salad and then try to find a sandwich to go with it.  And yes: I said Avocado.  Potato.  Salad.  Swoon!  But I digress.

Crispy Skin Salmon with Fiery Asian Slaw (4 servings)
4 (6 ounce) salmon fillets
Salt and Pepper
Cooking spray
1/4 cup of orange juice
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp Sriracha
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp honey
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 (16 ounce) package cabbage-and-carrot coleslaw
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Sprinkle salmon fillets evenly with salt and pepper.  Coat pan with cooking spray.  Add salmon to pan, skin side down; cook 4 minutes.  Turn salmon over; cook 3 minutes.  Add orange juice to pan; cook 30 seconds or until liquid almost evaporates and fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.

While fish cooks, combine rice vinegar and next 5 ingredients (through honey) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk.  Add a pinch of salt, cilantro, and coleslaw; toss well to coat.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds

Polenta w/ Veggies and Tomato Sauce and a side of growth

Mmm...polenta.  Tasty, warm, and perfect for a chilly day.  It's a great alternative when you are burned out on pasta, but in the mood for a great tomato sauce, and a simple way to have dinner at home for your 2 year 6 month, monthiversary (say it with me, "Aww.")

If you haven't eaten polenta before, it has the consistency of firm grits, and is super easy to cook, just stock and polenta, and you are good to go.  While I like to be a making-it-from-scratch kind of gal, today, I went with prepared polenta because that's what I had on hand.

My fella and I switch out grocery shopping every week and this weekend was his turn.  He bought the prepared polenta, although I would've preferred to make it from scratch. I'm the first to admit I can be particular and down right anal about items from the grocery store, but I've learned a thing or two in 2 years and 6 months.  If I make a fuss about the type of polenta he bought, then he will feel bad, and eventually, I'll feel bad when I realize how incredibly stupid I'm being.  In addition, if I try to project my particular craziness onto him, that's not going to work and he'll eventually refuse to go to the store, because I'm being crazypants. Sometimes, you need to just tone down the diva.  I'd like to say it's a lesson I always remember, but hey, at least I remembered it this time!

The benefit of prepared polenta for this dish is that it makes life simpler.  If you make the polenta from scratch, you'd need to cook it, which take about 15 minutes, then refrigerate it, THEN slice it and sear in a pan. As my fellow blogger and HILARIOUS woman, Eimear commented in her post for pot pies about using prepared puff pastry vs from scratch, "Now tell me who in God's name has a) the time, or b) the inclination to do that?  Just buy it.  You're keeping someone in a job.  Good for you." So what I'm basically saying in a very round about way, is that my fella actually did me a solid by buying the prepared polenta, but I won't give him the satisfaction of saying so.

Polenta with Veggies and Tomato Sauce
Prepared polenta, one tube (Look for it in the refrigerator aisle)
1/2 tbsp and 1 tsp Olive Oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 yellow squash, chopped
1/2 cup of mushrooms, chopped
1 tsp oregano
1 cup tomato Sauce
1/4 cup red wine
Salt and Pepper
Parmesan Cheese (optional)
Peperoncini Peppers (optional)

Slice polenta 1/2 inch thick. Begin searing, 2-3 minutes per side in a hot non-stick pan with 1 tsp oil.  Keep warm in oven as you prepare the sauce. While polenta is cooking, heat rest of oil in a skillet.  Saute garlic for about 1 minute, then add onion.  Cook until translucent, 2-3 minutes, then add squash and mushrooms.  Cook until mushroom and squash begin to break down, and add oregano and salt and pepper to taste.  Add tomato sauce and red wine and simmer for 5 minutes to develop flavor, longer if you have the time.  To serve, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and have peppers on the side for added flavor.

Homemade Granola!

I love making things like granola.  There is something about making something from scratch that is readily available in the store that makes me feel fancy.  Especially with ingredients like "flax seed" and "agave syrup."  I know, right?  Who am I, Ina Garten?

Greek yogurt and granola make a great snack or a great breakfast and making a big batch of granola ensures time for breakfast when you are lazy to get out of bed, which for me, is most of the time.  It's not MY fault the bed is so comfy...stupid bed.

Making granola healthy can be tricky since syrups and sugars can abound, and this one is no different, but as long as you don't eat the whole batch at once, the healthy factor outweighs the sugar content. Overall, I think the granola was a little sweet for my taste, so next time I made it I'll make some adjustments.

Since it was the first time I made it, I stuck pretty close to the recipe but made some substitutions/omissions for things I didn't have on hand.  I found the recipe in my January/February 2011 issue of Food Network magazine and it can be found online.

I left out pumpkin seeds, because I didn't have any, and used dried cranberry instead of mango.  Overall, it was tasty and crunchy.  The recipe says it makes 4 servings, but I think I'll get 8-10 servings because I'm not a giant, so I won't be eating massive fistfuls of granola.

Quinoa: Embrace it, love it.

Tonight I whipped up a simple, healthy, delicious dinner of quinoa.  If your response to "quinoa"(pronounced keen-wa) is "quin-huh?" allow me to explain and ROCK YOUR WORLD.

Quinoa is (per my box of quinoa) an important grain that dates back over five thousand years to the vast and mighty Inca civilization of South America.

I know: whoa.  The takeaway from this is if it has been around for 5000 years and popular with Incans it has to be easy to cook, since they didn't have hand blenders, kitchenaid mixers, pizza stoners, or, ya know, electricity.

The reason you want to eat this superfood is because it is a grain that has more high quality protein than any other grain, so it is pretty darn healthy.  The reason you want to cook it is because it is sooo simple.  So simple that you can do it IN THE MICROWAVE.  Take that, Incans.

This recipe is actually an Ashlie original so my measurements aren't exact: I played this recipe fast and loose, and titled it "Quinoa and Mushroom with Arugula Salad."  Remember a few posts ago when I commented on chefs that use fussy names for simple things?  "Arugula salad" is a fancy way of saying, "I piled some arugula on top of this quinoa."  Yeah.  Fan-cy.

Quinoa and Mushroom with Arugula Salad (Makes 2 servings)

1 cup quinoa                                        2 cups water or stock

1/4 diced white onion                          2 cloves diced garlic

1/2 cup diced red/green bell pepper     8-ish button mushrooms, sliced

Oregano, Red Pepper Flakes               Sherry or Wine

Sprig of Fresh Mint, chopped              1 tomato, chopped

Bunch of Arugula

1. Mix 1 cup quinoa and 2 cups stock or water in a microwave safe bowl.  Cover loosely and microwave on high for 8 minutes.  (Note: In my opinion stock adds a LOT of flavor, so use if available. I used chicken, but veggie would be fine.)

2. While this is happening, relax for a few minutes, maybe watching some Star Trek on Netflix.

3. After microwaving is complete, stir and let quinoa sit, covered, for 8-15 minutes.  (That seems like an odd period of time.  Basically, you just want the liquid to have evaporated, and the quinoa to be fluffy).

4. While the quinoa is fluffy-izing, heat about a 1/2 tbsp of oil (extra virgin, canola, whatever your preference) and add in the onion and garlic.  Stir and cook for about a minute: not too long or else the garlic can burn.  Add bell pepper and cook for another minute.

5. Add mushrooms and dry seasonings to taste.  Let mushrooms cook down for 2-3 minutes until liquid is evaporated from pan. 

6. Pour in enough sherry to cover mushrooms, about 1/4 a cup.  Realize there isn't much left in the bottle of sherry, and add a little bit more.  Sherry is goooood.

7. By this time, the quinoa should go back in the microwave for about 2 minutes. Fluff it once again, and now it's done!

8. Add the mushroom mixture and the chopped tomato to the quinoa and stir to mix.  

9. Go outside and grab some fresh mint from your front yard, chop, and add to the mixture. (If you don't have fresh mint in your front yard, plant some mint, STAT.  Mint needs a lot of sunlight and very little water.  Left alone it might just take over your home and neighborhood.  If you pay for mint at the store, you are getting robbed I tell you.  ROBBED.)  The mint is non-essential to the recipe, I just wanted a bit of fresh greenery.  Feel free to use parsley if you have it on hand, or omit all together.

10. Plate 1/2 of this deliciousness and add a big handful of fresh arugula.  Voila!  Tasty and delicious, and since it serves two, you have either lunch or dinner for tomorrow.  This recipe could also be used as a side dish to a protein, I'd suggest pork loin.

And there we have it, quinoa, demystified and deeeeeelicious. :)

Lettuce Cups with Pork

I try to eat healthy as often as I can for a few reasons.  First of all, I like it: it makes me feel good, both mentally and physically.  Equally important is the fact that it allows me to eat things that are unhealthy, with reduced food-guilt.

Lettuce cups are great for those reasons: delicious, and allows you to store good points toward mental food math.  :)

The most important thing for lettuce cups is to use the right kind of lettuce.  Iceburg won't work because it'll break.  I use "living lettuce" from Kroger, but that or butter lettuce would suffice.

For my lettuce cups I used the grilled pork from earlier in the week and added corn, fresh onions, and a bit of bbq sauce to pull it all together.  Simple, tasty, and delicious.

Breakfast Bowl a la my Dadd

Breakfast Bowl

And now for one of my weekend guilty pleasures, something I like to call the Louisiana breakfast bowl.  My dad would cook grits with a fried egg in it just for me, so this is inspired by a childhood favorite.  I have modified it by adding bacon crumbles, and of COURSE cooking the eggs in the bacon grease, because that's the best idea ever.

To serve put shredded mozzarella cheese and Tony's season salt in the bottom of a bowl.  Put the grits on tops, two barely cooked eggs over easy, then the bacon crumbles on top.   

If you are unfamiliar with Tony's, know that there is NO substitue for its deliciousness.  It is a season salt that tastes good on everything except for babies and pudding.

  

Kale chips. Yeah. I said kale chips

Jamaican pork, roasted sweet potatoes, wilted spinach.

Dinner tonight was awesome: I finally dug into the pork that we grilled on Sunday and served that with roasted sweet potatoes (coated in oil, honey, and lemon juice) and wilted spinach.

Wilting spinach is a painstaking process.

1. Put spinach on plate with pork that needs to be warmed.
2. Microwave said plate.
3. BAZINGA: wilted spinach: add a bit of lemon juice for some zing.

Yeah.  So I call it wilted spinach so I can seem fancy, much like when chef's on Chopped say things like chutney (stuff I diced and mixed together) or napoleon (dessert items I didn't know what to do with so I stacked them and put whipped cream on top).

Kale Chips!

Today I made kale chips for the first time because I was looking for a healthy snack alternative.  (Don't worry: they taste a LOT better than they photograph)

I used Ellie Krieger's recipe for the most part, although I'm pretty sure her "bunch of kale" was much bigger than mine.  I didn't really measure the salt, oil, or smoked paprika and simply used the amount that seemed rational for the kale that I had.  

Super simple to fix, although it would have been simpler had I done it at the same time I was fixing my roasted sweet potatoes for dinner earlier in the evening, but c'est la vie.

This was also my first time using smoked paprika and it is AWESOME.  I never bothered to buy it before because I figured it couldn't be much different then regular paprika, but I was pleasantly surprised at just how wrong I was. It has the flavor of chipotle, with none of the heat.  I look forward to trying it on other things, probably with some sort of Mexican food on Friday.