Did someone say health kick?!

                                                       Quinoa and Kale Specialities

          Bonjour! Hello my loyal readers! Today I decided to spice things up a little. Instead of just doing one awesome recipe I have decided to share two because they are just that good! As you may or may not know, Kale is a wonderful collard green full of vitamins. In fact, I have recently learned from my friend Alexx, that a small amount of Kale has more vitamin C then an entire orange. Also, it has vitamin A, iron and other great nutrients. Quinoa is also a great source of protein. It is known to be 'the mother of all grains' since only a cup of it feeds a few stomachs with about fourteen grams of protein.I first learned about quinoa when I was searching for a place to have my oldest sisters first baby shower. While trying out restaurants with my mom, I met the owner of the place we choose. This woman was also a vegetarian and could see I struggled with what to eat and how to get my protein. She made me an incredible dish that I have tried to copy over the years. However, I don't have that exact recipe, but I do have my own version of it.

Ingredients:

1 cup of water

1 cup of quinoa

1 bunch of kale

1 minced scallion

1 juiced lemon

1 tbsp. of toasted walnut oil (can you olive oil if you prefer)

3 tbsp. of toasted pine nuts (yumm)

1 cup of crumbled goat cheese

A pinch of salt and pepper

Preparation:

My classmates had complained that I did not give exact steps on how to actually prepare my dishes. I apologize and will number them step by step from here on out!
 
 1.For each cup of quinoa you need about one cup of water. Boil the water and then pour the quinoa into the pot. Let this simmer for about ten minutes or until the quinoa is fluff and has absorbed all the water. If it is not fully cooked after absorbing all the water, add a little more water.

2. In the meantime cut the kale into 1 inch lengths and then put it over the quiona. Let this simmer for about 5 minutes with a little extra water.

3. In a medium mixing bowl, mix half the squeezed lemon juice, minced scallions, walnut oil, pine nuts and goat cheese together.

 4. When the kale is bright green and the qunioa is fluff, mix all these ingredients together and 'fluff' the pilaf.

Voila, hearty kale and protein filled quinoa entree!

Ok so here's when it gets fun!!!

How many times do you buy ingredients for a recipe and have tons of leftover unused ingredients that get thrown away? This time you can use the extra produce to make something worthy that is also simple and yummy.

                                                                     Kale Chips

Even though you see the word chips in there don't worry! These chips are the healthiest chips you will ever eat, guaranteed.

Ingredients:

Left over Kale

A little olive oil

A little Parmesan cheese

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees

2. Cut the kale into 1 or 2 inch pieces

3. Put kale onto the baking sheet and brush olive oil over each piece

4. Sprinkle some Parmesan cheese on top of the Olive oil brushed kale

5. Bake for about 20 minutes

Voila, a healthy hearty and low calorie snack!