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Veggie Mac n Cheese–More Kale Please!

Sep 30 by Chef Hollie Greene Leave a Comment

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10-5-15 #1 cover mac n cheese

Kale and Mac-n-cheese are a match made in heaven. Now, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it–especially since you’ll be feeling so much better about the heaping scoop you’ve put on your plate after you realize you’ve added a superfood to your favorite comfort meal.

10-5 mac n cheese ingredients

If you’ve never made mac-n-cheese from scratch, it’s such a fun recipe to make with kids. There are so many tasks they can help you with from:

  • Grating the cheeses to
  • Tearing kale from its stalks into little pieces to
  • Checking the pasta for “doneness”–is it “al dente?!” to
  • Helping stir the butter and flour into a roux (which will thicken the milk) and letting you know when it starts to smell like cookie dough so you can pour that milk in and stir, stir, stir!

10-5 #3 grid 1 of 4

10-5 #4 grid 2 of 4.08

10-5 #5 grid 3 of 4.39

The most exciting part is when the cheese they grated gets mixed into the creamy bechamel sauce with the noodles and veggies, and it goes into its baking vessel. You get wafts of nutmeg smells as it slides out of the hot pasta pot and into the oven with its crunchy breadcrumb topping.

10-5 #7 going into oven 11.40.21

And as your kids dig their forks into this ooey gooey pasta masterpiece, you’ll relish knowing that the kale (and maybe a little broccoli) that you stuffed into this classic is pumping their brains with antioxidants, their muscles with calcium and vitamin k, and their bodies with fiber to keep them full and happy. Go ahead and crown yourself a kale hero. I surely will.

Don’t miss all of the fun that will be happening across the country on National Kale Day, October 7th, 2015. We will be serving students of Lu Sutton Elementary the Ginger Kale Salad by Wellness in the Schools that they learned the week before in our cooking labs. What kind of kale adventures do you have in store? Here’s to the kale hero in each of us!

Veggie Mac & Cheese - More Kale Please!
2015-09-29 22:56:33
Serves 8
Note on additions: we love to add in some broccoli to our kale saute!
Save Recipe
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Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 15 min
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 15 min
Ingredients
  1. elbow macaroni, 1 lb (can also use GF brand)
  2. salt, 1 tsp
  3. vegetable broth, 1 quart
  4. all purpose flour, 1/4 cup (can also use GF flour)
  5. kale, 1 bunch
  6. olive oil, 4 TBS
  7. butter, 4 TBS
  8. milk (2% or full), 3 cups
  9. nutmeg (ground), 1 tsp
  10. emmental (type of swiss cheese), 1/2 lb
  11. white cheddar cheese (not sharp), grated, 1/2 lb
  12. bread crumbs, 1 cup (can also use GF breadcrumbs)
Prep
  1. Take 5 minutes to get out all your ingredients, measuring and cooking equipment needed, and place them on a cookie sheet within easy reach.
  2. Preheat oven to 350F.
  3. Grate cheeses.
  4. Thinly slice the greens.
  5. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. **Note, the pasta boxes always recommend you put way more water than is needed to cook these noodles. Just make sure you’ve put enough water to cover them completely! You don’t need a special pot.
Cook Noodles
  1. Add macaroni to boiling water and cook until al dente (a little chewy to the tooth). The pasta will keep cooking when we bake the mac n cheese in the oven!
  2. Remove ¼ cup of the water they cooked in before you drain the noodles. Place the cooking water into a bowl.
  3. Drain the noodles and then add them to the bowl where you put the ¼ cup cooking liquid. This should keep them from sticking together until you are ready to add them to the final mac and cheese.
  4. Sauté greens + add cooked noodles
  5. Use the same pot you cooked your noodles to sauté the greens in 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 teaspoon salt for 2-3 minutes.
  6. Add ¼ cup vegetable broth and cook another 2-3 minutes. Cook until slightly crisp.
  7. Add your cooked noodles and about ¼ cup of the reserved pasta liquid to the pot with the cooked greens.
Make white sauce, called béchamel
  1. In a separate medium pot, melt 4 tablespoons butter on med/high heat and add ¼ cup flour, whisking until the mixture is like sand and a golden color.
  2. Add 3 cups of milk and 1 cup of vegetable broth.
  3. Stay on medium-high heat, continuously stirring with a whisk until thickened—approximately 10 minutes.
  4. Add nutmeg and 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper.
  5. Turn off the heat; add your grated cheeses and stir until melted.
  6. Add your cooked vegetables and noodles to this pot and combine.
  7. Place in an ovenproof dish, top with breadcrumbs with a drizzle of olive oil and bake at 350 for 35 minutes.
JoyFoodly http://www.joyfoodly.com/

Filed Under: Meatless Monday Tagged With: dinner, fall, kale

Ginger Kale Salad–A Recipe by Wellness in the Schools

Sep 22 by Chef Hollie Greene Leave a Comment

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9-28 #1 cover photo of kale ingredients

When I was a young chef just out of culinary school, I volunteered and worked for Wellness in the Schools (WITS) in New York City. It’s where I learned a love for how to tie healthier school lunches with the importance of teaching kids how to engage with these new foods without fear and loads of joy. You may not believe it, but in just 50 minutes, a Kale Cooking Lab can change a kid’s relationship with food forever. I’ve seen it firsthand.

9-28 #3 Making applesauce in science class sidebyside

The discussion around school food can get complicated really fast. There is policy involved (Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act), the politics and influence of the big food industry, the USDA, and certainly there’s the skills and will challenge of going from a heat-and-serve food culture to actually preparing whole, locally grown foods from scratch for kids. Often as adults, when we do make changes in school food, we generously pat ourselves on the back but forget that we’ve only tackled half the battle. Now, we must educate kids on how to eat that new healthier food so it doesn’t end up in the trash.

9-28 #5 side by side kale ripped 2sidebyside

Yes, you can improve the food served in schools, but if you don’t teach children how to engage with these new foods with all of their senses and reduce the fear of trying new foods, there is a huge disconnect between what’s served and what’s eaten. I saw this first hand while working for Wellness in the Schools. Fast forward 10 years later, and WITS is bringing healthy food and fitness to 40,000 students across 75 public schools, cafeterias, classrooms, and recess yards. Clearly, there’s so much work to be done.

9-28 #9 cut kale 4 pic 4 of 4grid

What I have found I love doing best is not working in the cafeteria but in the classroom. No matter what happens on the school food front, I know that when I teach a child how to cook a simple recipe and engage with farm fresh, local vegetables and fruits with all of their senses, I’ve planted a seed that will grow with them for life. That’s why I’m SO excited about this new partnership with WITS and my partner in the Novato California Unified School District, Miguel Villarreal, our pilot school’s principal and PTA, and our presenting sponsor, Whole Foods Market. Next week, we’re piloting the WITS Labs through our Joyful 12 School Pilot at Lu Sutton Elementary–350 kids will learn how to make this delicious salad and then we’ll feature it on the salad bar the following week on October 7th, National Kale Day.

9-28 #10 peel ginger with spoon

I hope you’ll try this easy and delicious recipe with your kids in your home kitchens. I’m betting you’ll find some kale converts in your household after they get to help you grate the ginger, rip the kale from its stems, squeeze the fresh orange juice, and toss the beautiful strands of greens in their honey, orange and ginger soy dressing.

9-28 #11 kale before tossed with dressing 9-28 #12 pouring dressing over kale 9-28 #13 tossing the kale

Ginger Kale Salad - A recipe by Wellness in the Schools
2015-09-22 23:30:37
Serves 6
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Ingredients
  1. 2 bunches lacinato (dinosaur) kale,
  2. washed, de-stemmed, and chopped thin
  3. 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  4. Juice from 1/2 orange
  5. 1 Tbsp soy sauce
  6. 1 Tbsp honey
  7. 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated
  8. 1/4 cup olive oil
Prep
  1. Combine vinegar, juice, soy sauce, honey, and ginger in a large bowl and whisk.
  2. Add oil slowly while whisking so that a thick consistency is achieved.
  3. Combine dressing with kale, a bit at a time, and mix thoroughly until salad is completely coated
  4. with dressing. You may not need to use all of the dressing.
  5. Using your hands, massage the kale with the dressing until covered
JoyFoodly http://www.joyfoodly.com/

Filed Under: Seasonal Recipes Tagged With: fall, kale, salad, summer

Can’t Eat Just One–Crisp Kale Chips

Sep 21 by Chef Hollie Greene Leave a Comment

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SM 9-21 kale chips new final shot

I make it a game each week to come up with a whole host of delicious ways to use up my fresh fall greens–and yes, kale chips are at the top of that list.

9-21 remove rib soak

When it comes to making it easy to use up greens, for me, it’s all about making them too convenient to pass up when I start to refrigerator dive for my breakfast, lunch, or dinner ideas. Try this no waste tip when you come home with your next bundle of kale, collards, or other hearty greens:

  • Give them a good wash: tear off their leaves from the woody stalks and dunk them into a big bowl of water, so that any dirt or organic bugs that have hitched a ride home with them drop to the bottom of the bowl.
  • Scoop them up, dry them in a salad spinner or on a towel, and place them in a sealed container, so they are now ready to be used.
  • Save the stalks for your next soup or saute–they’re crunchy and loaded with nutrients but need a little extra cooking time.

9-21 shot of kale chips on tray

The next time you get a craving for a salty and crunchy snack, don’t forget that kale chips are only 10 minutes away, since you’ve already done the hard work of getting them ready to be cooked. Whether you have the curly variety or the flat one known as dinosaur kale, this green makes a delicious and fun chip that’s so good for you.

9-21 Joyful 12 school project cover image

And if you’ve been making kale chips for years and are looking for a little inspiration for other ways to relish kale, join us as we gear up for National Kale Day on October 7th, 2015. We’ll be joining the National Kale team as they share tips, recipes, and fun ideas for how to get the whole family loving kale and all greens. At JoyFoodly, we’ll also be launching the next phase of our Joyful 12 School Project, in partnership with the national program Wellness in the Schools, making their amazingly delicious and simple Ginger Kale Salad with all 350 children of Lu Sutton Elementary in Novato, California through Food Literacy Cooking Labs. Stay tuned and join us in this kale celebration!

9-21 Week three spinach smoothie with kids

Can't Eat Just One Crisp Kale Chips
2015-09-15 16:40:50
Serves 4
Note on substitutions: we know that you can’t always find flat kale, also known as Dino or Lacinato Kale, so curly kale works great, too. See below for how we alter the recipe slightly depending on which type of kale you use.
Save Recipe
Print
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
10 min
Total Time
20 min
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
10 min
Total Time
20 min
Ingredients
  1. kale, 1 bunch
  2. olive oil, 2 - 4 TBS
  3. salt, 1/2 tsp
Prep
  1. Take 5 minutes to get out all your ingredients, measuring and cooking equipment needed, and place them on a cookie sheet within easy reach.
  2. Preheat oven to 300F.
Prep kale
  1. For flat kale, cut off the tougher bottom part of the stem and leave the upper stem and leaves in tact. This will make a nice big chip. Otherwise, you can pull the leaves off in big chunks on either side of the stem. Be sure to use bigger pieces, as the kale will shrink in the oven.
  2. **If you have curly kale, the stem is tougher, so we recommend you remove it with a knife and then tear the curly leaves apart into bigger pieces.
  3. Wash well in water. Use a salad spinner to dry and then lay them out on paper towels or a clean cloth to get them completely dry. *For curly kale you need to get between the creases!
Cook
  1. Rub kale pieces with 1-2 tablespoons olive oil. This will keep them from burning in the oven and allow them to crisp up.
  2. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
  3. Do not overlap; ensure they all have space in one layer on the cookie sheet.
  4. Bake for 5 minutes and check. You may want to move the cookie sheets around so edges on one part of the tray do not get too hot due to your oven. Cook for about 3 minutes longer or until they just start to turn brown on the edges but not burning! This can happen fast, so remove them and know they’ll keep cooking a little on the hot pan out of the oven. *Note, curly kale can take a little longer to cook so keep an eye on it.
  5. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and enjoy within the hour. Yum!
JoyFoodly http://www.joyfoodly.com/

Filed Under: Meatless Monday Tagged With: appetizer, fall, kale, side dish

Hey, I’m Chef Hollie!

Here at JoyFoodly we help families joyfully eat more fruits and veggies each season. I am passionate about helping parents feel good about the food they feed their kids.

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The information on this website is designed for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for informed medical advice or care. You should not use the information found on this website to diagnose or treat any health problems or illnesses. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified healthcare providers (such as a pediatric dietitian) with any questions regarding a medical condition, nutritional issue or any eating/feeding problem.