kale chips that don’t cost a kajillion dollars…

Put me in front of a bag of potato chips and I turn into a teenage boy playing a video game marathon in the middle of the night….can’t stop…eating.  I make it a rule to never buy this stuff for my house because I have no self control.  A while ago, I had an abundance of kale available to me and I had no idea what to do with it so the farmer suggested I make kale chips.  Alright, I’ll bite.

It’s actually one of the more simple snacks you could make, it ends up being crispy, salty and well, kinda good for you.  I’ve experimented with using a dehydrator and different dressings that involve ground nuts for crunch but this one is by the far the simplest and still tasty.

Step 1: Buy a bunch of kale.  It doesn’t have to be organic but that’s what Granville Island had for me.

Step 2: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Wash your kale and salad spin it dry.  Rip the leaves off the hard centre stem and put it in a bowl.

Step 3:  Put some crap on it!  Drizzle a small amount of olive oil and massage it in with your hands.  A little goes a long way so just put enough to make it glisten.  Add some seasoning, whatever you like, sea salt, lemon pepper…I used a ready made tandoori seasoning from Maison D’Cote because JP’s the man and he makes it for me so I don’t have to.

Step 4:  Spread it out on a silpat on a cookie sheet, one layer high only please.

Step 5:  Bake for 10-15 minutes, give it a quick stir half way through.  It’s done when it’s starts to brown slightly on the edges and it looks dry.  Take a couple out to cool and take a bite to see if it’s the way you like it.  Be careful because it will burn if you leave it in too long!

Step 6: Eat your hippie-approved snack.  I apologize in advance because you WILL be disappointed with the yield, it shrinks like crazy and you’ll end up with only a small bowl of these treats.  Still…enjoy and thank yourself for not spending a trillion dollars for the same treat at Wholefoods.  (Don’t get me wrong, I love me some Wholefoods!)

Tips and Tricks

1.  Buy more kale than you think…two bunches will probably get you two trays worth.
2.  Curly kale is easier to make crispy because there is more airflow, you can use sturdy greens like collards but prepared to flip more often
3.  Too much oil and your kale will never crisp up
4.  If your oven is like mine, it doesn’t ventilate well, shove a wooden spoon in the door to let moisture escape easier

caulifower low carb couscous substitute…

Wouldn’t you know, the one thing I wanted to feature on this plate ended up being the blurry one in the photo…sigh.  One of the hardest things about going low carb is getting rid of some of your staples in your pantry.  Things like rice, pasta and bread are just a few high carb foods that are so easy to make and are great fillers for any meal.

I’ve been reading other blogs about rice substitutes and the consensus is always cauliflower.  I thought I’d give it a go but to be perfectly honest, the texture is more like couscous then rice.

It’s quite simple really, just throw small chunks of cauliflower in your food processor and pulse until it’s the size you want.  Fry it up in a big pan with some oil, add some spices if you like, salt and pepper…really anything you’d put in fried rice.  I used some minced garlic and some barberries (a persian classic with a touch of saffron) and in no time you have a big helping of fake out couscous.  Just keep tasting it as you go along so you don’t overcook it.

It’s tasty, it feels likes starchy side but it’s all veggies man.  And best of all, it’s cheap, one big cauliflower is about 6-8 servings!

low carb paleo nutty breakfast granola…

It’s not easy finding delicious tasting breakfast things when you’re trying to do a low carb diet.  Grab and go muffins, bagels, cereals and granola are common household staples because some times you just don’t have the time to whip up some eggs and bacon before you run out the door.  The other half made a batch of paleo granola that consisted mainly of nuts.  He ate it all last week and while he’s napping, I’m giving it a go with a few additions because for the life of me, I just can’t stick to any recipe.

Full of protein, vitamins and minerals, I used some sugar-free maple syrup and erythritol to sweeten up the granola mix a little.  Adding ground flax and hemp hearts boosts the fibre content and makes you feel fuller for longer.

You can mix and match whatever you like as long as you keep the quantities fairly close, check out the recipe and make your own paleo granola!

sausage crumble stuffed peppers…

Spur of the moment, I realized how much I like stuffed veggies so for a quick and easy dinner one night I decided to pull out some peppers and smokie sausages.  Super easy and wickedly tasty, I threw in some goodies like mushrooms and marscapone cheese to the mix.  Paired with a fresh salad with some canned oranges I did last year, it couldn’t be easier!  Technically low carb and paleo-ish 🙂

Read more for the recipe!

english toffee sugar-free apple crisp…

Probably the easiest fall dessert to make, apple crumble hits the spot on cold wintery days.  We’re back on our low carb paleo-ish diet so I have to bust out the sugar-free dessert options as we wean ourselves off of wheat and sugar.

We get tons of apples this season since it’s about the only fruit that is still local and who can get sick of them with all the variety that’s out there?

Here’s the recipe!