Homemade Kale Powder...Sprinkle away!

AN EASY WAY TO GET YOUR NUTRIENTS IN EACH DAY!

Kale has become a popular way for people to get their daily dose of dark leafy greens and that's a wonderful thing.  Many people are jumping on the kale chip wagon and making their own chips at home or buying them at their local health food store.  Kale is great for skin and nails, it's full of vitamins A, K and D, it's an anti-inflammatory, it is used in detoxification and for weight loss and is used in many of the green smoothie drinks you see all over the Internet.  The question is, how do I get my kids to ingest it without the gag reflex kicking in? Kale has a fairly hearty (strong) taste even for those of us that can handle off putting greens.  I can easily put spinach in their smoothies or Nutriblast drinks but with kale, not so much. 

The solution that I discovered today is...kale powder!!  Last night I dehydrated 5 trays of organic baby kale, snacked on some and then left the rest.  When I woke up this morning I came up with the idea to mill it into a powder.  I grabbed my Nutribullet and the milling blade, dumped the kale in the container and ended up with a fine powder that I will sprinkle on and cook/blend into their food.  They won't know what hit them and no matter what amount they are getting of this beneficial plant, it will be more than they are getting now. If you don't have a Nutribullet with a milling blade you could also use a coffee grinder to get similar results.  I have posted the pictures of this beautiful dark green powder and I will update this later to tell you of the ways I used it and how long it lasted.  For more information on the health benefits of kale, click on this link.  http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/the-truth-about-kale

Some hydrated leaves and the powder from the dehydrated ones. Look at that beautiful green color!

I got a giant bag of Earthbound Farm Organic Mixed Baby Kale from Costco.  Because of pesticides, it's always best to buy organic Kale if you can.  If not, just wash it really well because as we all know sometimes you find it or afford organic.

The Nesco FD-75A 700 -Watt Food Dehydrator. You can get it on amazon or at least read about it, just click on the link below.
http://www.amazon.com/Nesco-FD-75A-700-Watt-Food-Dehydrator/dp/B0090WOCN0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1363275733&sr=8-1&keywords=nesco+dehydrator
I really liked that it got 4.5 out of 5 stars on 917 reviews and it was affordable!

     I currently have all 5 trays filled up again and will make more to fill up my spice jar.  The dehydrator takes about 2 hours to dehydrate but I left mine in about 45 minutes longer because I wanted it super crunchy.  Any leftover kale chips you have can be spritzed with a little oil and sprinkled with sea salt or the salt of your choice!  I will also try other veggies to powder like, carrots, bell peppers, spinach or anything else I can't get my little ones to eat.  For now I will start with a sprinkle in their smoothie and a sprinkle on their pasta.  Getting nutrients for them, one sprinkle at a time!  Goodbye!

"The Kimchi Chronicles" Part 2 Bindaetteok "Mung Bean Pancakes"

Mung Bean Goodness!

The one drawback to the PBS program "The Kimchi Chronicles," is that you have to watch it and write down the recipes or buy the book.  Well, I don't need another cookbook just yet, so I wrote down what she did and also went to my youtube reliable Maangchi at http://www.maangchi.com/ because she is the da bomb dot com!  Here is another favorite, mungbean pancakes also called Bindaetteok!  In the KC episode on beans they are at an open market eating a mungbean pancake the size of a dinner plate. It looked absolutely amazing and I will continue to tweak this recipe until I think it taste as good as it looked on TV.

The final product!

 

Soak Mung Beans overnight in fridge and drained before blending.

After blending with added spices, add veggies! I used fern(gosari), kimchi and green onions.  I added some sliced jalapenos on mine because I like it spicy.

Fry it up in a pan, brown on each side!

 

These flew off the plate! Delicious!
"For the batter soak 2 cups mung beans, 1/2 cup rice over night. Drain saving the water from the beans. Blend mung beans, rice, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 1/2 cups water blend until almost smooth.
Add veggies and if you want meat. Add the batter to a hot pan with oil. Then fry until crispy on each side."  Maangchi

Here's the video link because it's always better to see it demonstrated   http://www.maangchi.com/talk/topic/nokdu-bindaetteok-mung-bean-pancakes

Here is a link from The Kimchi Chronicles called Mrs Rhee's Bindaetteok  http://www.kimchichronicles.tv/recipes/mrs-rhee%E2%80%99s-bindaetteok-mung-bean-pancakes/

You can pick and choose to add or not add what you do and don't like between the two. I like the idea of the fish sauce instead of salt and a little soy sauce. Mrs. Rhee's has a great dipping sauce and sliced raw onions were a must for my family.  They added a little something special to the pancakes!
 

 

"The Kimchi Chronicles" Part 1...Bibimbap and Banana Milk

Now that I have turned off my cable service and am just using public tv, huluplus and Netflix I have been discovering new programs and documentaries and I love it!  I'm saving money and I learned that I could actually survive without cable.  While browsing huluplus I got reacquainted with "The Kimchi Chronicles," a wonderful program with host Marja and her husband, French chef Jean Georges.  I watched almost every episode and fell in love with Korea and Korean cooking. I suggest you give a look, you will learn a lot.  And Marja looks like Queen Latifah! Here is one of my favorites Bibimbap and Banana Milk. Enjoy!  I'll share the link at the bottom of the post as opposed to typing it out. I'm a little short on time because I have those 4 kids that like to have my "undivided" attention.  Ha!



The veggies...mung bean sprouts, fern, mushrooms, carrots and squash.  The fern can be found in an Asian market or just use whatever veggies you want. Not pictured is the soy protein and sauteed spinach.

I got the Dolsot pot at the Korean market, heated the pot on a low flame for 15 minutes, added sesame oil and then the rice and all the toppings. Put the lid on and let sit for 5 minutes so the rice can get nice and crunchy on the bottom.

I also added spinach and an over easy egg for the hubby. The meat like substance is soy protein.

All mixed with hot pepper paste added aka Gojuchang.

Banana milk is simple....take 1 pint of milk (your choice) I used almond milk, 1 ripe banana, 1 tsp vanilla extract, dash of cinnamon and a tsp of sugar. Blend and enjoy!

Recipe for Bibimbap http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/bibimbap

I love Maangchi!  Watch all her videos and you will learn a ton about Korean Cooking.