Kale chips.

In our CSA this week, we got 3 bags of fruit & veg. First thoughts? What are we going to do with all of this kale that we're not going to do with all this Swiss chard??

My sister once recommended making kale chips. So, I gave that a try. They were delicious & crunchy & a little salty! All things that I like. The only drawback is that the stalk is still a little chewy after drying.

Here's what I did:

Lay kale on a sheet pan & spray with olive oil/Pam. Sprinkle a little salt over the kale. Bake in a 350 oven for about 10 minutes.

& voila! You have kale chips. Yummy, nutritious, & good for hand-to-mouth repetitions while watching TV/baseball.

Edit: I was just advised to try Indian spices with these. My friend Jaime makes them all of the time!!

Christmas Dinner.

Our Christmas dinner was a huge success. We had:

An appetizer of bacon-wrapped apricots & bacon-wrapped dates (stuffed with goat cheese)
- 30 minutes in the oven at 350.

A delicious side of kale, green beans, and mushrooms - Found out that the man thinks kale is "too chewy." I loved it, though.

Another delicious side of root vegetable pancakes (similar to potato pancakes but with root vegetables & scallions)

And a main protein of duck breasts topped with a pomegranate sauce. I merged two recipes into one to make the duck breasts. Here's what I did.

Duck Breasts with Shallot & Pomegranate
(Originally from Eating Well)

2-4 duck breasts
1 cup pomegranate juice
1 shallot, minced
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Score the skin of the duck breasts in criss-cross fashion - making sure to not cut the meat. Salt & pepper the breasts. In a low temperature skillet, place the breasts skin side down. Cook the skin for about 30 minutes or until most of the fat is rendered. It should be a lot!! Save the fat for a later use - except for 1-2 tablespoons for the shallot.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Remove the breasts from the skillet, & put into a rectangular baking dish. Bake for 7-9 minutes. Let the duck rest for 10 minutes after removing it from the oven.

In a saucepan, place 1-2 tablespoons of the duck fat & the shallot. Saute the shallot. Add 3/4 cup of the pomegranate juice & reduce to half. Stir the rest of the pomegranate juice & cornstarch in a small bowl until the cornstarch dissolves. Add to the pan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, stirring, until the sauce is thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. (I was too impatient for the reduction. That's why the sauce in the picture is runny.)

Slice the duck on the bias, & top with the pomegranate sauce.

Enjoy!!