Easy-peasy Mac 'n Cheesy Kale Chips

Kale abounds in the GreenUp! garden. Not only is it super nutritious, it's also pretty easy to grow. But as yummy as kale salads are, they can get a bit dull, and they're kind of hard to eat on the run. (Picture GreenUp! Guy biking all over town with a fork and bowl? Don't think so.) But who wants to spend $8 a bag on health food store kale chips that are gone after one 3pm snack fest?

If you have 10 minutes, a toaster oven, a box of mac 'n cheese, and a bunch of kale, you've got yourself a DIY portable powerhouse treat for under $5 a pop. And you can impress your friends when their finicky toddler gobbles these up!

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The Un-Gwyneth Salad - All Good, no GOOP!

Evette's "Eat One-Treat One" post was bouncing in the back of my head the other day as I stared at a jar of goji berries in my cupboard. Now, I know gojis are healthy, full of antioxidants that fight cancer and heart disease, boost the immune system, and basically turn us into Gwyneth Paltrow. But like GP, they leave me a little cold.

What could make me want to spend more time with a goji? Chocolate? Bacon? (Mario Batali?) Pine nuts! Pine nuts taste bacony, but unlike bacon they actually work to surpress hunger and might even help us lose weight. Inspired, I threw a handful of gojis and a handful of pine nuts into a large mason jar. Shake, shake, shake and my creative cooking juices were a-flowing. Searching in the fridge, I unearthed some nappa cabbage. Just the crisp kick to add to the iron-happy spinach that I'd been neglecting for days. A couple chops of the knife and I added two handfuls of cabbage and two handfuls of shredded spinach to the jar. Now what kind of dressing is all good and no GOOP? Miso dressing, baby! Just throw the following into your mini cuisinart, pour into your jar, and enjoy!

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Eat One! Treat One!

If you’re like me, you feel better when you eat food that is alive and nutritious. Yet there is something so American about the convenience factor, something that fits nicely into your hand as you make a mad dash to the door.  How to mix the two?  You’ve seen it! You’ve re-pinned it late at night as you ate ice cream and watched Real House Wives and thought I’ll make this next month: Salad-in- a-Jar.

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Vegan Coco-Cauli Cinnamon Pudding

Tired of artificial sweet-treats that add everything to your hips, but nothing to your well-being? Who better to help make dessert delicious & health-giving then cauliflower. Surprised? Think of cauliflower as broccoli's blonde sister: she's a little lighter, a little more fun, but just as nutritious as the green cancer-fighter. And there's so much more to cauliflower than grandma's au grautin; the smooth, mellow-sweet taste of steamed cauliflower lends itself well to desserts while packing a high vitamin and anti-oxidant punch. Mixed in with rich, organic coco powder, decadent coconut cream, and spicy-sweet cinnamon, you can now feel good about skipping dinner and going straight to dessert!

Coco-Cauli Cinnamon Pudding

Ingredients

• 1/2 organic cauliflower head, steamed
• large, ripe banana (spotted is tastiest & most nutritious)
• 2/3 cup refrigerated coconut cream (Trader Joe’s)
• 1 T creamy peanut butter
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 3-4 T agave (depending on desired sweetness)
• 4 T organic coco powder (3 T if you crave less intense chocolate flavor)
• smallest pinch of sea salt
• smallest pinch of organic decaf instant coffee

Directions

Puree cauliflower in a food processor until extra creamy  and smooth. You should get about a cup’s worth. Add banana, coconut cream, peanut butter, cinnamon, vanilla, agave, salt, and coffee to processor. Process until smooth. Refrigerate overnight so pudding can thicken. You can also freeze in popsicle molds. Serves about 4.

- Monique

St. Patty's Day Is Green For All

HAPPY ST PATTY’S DAY!

It’s the “GREENEST” DAY OF THE YEAR”, well let’s make it that way. Why do we have to wait for Earth Day?!

My friend in Grand Forks just told me it was a balmy -2 degrees in North Dakota; no one really minds that kind of weather or maybe they know it’s just how it is there.  I'm here all bundled up in front of my fire in this 50 degree weather.  I guess that is what you call perspective.

To drink Green Beer OR Not to drink Green Beer / Organic Beer?

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