How to Make Green Veggie Powder

When we decided to spend the winter in the mountains of Colorado, I panicked I imagined being huddled around the table over bowls of steaming soup. I also imagined a long winter without any fresh veggies. (Apparently, I forgot I live in the United States where grocery stores are plentiful.) The truth is store bought veggies just aren’t the same as farmers market veggies.

So I took matters in my own hands and decided to make my own green veggie powder. We  headed over to the farmers market to buy whatever greens I could find in the the last days of the growing season. I came back with bunches of kale and swiss chard…bunches so large that people in the farmers market stared as we hauled the bags back to our car.

Anyway, I don’t know if I would call this green veggie powder a recipe per say. It’s more of a method and it couldn’t be more simple.

Like I said, I used  kale and swiss chard for the veggie powder because those were the only veggies available at the farmers market late in the season but you could use any variety of veggies.

Homemade Green Veggie Powder

1. Rinse and pat the veggies dry.

2. Layered the veggies in a single layer on a dehydrator tray.  They can overlap a bit but not too much because you want them to be able to dry out. (I remove the thick park of the stems before drying. I noticed if I didn’t do this I was left with thick hard pieces in my veggie powder.)

3. Set dehydrator to the veggie setting or about 130°

4. Wait about 12 hours or until veggies are dry and crisp. I tested them by crumbling a leaf in my fingers.

5. Blend leaves in a food processor until you have a fine veggie powder.

6. Store in mason jars for later use.

You need a lot of greens to fill one jar. It took about 15 LARGE bunches of greens to fill these four jars.

So maybe you are wondering what I’ve been doing with all this green veggie powder?

I’ve been adding veggie powder to soups, chili, casseroles, curries, meatballs, and taco meat.

Have you ever made green veggie powder? If so what do you use it for?

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

Keep up with my kettlebell workouts, real food recipes, and more in one of three ways! 1. Sign up to have posts emailed to your inbox. 2. Subscribe to the RSS Feed or 3. “like” Girl Heroes on Facebook. Simple dimple!

Journey with our family on the road at Newschool Nomads as we travel fulltime in RV through the United States!

The post How to Make Green Veggie Powder appeared first on Girl Heroes.

This grain and gluten free fried green tomato recipe isn’t really a recipe. It’s more of a fried green tomato experiment that happened to work out.

I always refer to these posts as How to I Make ____ because really how many ways can you make a fried green tomato? Tomatoes, breading, salt, pepper, egg, and oil.

Ever since we spent time in South Carolina I’ve been having cravings for fried green tomatoes. So when I saw green tomatoes at the farmers market last weekend I snatched them up. If we ever settle back down I’m going to grow tomatoes just so I can have green ones.

Since I try to limit grains, I decided to bread them with the Trader Joe’s Almond Meal I had on hand.

Grain and Gluten Free Fried Green Tomatoes

2 Green Tomatoes
2 Eggs
About 1/2 cup of Almond Meal or Flour
Salt
Pepper
About 1/2 Cup of Coconut Oil

1. I sliced the tomatoes. Brilliant, I know.

2. I dipped the tomato slices in the egg.

3. Then I covered them in almond meal. I had mixed in lots of salt and ground pepper in the almond meal beforehand.

4. The flour started getting icky so it was easier to just sprinkle it on instead of dredging the tomatoes in the almond flour.

5. I pan fried them in, my favorite cooking oil, coconut oil over high heat until almond meal was crispy.

6. Put them on a paper towel to soak up some of the extra oil.

They went well with Brent’s Santa Maria BBQ Style Chicken and baked sweet potatoes. So good.

And they were even better the next morning when I toasted the leftovers and topped them with eggs, hot sauce, and sharp cheddar. My idea of a perfect breakfast.

As far as I can tell, I’m not gluten intolerant but whenever there is an option to make something without grains I usually decide to go that route. It doesn’t always work out but in this case it did.

Do you like friend green tomatoes? Would you have made grain and gluten free fried green tomatoes or would you have gone with the traditional flour?

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

Keep up with my kettlebell workouts, real food recipes, and more in one of three ways! 1. Sign up to have posts emailed to your inbox. 2. Subscribe to the RSS Feed or 3. “like” Girl Heroes on Facebook. Simple dimple!

Journey with our family on the road at New School Nomads as we travel fulltime in RV through the United States!

The post Grain and Gluten Free Fried Green Tomatoes (with eggs) appeared first on Girl Heroes.

You may have heard of rainbow in a cup? If not it’s rainbow colored jello layered in a cup.

This salad is like rainbow in a cup only better. And healthier. And it’s so good you want to eat it in a bowl not a cup.

The only problem with this rainbow salad is that it’s missing blue (and indigo if we are going to get technical). I just couldn’t think of anything blue to put in it except blueberries and that wouldn’t be acceptable. Nothing against blueberries. I just don’t see them going well with cumin or mustard. So pretend the black beans are really blue beans and you can have a full on rainbow inspired salad.

It’s a perfect salad to bring along to that Memorial Weekend BBQ this weekend.

Rainbow in a Cup Bowl Salad

Salad Ingredients

• 2 Cups Tomatoes – Chopped
• 1 Orange Bell Pepper – Chopped
• 1 Yellow Bell Pepper – Chopped
• 1/4 Cup Purple Onion – Diced
• 1/4 Cup Cilantro – Chopped
• 2 Cups Black Beans – (I cook my own) Rinsed and Drained
• 1 Cup Jicama* – Chopped
• 2 Cloves of Garlic – Finely Chopped

Dressing

• 1/4 Cup Rice Vinegar
• 2 Tbs Olive Oil
• 1/2 Tsp Dry Mustard
• 1/4 Tsp Cumin
  1/2 Tsp Sea Salt (or to taste)

If you want to add some “gold” to the end top of this rainbow salad toss in some chopped avocado. Yum.

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

If you enjoyed this post you can follow one of three ways! 1. Subscribe to the RSS Feed 2. “like” Girl Heroes on Facebook, or 3. Sign up to have posts emailed to your inbox. Simple dimple!

Be inspired to follow your dreams at New School Nomads as we take a year long RV road trip through the United States!

The post Rainbow in a Cup appeared first on Girl Heroes.

When I was at the Robert is Here fruitstand, I saw a new-to-me fruit called Sapodilla.

Mistaking them for potatoes, I would have walked past had I not read the sign.  “Tastes like a pear with brown sugar!” What??? Yes, please!

Brent and I ate most of them plain for dessert. Sapodillas are soft and creamy. They remind me of a pear flavored pudding with brown sugar. Perfect for a smoothie.

Sapodilla Smoothie

2 Sapodillas
1 Frozen Banana
1 Cup Plain Yogurt (I use whole fat)
1/2 Tbs Maple Syrup
1/8 Tsp Cinnamon
Large Handful of Ice

Throw it all in a blender and blend until creamy.

Makes one EXTRA large smoothie or two medium smoothies.

Anyone else ever tried a sapodilla? We are heading up to North Carolina soon. Anyone have any advice as to what to see or do? Any good local foods we should try?

Thank you for the kindness regarding my last post about breast cancer. Your support and encouragement were sincerely uplifting. I’m going to do my best to not think too much about it. There isn’t much I can do until we get back to Ventura in the fall. In the meantime, I going to put my energy into being present with my family and not lost in worry.

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

If you enjoyed this post you can follow one of three ways! 1. Subscribe to the RSS Feed 2. “like” Girl Heroes on Facebook, or 3. Sign up to have posts emailed to your inbox. Simple dimple!

Check out our family’s adventures being inspired to follow you dreams at New School Nomads as we take a year long RV road trip through the United States!

The post Sapodilla Smoothie appeared first on Girl Heroes.

I finally found time to make a new recipe. A tabouli recipe. If you want to call it a recipe. Tabouli is sort of a like a caprese salad. There are pretty standard ingredients with a few variations among recipes.

Although, by necessity, mine makes a slight divergence.

When I was at Robert is Here, I bought some parsley with the intention of making tabouli. However, when we settled down in the everglades I realized I didn’t have any bulgur a traditional ingredient in tabouli.

When you are in the Everglades you just don’t run out to the store unless it’s the campground store to buy mosquito spray or Spam. Both will kill you if used enough.

Anyway I decided to improvise with what I had on hand, quinoa.

Quinoa Tabouli

1 Bunch of Parsley
3 Tomatoes
1 Clove of Garlic (pressed)
1 Lemon (the juice squeezed)
2 Tbs Olive Oil
1 Cup of Quinoa (measured uncooked)
Sea Salt and Pepper to Taste

Cook the quinoa. I always cook mine using a ratio of 1:1. I bring the water to the boil stir in the quinoa and some salt. I let it continue to boil for a minute or two before I off the heat, cover it, and leave it. No clue if this is the “proper” way to cook quinoa but it always works for me.

While the quinoa is doing its thing, I chop the parsley (fine), the tomatoes (course), squeezed the lemon, and pressed the garlic. By the time, I’m done with all this, the quinoa is ready to be tossed in a bowl with everything else. Simple dimple!

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

If you enjoyed this post you can follow one of three ways! 1. Subscribe to the RSS Feed 2. “like” Girl Heroes on Facebook, or 3. Sign up to have posts emailed to your inbox. Simple dimple!

Check out our family’s adventures at New School Nomads as we take a year long RV road trip through the United States!

The post Quinoa Tabouli appeared first on Girl Heroes.

Our CSA box this week.

Seriously, 24 artichokes, albeit, they are small but still…24!

We also got English peas, apricots, lettuce, bell peppers, Tokyo turnips, cauliflower, potatoes, parsley, and  summer squash.

It’s the Motherload.

Today, I made the English Peas recipe that I had on my meal planner for yesterday.  I’m all about flexibility.

First, Thing 2 and I shelled the peas.

(I wish I would have little hands to work hold forever.)

Creamy Basil Peas with Chicken (or Pasta)
Adapted from my CSA’s, Abundant Harvest, Flyer

1/4  Cup Chicken Broth
1/4 Tsp Sea Salt
2-3 Cups English Peas
2 Cups of Whole Milk
1/2 Cup of Basil Leaves
1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese
1 Tablespoon of Butter

1. Cook half of the peas in the chicken broth until soft.

2. Put the peas, broth, and basil into a food processor and process until creamy.

3. Put the rest of the peas, milk, and salt in a pot. Let it boil over and make a mess and then get super irritated Bring to a simmer and cook until peas are soft stirring periodically.

4. Once peas are soft stir in the heaping 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese…

…and pea puree and butter.  Of course.

My kids and husband ate it over whole wheat spaghetti WITHOUT complain I might add.  Nothing short of a MIRACLE.  Okay, so there was a little fuss from the kids about the “green” until they had a bite.  Yum!

I ate it over a piece of grilled chicken.  I’m not a big pasta fan although my hips like it quite well.

This recipe is a keeper for sure!  I loved it and the kids loved it.

Now what about the 24 artichokes!!!!  I’m leaving town tomorrow night for Fitbloggin’ and we certainly won’t be able to eat them by then.  The apricots are already in the dehydrator but not sure about the artichokes???  Any suggestions???  Can I freeze them?  Do I need to steam them first?

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

If you enjoyed this post please Subscribe to the RSS Feed

or

Sign up to have posts emailed to your inbox.

The post Creamy Basil Peas with Chicken or Pasta (and The Motherload) appeared first on Girl Heroes.

A few weeks ago, I was on a list to take a meal to a friend who had a baby.   As I was skimming the list to make sure I wasn’t bringing a duplicate meal, I saw “sloppy lentils”.  Since, I already had a bunch of lentils from my last Azure Standard order, I set to work making some sloppy lentils or vegetarian sloppy joes.  Lentils may be little but they have a large nutritional content with many health benefits.

I was very happy with how the sloppy joes turned out and my two ridiculously picky boys even liked them.  When I prepare legumes I prepare them in bulk so I made two variations.  The first variation tastes like a classic sloppy Joe and the second has an almost (very) mild Indian flavor.

Classic Vegetarian Sloppy Joes

3 cups cooked lentils*
1/2 red onion – chopped
1 cup tomato sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tbs  mustard
1/4 cup bbq sauce
sea salt to taste  (I didn’t need any using the store bought ketchup and bbq sauce.)

1. Sauté onion in a bit of oil until soft.

2. Add lentils, tomato sauce, ketchup, mustard, and bbq sauce.  Mix well and cook until sauce is thick and warmed through.

Vegetarian Sloppy Joes Variation 2

3 cups of cooked lentils*
1 small onion – chopped
1 garlic clove – minced
1 cup of tomato sauce
2 tbs of mustard
1/8 tsp dried mustard powder
1/8 tsp cumin
1 tbs apple cider vinegar
1 tbs molasses
dash of cayenne pepper
sea salt to taste

1. Sauté onion and garlic in a bit of oil until soft.

2. Add lentils, tomato sauce, mustard, mustard powder, cumin, apple cider vinegar, molasses and cayenne.  Stir well and cook until sauce is thick and warmed through.

*I presoaked the lentils all day (about 8-9 hours) in filtered water and 2 tablespoons of whey.  Then I boiled them in twice as much water until liquid was absorbed.  It doesn’t take long.

Serve on a bun of your choice with some simple sweet potato chips, perhaps?

Or if you are watching your grain intake maybe you would prefer Sloppy Lentil Lettuce Boats?

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

If you enjoyed this post please Subscribe to the RSS Feed.

or

Sign up to have posts emailed to your inbox.

The post Vegetarian Sloppy Joes appeared first on Girl Heroes.

So I’m a little late to the game. Pumpkins are so like last October.  Duh.

But this evening while trying to organize my photos I came across these pictures and remembered how much I had enjoyed this dish.  Then I looked in my recipe notebook and saw I had actually scribbled something that resembled written down the recipe.   No small miracle.

Coconut Squash Stew

1 large squash of your choice
(We used what I think is called a Fairy Tale Pumpkin)
1 Red Onion (coarsely chopped)
1 Orange Bell Pepper (coarsely chopped)
1 Clove of Garlic (minced)
1 Can of Coconut Milk
2 Ripe Bananas
1/2 – 1 of Jalapeno
1/4 Tsp Turmeric
Sea Salt to taste

Optional Topping Ideas
Raisins
Cilantro
Spanish Olives
Shredded Coconut
Apple
?

Directions

1. Put small slices in the squash with a knife.  Bake in the oven at 350º until easily pierced with a fork. (I bake everything at 350º) About 30-45 minutes.

While the squash is cooking…

2. Sauté the onion, bell pepper, and garlic until soft in a large pan.

3. In food processor combine the coconut milk, banana, jalapeno, and turmeric.  Process until fairly smooth.  A few lumps are fine. Add this to the onion mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer over low until squash is done.  Add water a bit of water if stew is too thick for your liking.

4. Once squash is done cut into pieces and add to coconut stew mixture.

5. Serve in a bowl and add toppings.
(I topped it with raisins, cilantro, and olives.)

Anyone know if that was a Fairy Tale Pumpkin?  Any topping suggestions?

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

If you enjoyed this post please Subscribe to the RSS Feed.

or

Sign up to have posts emailed to your inbox.

The post Coconut Pumpkin Stew appeared first on Girl Heroes.

I’ve mentioned it before but I’m not crazy about vegetables.  I like vegetables and will choose to choke down a plate of plain swiss chard because I know it’s good for me.  However, if I didn’t know the things I know about food, I’d probably eat things like fish & chips or pizza (and I’m not talking healthified versions either) every night.  So when I come up with a recipe that makes me crave veggies, I pull out a ladder, climb to the top of my roof, and shout, “I can’t believe they are collards!!!”.

Can’t Believe They Are Collards Veggie Patties!!!!!

Coconut Oil
Large Bunch of Collard Greens – Chopped
1/2 Onion – Chopped
2 Garlic Cloves – Diced
4 Pieces of Ezekiel Bread – or other (preferably sprouted) bread
1/2 Tbs Dried Parsley
1/4 Cup Fresh Basil
2 Tbs Sun Dried Tomatoes
Sea Salt
Pepper
1/2 Cup of Feta
4 eggs

1. In a pan sauté the collard greens, onion, and garlic in a bit of coconut oil until just soft.

2. Toast the Ezekiel bread and put it in a food processor with the parsley, basil, and sun dried tomatoes.  Add salt and pepper to taste as well.  Process until you have a well blended bread crumb mixture.

3. In a bowl, combine the vegetables, bread crumb mixture, feta, and eggs.  Knead until it is well mixed.

4. Shape into little patties and pan fry over medium heat in the coconut oil until golden brown.

5. Place cooked patties on a paper towel lined plate absorb some of the excess oil

Makes 8-10 patties.

My favorite way to eat them is to top with fresh tomato and a bit of balsamic vinegar.

This past weekend, I tripled the recipe and froze them for quick easy lunches.

Theses are SO GOOD.  No joke.  At least, I love them, Brent loves them, and even my 10 year old who scorns my cooking said they were “pretty good”.  Then he ate an entire one.  If that doesn’t say something nothing does.

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

If you enjoyed this post please Subscribe to the RSS Feed.

or

Sign up to have posts emailed to your inbox.

The post Can’t Believe They Are Collards!!!! appeared first on Girl Heroes.

I love Trader Joe’s.  LOVE it.  I love it so much that I have been seen waiting outside 15 minutes before they open their doors with the other crazies.  I’ve also said many times that I couldn’t live in a town where there wasn’t a Trader Joe’s.  That’s not spoiled, that’s being realistic.  However, believe it or not,  there is one thing about Trader Joe’s that I don’t like and it’s not even the small aisles. Occasionally, they discontinue an item I love without personally consulting me.  Oh the horror.  A few years ago they discontinued their fresh chimichurri sauce.   I have been lamenting ever since.  Thankfully, I scribbled the ingredient list down on a post it and tried to recreate the sauce.  (I mentioned it a few months ago after Brent and I went out on a date to a little Argentinian restaurant.)   The sauce goes really well with grilled chicken or fish.  (Or bread but anything goes well with bread.)  It also goes well with lentils. I’ve put the lentil salad on top of a green salad as a salad dressing.  Make sense?  Probably not.  Oh well.  I like it better by itself anyway.

Chimichurri Lentils
1 Cup of Fresh Parsley (finely chopped)
1/4 Cup of Fresh Cilantro (finely chopped)
6 Garlic Cloves (minced)
1/2 Small Red Onion (finely chopped)
1/2 Cup of Red Wine Vinegar
1/2 Cup of Olive Oil
1/2 Tbs Lemon Juice
4 LargishTomatoes (Chopped into bigger chunks)
4 Cups of Cooked Lentils*
Salt and Pepper (to taste)

Stir the parsley, cilantro, garlic, onion, vinegar, olive oil, and lemon juice together in a small bowl.  After the sauce is thoroughly mixed add the tomatoes and lentils.  I’v noticed the parsley turns brown after a day.  Anyone have any advice to keep it green?

* I typically soak my lentils in water with a bit of lemon juice overnight before cooking.  To over simplify, this makes them more digestible.  

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

If you enjoyed this post please Subscribe to the RSS Feed.

or

Sign up to have posts emailed to your inbox

The post Summer Salad Series: Chimichurri Lentils appeared first on Girl Heroes.