After yesterday's radio show, tribute to Woman's History and National Nutrition Month I mentioned that we should "Go Green". Urging listners that they should be more adventerous when it comes to eating vegetables. Here are the few recpies that I had mentioned on the show

Crispy Kale
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Ingredients:
6 -8 cups chopd fresh kale, hard stems removed
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp. kosher salt or sea salt

Directions:
Place a rack on the lowest shelf of your oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spread kale out on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and apple cider vinegar. Toss to coat.
Place on the lowest rack of the oven and bake for 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and stir so that kale can get crispy all over.
Bake another 8 - 12 minutes or until kale is crispy. It shold be just lightly browed and crispy to the touch.
Continue cooking until crispy.
Remove from oven and sprinkle with sea salt and serve immediately.


Kale on Toasted Bread - Cavolo Nero con le Fette (Italian)
Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 25 minutes Ingredients:

• A pound (500 g) Kale
• Tuscan-style bread
• Garlic
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation: Take about a pound (500 g) black leaf kale, strip away the tough ribs leaves, and wash what remains with care. Then boil it in lightly salted water just until done (since the kale will wilt, start with as little water as you can; it's done as soon as the leaves are tender). Once the kale is cooked drain it, reserving the liquid, and coarsely chop it. Next, cut several slices of pane casalingo (Tuscan-style bread), toast them, cut them in half, rub them with a cut clove of garlic, dip them in the pot liquid, and arrange them on the plates. Put a 1/3-inch layer of kale on top of each slice, drizzle with good extra virgin olive oil, season with pepper to taste, and serve.

Ginger was very gracious to share her Banana Chocolate Chip bread recipe, now who has some ripe bananas I can use.  Tip: To ripen bananas fastr but them in a brown paper bag and put them somewhere dark.
Banana Chocolate Chip Bread 
1/3 cup of Earth Balance butter
1/2 cup sugar (I leave this out)
2 cups flour
2 tsps. Baking powder
1/2 tsp. Baking soda
2 medium ripe bananas (I often put in 2-1/2 or 3 bananas)
1/2 cup soy or rice milk
1 tsp. Vanilla
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup of finely shredded coconut (optional) 

Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease loaf pan with butter or oil (I use little muffin tins). 

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar (or just the butter if you aren’t using sugar).  Mix in with a spoon, flour, baking powder, and baking soda.  Add mashed bananas, soy or rice milk and vanilla.  Mix until batter is moist and sticky.  Gently fold in chocolate chips. 

Pour batter into loaf pan (or muffin tins) and bake for 15-18 minutes or until top is golden brown and knife comes out clean.  (I make little tiny (2 bite) muffins and they are great to take with you for a snack.)

I had a random craving for fudge the other day, not the fudge that you usually see in the "Fudge shop', but the fudge that Belizeans make.  My fondest memories of visiting Belize as a child included eating fudge. The greatest thing about this dessert/candy is that is easy to make and you can add anything you want to it or eat it plain.  I like peanuts and rasins in mine.  Try coconut as well. 

What is your favorite childhood memory?

Latley I have been eating healthier, so making this I started to laugh and called my mom the convo went like this:
Me: I just made fudge

Mom: How did it turn out? Did you get it right? (*the trick with making fudge is if you dont' let cook long enough it wilh be mushy)

Me: I got it just right, now who was the genius who invented fudge, condensed milk that already has sugar in it, add MORE sugar and then butter... Oh well it taste good

Belizean style fudge

Ingredients:

          1 Can Sweetened Condensed Milk

          1 cup sugar

          2 tbsp. Butter

          1 tsp vanilla 

          Peanuts/ Raisins

Directions: 
Mix all ingredients together in a pan. Cook at medium heat stirring constantly.
When it reaches a brownish color, place a few drops of the mixture in a glass of water and if it becomes firm then it is ready (aka 'softball state'.) Add peanuts and and continue to stir for 2 min then pour the mixture on a buttered baking sheet and cut in to squares before it gets hard.

As I always say my inspiration for the things I cook come from my friends. I have had store brought almond milk before, I enjoyed it, but the $4 for a little carton was starting to hurt my pockets.

The solution to this problem came from my Raw Food expert, Sharon, she gave me some of her homemade almond milk, I fell in love!
It was a creamy delight. Overall almond milk is a great alternative for cows milk for those who are lactose intolerent, and can be used in vegan and raw food diets. If this was a Bobby Flay throwdown, Sharon's Almond Milk won, but don't worry I'll get you next time.

Sharons Almond Milk Recipe
1/2 C almonds (or more for a more nuttier taste)
1 1/2 C distilled water
3 tbsp Raw Agave
2 tbsp Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
Pinch cinnamon
Pinch nutmeg
Pinch cardamom
Pinch Himalayan Pink Sea Salt

Now I was in a hurry to make this and didn't have most of the ingredients that she used so I made do with
what I had already in the kitchen.

Gourmet Diva Almond Milk Recipe
Yield: Between 2-3 cups

Total cooking time: 15 minutes

Equipment:
Bowl for soaking
Blender
Cheesecloth, sprout bag (http://www.rawglow.com/sproutbag.htm), or strainer
Bowl for catching milk
Container for milk

Ingredients:

1 cup of almonds
3 cups of distilled water
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract (or the seeds of 1 vanilla bean)
Sugar, syrup, 3 - 5 soft pitted dates, honey, or stevia to sweeten (optional)

4) Strain the mixture through a cheesecloth into a bowl. Save the almond pulp in a container and put in the fridge for later use

5) Put the almond milk back into the blender and blend in the vanilla and optional sweetner until smooth.