As I type this, my yard is overflowing with dark green leafy vegetables; they are literally taking over our tiny property.  So what’s a girl with a garden to do?  Every morning I go outside, bowl and scissors in hand, and harvest greens.

I braise the greens with a bit of garlic and red pepper and eat them with a side of scrambled eggs, starting my day with a glorious Paleo breakfast.  If I’m really hungry, I’ll add a side of gluten free bread to this breakfast. Of course we have braised greens for dinner just about every night during this time of year as well.  We have to keep up with the garden!

Generally, I harvest 3-4 ounces of greens per person, so in our house, this would be a recipe for one.

For those of you that want to know how many bunches this recipe calls for, I can’t help with that, as my garden does not grow in bunches –I harvest individual leaves directly to a bowl.  If you do figure how many bunches this recipe uses leave a comment and let us know.  In terms of converting ounces to cups, I’d say that 4 ounces of chopped greens equals about 3 or 4 cups well packed cups.

Cooking tips?  Here’s what Renee from the website Kitchen Table Scraps, has to say, “cooking green vegetables too long will turn their color dark and murky and their texture to mush.”  So all you gardener/chefs out there, be sure not to overcook your greens.

This easy side dish is great with any meal; you can try experimenting and adjusting the flavors to come up with other yummy recipes for greens.  For basic instructions on how to prepare, wash and store you greens see my McKale post.

Here are some other healthy cooked veggie recipes to help you manage your harvest:
-Broccoli Rabe with Garlic
-Garlic Ginger Bok Choy
-Sautéed Kale

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Can’t get your family to eat their greens?  Try this healthy, gluten free, soy free, Garlic Ginger Bok Choy recipe.  This Asian veggie dish is delicious paired with the Sesame Salmon Burger recipe I posted last week.

This recipe is actually based on a recipe I found in Fine Cooking Magazine called Stir-Fried Bok Choy with Garlic, Ginger, and Scallions by Susie Middleton.  I changed mine up a bit, eliminating the corn starch and chicken stock from it.  I hope you like it as much as my hubby did when I made it for him.

I had a huge book launch party here last weekend with 1,000 cupcakes (no joke). We’re still eating cupcakes over here today; you’d think I might be tired of them by now, however, no, it seems that one is not ever tired of cupcakes (or ice cream) for some reason. I haven’t had a chance to go through all the photos we took of the party; once I do I’ll post some for you all to see.

I’ll be doing a book signing on Wednesday, June 1st at the Boulder Bookstore. The event is free of charge (they’ve begun collecting a fee for book signings, however this event is exempt) and I will be bringing cupcakes for everyone to sample. Hope to see you there.

Here are some more gluten free Asian vegetable recipes you may like:
-Sweet Asian Sunflower Slaw from Alisa of Alisa Cooks
-Soy-Free Chinese Jicama Stir Fry from SeaMaiden of Book of Yum
-Sesame Crusted Tuna with Asian Vegetables from Diane of The WHOLE Gang

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I made these super healthy salt and vinegar kale chips the other night before dinner, and was shocked, I mean absolutely shocked, that my children ate them.  Not only did they boys eat these, they loved them.  Trust me, while these kale chips are healthy, this is a sophisticated flavor combination for children.

Also, a word of warning, these gluten free kale chips are very salty.  So, if you don’t care for salt as much as we do in this household, take your salt down for this recipe.  You may also want to try experimenting and increasing the apple cider vinegar if the flavor of mouth puckering sour is your thing.

I know these kale chips may sound very healthy and not all that appetizing, however, just so you know, they lasted all of 4 minutes in my house and when I looked at the platter I had served them on, the boys had divided them up into “sides,” as in this is MY side, and that is YOUR side.  So all I can really say is, hooray for healthy Salt and Vinegar Kale Chips!

Gluten Free Salt and Vinegar Kale ChipsNote: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.
1 head dino kale, chopped
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon celtic sea salt

1. For how to prep your kale see my McKale post
2. Place kale in a large bowl
3. Drizzle with olive oil and vinegar, then sprinkle with salt
4. Massage above ingredients into kale with your hands
5. Spread out kale on 2 parchment lined baking sheets, so that pieces of kale do not touch
6. Bake at 375° for 10-13 minutes until dry and crispy
7. Cool 10 minutes and serve

Here are some more kale chip recipes you might enjoy:
-Kale Chips (with nutritional yeast, tamari and sesame oil) from Cooks4Seasons
-Wasabi Garlic Kale Chips from Affairs of Living
-Kale-Dust from Smitten Kitchen
-Lemon Kale Chips from Elana’s Pantry

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I love kale.  My boys love kale.  Even my husband goes for it.  Kale is a universally favorite vegetable in our family.  And boy am I lucky since it’s a superfood.  Given our collective kale obsession, I am always looking for more ways to cook kale, and this is one of my favorites.

Let’s not forget that kale is one of those”naturally gluten free” foods as my friend Shirley would say. So try it, you just might like it.

Sauteéd KaleNote: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bunch kale, trimmed and chopped into 1-inch strips
¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt

1. In a large pan, heat oil over medium heat
2. Reduce heat to medium low and add onion
3. Sauté for 15 minutes until carmelized
4. Add kale and sauté for 5 minutes uncovered
5. Cover pot with a lid and sauté for 1-2 minutes until wilted
6. Add salt and serve

Sometimes I like to throw a few thinly sliced carrots into this dish to add a bit of color.  Have you ever sautéd kale before?  What other veggies or seasonings do you enjoy adding to your sautéed kale?  Leave a comment and let us all know.

Here are some more gluten free kale recipes you might enjoy:
-Sauteed Kale with Garlic and Onion (Melting Tuscan Kale) from Kalyn of Kalyn’s Kitchen
-Kale Caesar Slaw from Silvana of Dish Towel Diaries
-Sautéed Kale & Mushrooms from Carrie of Ginger Lemon Girl

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I returned home from Blogher Food 2010 yesterday and found that the seasons had changed during the mere 4 days I was out of town.  It now seems to actually be fall here in Boulder, which means it is the perfect weather for roasting vegetables.

My boys inhale this naturally gluten free roasted broccoli dish whenever I make it.  Their friend Josh has been known to eat the entire tray of broccoli just minutes before dinner, leaving me with only one green veggie dish to serve instead of two (I usually also make kale chips when I serve this as green veggies are a main part of what we eat every night here).

This quick and easy roasted broccoli is also delicious dipped in my Tangy Peanut Sauce.

The winner of last weeks giveaway for a copy (as soon as its published) of my new cookbook, Gluten-Free Cupcakes: 50 Irresistible Recipes Made with Almond and Coconut Flour> is Holly Ellerton! Congratulations, Holly!

On a final note, I don’t know if any of you remember the Gluten Free Rosemary Cracker recipe I created for the Almond Board of California during my satellite media tour back in June. Well, I recently received the video they took of me making these scrumptious little gluten free crackers. I would love to share it with you below!

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This healthy and simple Grilled Broccoli recipe was inspired by a comment Kristi left on my Grilled Chipotle Orange Chicken post way back when:

Elana, you mentioned you like to serve this yummy chicken with grilled broccoli. I’ve grilled other veggies but not this. How do you go about grilling broccoli? Thanks! Kristi

Thank you, Kristi! I hope you enjoy this grilled broccoli with my Grilled Chipotle Orange Chicken or another gluten free chicken recipe.

Grilled BroccoliNote: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.
2 heads broccoli
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon celtic sea salt

1. Wash and cut broccoli into smallish pieces with long stems
2. Toss broccoli in a large bowl with olive oil and salt
3. Place on grill over medium heat
4. Cook for 3-5 on each side until tender
5. Serve

When I made this broccoli a couple of afternoons ago in order to get a picture of it for y’all, I had to hide it from my boys.  They wanted to eat it all –they like this dish that much!  The grilled broccoli also goes really well with a little homemade garlic oil poured over it.  That’s one of our favorite wintery dinner side dishes.

Thanks for voting for my recipe over at the Pacific Foods Everyday Chef Challenge.* I am the only gluten free blogger in the contest and I’m thrilled that Pacific Foods chose me to participate.  Voting is still underway and you can vote every 24 hours. So, head on over and take a look at my recipe, Thai Vegetable Soup and cast a vote for your favorite recipe! Jaden from steamykitchen.com is moderating the challenge and has a great roundup post with more details about all the participating food bloggers.

Don’t forget about last weeks giveaway for a chance to win a case of Pacific Foods Broths and Soups!

We’re not done with the giveaways! Today, I’m giving away a Pesticide Action Network 100% organic cotton tote bag (pictured below) to celebrate the launch of PAN’s newly overhauled website. To be entered leave a comment below and let us know what you do to avoid letting pesticides into your life.

Update: this giveaway is now over and the winner was Kelly!

* Disclosure: I am working with Pacific Natural Foods as a participant in this promotion and have received a stipend

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This recipe for Grilled Zucchini is one of my favorites for several reasons.  First, it’s a good way to use up the prolific zucchini of August.  Second, it’s mighty easy to make.  And third, it’s delicious.  Let’s not forget reason number four though –zucchini and summer squash are a healthy side dish for any meal.

Lately I’ve been serving this Grilled Zucchini with my Rosemary Lemon Chicken.  They make quite a summery pair, and along with a green salad comprise a lovely meal.

Grilled ZucchiniNote: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.
3-4 smallish zucchini, or summer squash
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon celtic sea salt

1. Trim off the top end of the zucchini, then cut in half
2. Cut each half lengthwise into ½ inch thick strips
3. Place zucchini in a large bowl with olive oil and salt
4. Grill each side for 3-6 minutes, until zucchini is tender with pretty grill marks on each side
5. Serve

It’s been almost a week since my older son’s team captured the Colorado State Baseball Championships in a stunning comeback.  They were one strike away from losing the entire title –down by 4 runs in the final inning with 2 outs and 2 strikes against them and the pulled a win out of their collective hats.

We’re now taking a much needed break from baseball.  It was a lot of fun and we were lucky to be surrounded by the absolutely amazing families of the little guys on the team.  Thanks to all of the team families who ate the many test batches of goodies that I forced on you during the tournament!

I’m happy to let you all know that at 7:30pm (PST) I’ll be doing a book signing at theAvid Reader in Davis, California tonight.  I grew up in Davis, it is my hometown and a lovely place.  Hope you can join us if you’re in the area.

If you can’t make that event, I’ll be doing another signing on Saturday, August 7th from 12-3pm (PST) at the Davis Lutheran Church (Fellowship Hall) with the Celiac Sprue Association.  Hope to see you there!

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I confess, I have an addiction to broccoli rabe.  I love the bitter flavor of this delicious green vegetable.  I have always believed that bitter is such an important, yet under rated flavor in our culture.

I think a lot of people drink coffee for the bitter flavor that we all need so badly.  My Ayurvedic teachers used to say, “bitter is better for pitta.”  Pitta is the fire element and bitter is quite good for not only cleansing the liver, it is also wonderful for cooling the body during the hot time of year.

When I need a fix of bitter and I don’t have any broccoli rabe on hand, I turn to my favorite herbal coffee substitute –a nice little brew of dandelion and chicory root.

In any event, here’s a yummy little broccoli rabe recipe for y’all right now!

Broccoli Rabe with GarlicNote: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.
1 bunch broccoli rabe, trim off tough stems on bottom
2 tablespoons olive oil
10 garlic cloves
¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

1. Heat oil in a large skillet
2. Add garlic to skillet and cook over medium heat until lightly browned, a few minutes
3. Add broccoli rabe to skillet, and cook until wilted
4. Sprinkle with salt and pepper
5. Transfer to a bowl and serve

I planted a little row of broccoli rabe in our front yard and got a descent harvest from it in June.  It bolted though and now I have replanted another crop, and hopefully I will get more.  Another wonderfully bitter green is dandelion, though I don’t like it as much as I do my broccoli rabe.

What is your favorite green and how do you like to prepare it?

What is your favorite flavor?  In Ayurveda we were taught that there are 6 flavors –bitter, sweet, sour, salty, pungent and astringent.  It’s odd living in a culture that places so much emphasis on sweet and salty, when there are 4 other important flavors.

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We are loving these Lemon Kale Chips.  I can’t make enough of them –the boys scarf them down hot out of the oven.  Yesterday, they ate 3 batches, yes you heard that right, 3 batches of kale chips, after school.  Of course, like everything else I make, these are gluten free.

You can use curly kale (as in the photo above), or dino (lacinto) kale or any other type.  My boys say it is best with the curly kale.

Lemon Kale ChipsNote: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.
1 bunch kale (prepared and washed)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt

1. Preheat oven to 350°
2. Chop kale into ½ inch pieces
3. Place kale in a large bowl
4. With hands massage oil, lemon juice and salt into kale
5. Place kale on parchment lined baking sheet
6. Bake at 350° for 10-15 minutes until kale is dark green and crispy (Shauna from Gluten-Free Girl has a great Baked Kale Chips recipe on her site. She says the 12 minute mark is the perfect done time)
7. Cool and serve

I first heard of kale chips in a comment from a reader more than a year ago.  Then these tasty green treats started showing up on websites all over the internet, so I decided I really had to try some.  And then… when my son made his birthday dinner request a few weeks ago, he asked for “Lemon Kale Chips,” little did I know at that point, what I was making a few times a week had a name.  And so, there you have it, Lemon Kale Chips.

I’m really looking forward to this Thursday, April 15th when I will doing a book signing at Pharmaca in Boulder at 6:30pm. There will be homemade gluten free treats. Hope to see you there!

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Our weekly CSA share kicked in yesterday and we received a ton of fresh organic produce! For those of you who aren’t familiar, “CSA” stands for community supported agriculture. This relatively new socio-economic concept changes the way food is produced, distributed and sold, creating small scale closed markets for farmers in which the consumer participates in the risk and rewards of the farm.

One of the great benefits of the CSA (in addition to receiving produce the day it is picked) is that it gives farmers more time to do what they do best –grow food. By cutting out the middle man, the farmers also receive more money for their crops and save time by not having to market produce to stores.

Earlier this year my family purchased a “share” in this season’s crop from Abbondanza. This means we receive vegetables straight from the farm each week during the harvest months.

Frankly, our farm share is looking great this year –although we actually only purchased a “half share,” we received more greens yesterday than I could figure out what to do with. This sent me rummaging through my recipes last night in search of culinary solutions to my vegetable overload.

The biggest “problem” was spinach. What to do with the several pounds of spinach crowding out the other greens in the veggie drawer of my fridge? Spinach cake of course!

Spinach CakeNote: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.
1 ½ pounds spinach, thoroughly washed, leave stems on if they are not tough
3 tablespoons grapeseed oil or olive oil
1 cup pine nuts
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 eggs, whisked
½ cup zante currants
1 teaspoon celtic sea salt

1. Wilt spinach in a large covered saucepan, over low heat (do not add water) 5 minutes, until tender
2. Drain and cool, then gently squeeze moisture out of spinach
3. Place spinach in food processor and pulse until coarsely blended, then set aside
4. In a small skillet, warm 3 tablespoons oil, add pine nuts and saute until golden brown
5. Add garlic to pan of pine nuts and saute together an additional minute
6. In a large bowl, combine pine nuts mixture, blended spinach, eggs, currants and salt
7. Spread mixture into a greased 7 x 11 inch baking dish
8. Bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes
9. Serve

Makes 12 spinach cakes

This spinach recipe is based on Claudia Roden’s Tortino di Spinaci. As I have mentioned before, she is my all time favorite cookbook author. I often hear her speaking about the history of Jewish food on NPR. She is basically a food historian, as well as a culinary genius.

I hope you enjoy this dish as much as we do and that it solves your spinach harvest woes!

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