Eat More Kale (Meatloaf)

Are you familiar with the Vermont sensation (now worldwide...) that is EAT MORE KALE? About ten years ago, a small family farm in Vermont had a local t-shirt company design a shirt for them to wear at the farmers market ... all it said was Eat More Kale. The first order was for two shirts - no intention of this shirt going "viral" so to speak... But it did. And, just because corporate America truly stinks sometimes (and yet another reason not to eat at Chik-Fil-A), this past year Chik-Fil-A sued and issued a cease and desist order to stop making these fabulous t-shirts. Do you know any awesome people from Vermont? If so, you can imagine just what this lawsuit did to t-shirt sales...

Down here in North Carolina, it is certainly time to Eat More Kale. Kale is wildly abundant at the farmers markets right now and it is a great crop to grow in your own winter garden. There are so many varieties and they are all good. Using kale in recipes is a great way to keep little hands busy in the kitchen - give them a bunch of kale leaves and allow them to help out by stripping the leaves from the stems. Early in the season, the kale stems are generally thin and not so bitter, but as the weather gets colder, the stems can get a little bit woodier and more bitter so you probably want to compost them or feed them to your dogs for an afternoon snack. (Yup. Even my dogs love kale.)

Easy Potato & Pepper Hash Browns

Easy Potato and Pepper Hash Browns

Every once in a while I end up with a few too many of a certain kind of veggie on my hands... right about now I am up to my ears in peppers and potatoes. One of the best things about eating what's in season is that by the time you have run out of ways to cook a particular vegetable, hopefully the season is ending and you can move onto something new.

This is where I am at with peppers... And yet my garden shows no signs of ending its prolific pepper production. So... why not add some peppers into our grated potato hash browns? Peppers add a lot of extra nutrients and vitamins as well as a punch of color.

Amazing Gluten-Free Meatballs

Amazing Gluten-Free Meatballs

We have been having a tough time at dinner lately. One obstinate child in particular has been throwing a wrench in my normally calm dinner routine... Finally, I asked him to write me a list of five dinner ideas that he would enjoy eating. He gave me two suggestions:

1.) Tacos. But only on Tuesdays. 
2.) Spaghetti and meatballs. No sauce. 

Ok... It's a start. I haven't made meatballs in forever and, as my sitter arrived as I was trying to run out the door to work, I forgot just how easy making meatballs can be.

Slow Cooker Pumpkin Latte

Slow Cooker Pumpkin Latte

It is definitely pumpkin season here! We even had a chilly day in Charlotte this past weekend that was just perfect for picking pumpkins and enjoying some hot cider to warm up little hands after the great pumpkin hunt was over.

I love all things pumpkin. I used to have an unhealthy yearning for the pumpkin lattes from Starbucks ... alas, they are not gluten-free and they cost a million bucks. This is a much better alternative and perfect for wooing some friends over on a cool morning for some chitchat.

Ratatouille and Sausage Skillet Scramble

Ratatouille & Sausage Skillet Scramble

Dinner started off as a super healthy, veggie-only ratatouille. I had chopped the eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, and onion ... they were ready to hit the skillet. And then, I remembered that I had a 1/2 pound of delicious sausage from Charlene's Garden that was just begging to be used. Why not add that in? My almost-veggie son would just have to take one for the team. It was an amazing addition.

3 pans ... that's a lot for me!

Ratatouille can often be found as a side dish to a heartier meal but I wanted this ratatouille to BE the meal. Check me out for fancy recipes in a couple of years when I don't have a toddler hanging on my leg while I am cooking... Until then, I need to be all about one dish wonders. It really did not take much effort to make this simple ratatouille into something a little bit more substantial. I added about 1 cup of pasta sauce - already made, sitting in my fridge, the cooked sausage, and then tossed everything with prepared gluten-free pasta. Wow. This meal was good. And, although I actually had to use three pans to get everything ready, it was totally worth it! If you are organized, you can definitely get away with a two-pan endeavor.