Confessions of a Saltoholic

     I will take chips (not the baked kind - the greasy, salty, msg laden kind) over chocolate or sweets any day. I love salty snacks and have tried to curb my chip eating habit by replacing them with what I thought was a better choice. Roasted and salted fava beans, green peas, sesame crackers, corn nuts, trail mixes....the list goes on, but I realized they are all just as bad and unhealthy as chips, especially if they are the "bulk barn" kind and not "organic". They're loaded with sulphites, sodium, MSG and tartrazine.  I have provided links for each of these addi(c)tives just in case you aren't sure what they are or why they are bad for you, especially if you are someone like me who has IBS and a host of food sensitivities. I would get crampy stomach aches, headaches and skin reactions from eating foods with these. So to try and stop my bad salty snack habit I started making my own. This way I can control the amount of salt, oil and ingredients that go into what I eat.  Below are a few recipes that turned out quite good and are a terrific replacement for chips and the like. Even if you don't have salty snack issues, food sensitivities or stomach problems these recipes are delicious enough for anyone to enjoy. -B

1) Kale Chips
* Note: This is a dehydrator recipe. If you don't have one you can bake these in the oven but you won't get the same texture.

Ingredients:
bunch of Kale
1 sweet red pepper
nutritional yeast or ground cashew (for cheesy flavour)
Braggs Liquid Amino Acids
garlic powder
sweet Spanish paprika
olive oil
half lemon fresh lemon

*Note: I haven't added any measurements for the ingredients because this is a "just wing it" kinda recipe. Mostly you just go by your taste.

Prep:
- Wash kale well. Chop off stems and cut into pieces. I usually cut fairly large size pieces because they tend to shrink.
- If you are using cashews, grind to make powder (about a 1/4 of a cup worth).
- Wash red pepper. I used a Ninja to chop this. You can also use a Magic Bullet or blender. You kinda want a bit liquid so using a food processor or chopping wont work a s well. You want to be able to pour the pepper juice and chunks on the kale.
- Throw chopped kale and pepper into large bowl.
- Squeeze lemon over kale.
- Drizzle olive oil as much or as little as you like.
- Toss kale and red pepper so oil is evenly distributed.
- Sprinkle on spices. Again, as much or as little as you like.
- Sprinkle on cashew powder of nutritional yeast  (I used 1/2 cup) . Just sprinkle on until you think the kale in sufficiently covered.
- Give it a good toss making sure everything is evenly distributed. Get you hands in there if you need to.

*Note : I am using a Salton dehydrator for this. This is a pretty basic one. It has one setting: On/Off. It's fine for most of your dehydrating needs except however, for drying peas. They fall through the cracks in the tray. It's pretty inexpensive to buy new (around $50 or you can try Craigslist which is what we did. Most people use them once or twice then get rid of it). Some dehydrators are more fancy and way more expensive. Like the Excalibur.

- Turn on and pre-heat for 5 minutes
- Evenly space kale pieces on racks. (don't stack kale pieces on top of one another)
- Cover with lid and turn on dehydrator. I checked the manual for the times and it says 4-10 hours (pretty broad). I normally just let it dehydrate overnight so 6-8 hours should do it.

2) Taro-rizer (Taro Root Chips)
Taro root a tuber (or corm), also known as dasheen (West Indies), eddoe (India), and toran (Korea) is high in fiber and an excellent source of potassium, calcium, vitamin C, E and B as well as magnesium.

*Note; Some people with sensitive skin may have a slight reaction to juices secreted by the taro root so you may want to wear gloves or you can boil for a few minutes before peeling. Please also note that taro root is also very toxic in its raw state due to the presence of calcium oxalate so you must always cook it before eating. Never eat raw!

Ingredients:
1 taro - They are quite large so one should be enough for 2 people (Taro can be found in Asian supermarkets)
sea salt (or himalayan salt)
garlic powder
olive or canola oil
cracked black pepper
Spray oil

Prep:
- Pre-heat oven to 425°
- Peel or cut off thick outer layer and wash well. Get that slimy white calcium stuff off. I threw the slices in a pots of water and boiled them for a  minute (don't let them get mushy) first to get the calcium off. Drain and rinse well
- Cut in to thin slices (1/8 inch thick)
- Toss in large bowl. Drizzle on olive oil. Sprinkle on salt, pepper and garlic powder
- Spray pan with a bit of oil. Place slices evenly on baking pan and bake for about 20 minutes or until desired crispiness.

3) Lotus Root Chips
Lotus can be found in Asian supermarkets or of course in Chinatown markets.

Ingredients:
Lotus root usually comes with two attached together so you can use both.
Olive oil
Salt, pepper, garlic powder and sweet paprika (If you prefer something with a bit more bite add chile flakes or cajun spices)
Spray oil for pan

Prep:
- Pre- heat oven to 375°
- Wash and peel root. If you are not using right away you can soak in water a a bit of lemon juice to keep it from browning.  I boiled them first for a few minutes. Make sure to pat dry before baking.
- Cut root into 1/8 inch slices
- Place root in a bowl, sprinkle on olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic and sweet paprika.
- Spray pan with a bit of oil. Place disks evenly on pan and bake for about 20 minutes. Turning them occasionally.

Quinoa Salad with Lemony Tahini Dressing

If you are not familiar with quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) then it is time to get acquainted. Here's the scoop. It's an ancient grain/seed originally grown in South and Central America and is high in protein, calcium and iron. It also contains vitamin E and some B vitamins as well as some other good stuff that I am not going to get into because I am not a nutritionist and don't know what they do (yet). When cooked, quinoa becomes fluffy and has a nutty flavour, so it works with many different vegetable combinations.

 Kale another essential part of this recipe, has powerful anti-oxidant properties and is high in beta carotine, vitamin K and C, calcium and other things I can't pronounce. With the leftover kale from the salad, you can bake it with flavourful spices like cumin, coriander, whole fennel seed, garlic, sweet spanish paprika, sea salt and black pepper.

The combination of red beets, golden beets, carrot, kale and quinoa create a very colourful, super nutritious and in combination with the tahini dressing makes it super tasty. -B

What you will need:
* A cup of cinnamon chai tea (David's Tea makes a delicious caffeine free one) to revitalize, wake you up and help you focus.
*You might want to listen to Demon Fuzz- Afreaka. Just saying.

For the salad:
1 cup Quinoa (I like to soak the quinoa for about 20-25 mins to reduce the earthy taste)
2 cups water
Bunch of Kale
1 Large carrot
2 Red beets
1 Small golden beet
1 medium-large size carrot

Soak Quinoa for about 20-25 mins. While quinoa is soaking, peel then shred carrot and golden beet. Take two kale leaves, wash and chop into bite size pieces (you can use the stems if you like).

Peel and chop red beet into small bite sized pieces. Set veggies aside. When quinoa is done soaking, fill pot with 2 cups of water. Bring to boil. Add quinoa. Bring to boil again. Reduce heat to low and place on a tight fitting lid. Cook for approx. 20- 25 min (or until soft) stirring occasionally. When ready, let quinoa cool before adding veggies. Once cool, throw everything in. Give it a mix.  Serve with dressing on top.

For the dressing:
2.5  Tbls. Prepared Tahini (you can find this in most grocery stores or you can get it at Akrams in Kensington Market)
Juice from 1 medium sized lemon
Fresh parsley -a small handful
1-2 cloves garlic (adjust to taste)
Black pepper (to taste)
Sea salt (to taste)

*I use a Magic Bullet for this. If you don't have one a blender will work or you may just have to mix in a cup with a fork or whisk but it should be creamy.

Throw all the ingredients above in the Bullet and mix that shit up. Kay? Done. Adjust to taste if you like. I like it really lemony.

Baked Kale

While quinoa is cooking start preparing the kale.

Pre-heat oven to 350˚.

Wash the leftover kale from the salad and chop in to bite-size pieces. Throw the kale into a big bowl and drizzle on olive oil (just enough so that spices stick). Mix it up. Now this part is a guessing game. I just throw everything on, mix it up and BAM - Done! Sprinkle on the following spices; garlic powder, cumin, whole anise/fennel seed, coriander, sweet spanish paprika, sea salt and black pepper. Mix it up.

Spread kale on baking pan. (I don't grease or cover with anything). Bake for 10-15 min. Mix occasionally. You kinda want some really crispy pieces - almost burnt. It's a nice mix to have super crispy with just baked. When finish eat as a snack or serve as side dish. -B

Yams and Beets!

Baked Yams and Beets. This recipe is IBS (more about that later) friendly, easy to make, and is nutritious and  delicious!  Both beets greens and roots are an excellent source of magnesium, iron and vitamin B. Beet roots are also a good source of potassium, fibre, folic acid and manganese. Yams are a excellent source of vitamins A, B6, C,  thiamine and panoththenic acid.Vitamin B6, Thiamine and pantothenic acid work to metabolize your food which is helpful if you have IBS.

  
What you will need:

A Glass of your favorite vegan red wine and I like to listen to the Soviettes (LP 3) to get me stoked.
1 xlrg yam or 2 med.
5 small beets, unwashed and unpeeled
olive oil (enough to brush on beets and drizzle on yams)
sea salt to taste
black pepper to taste
rosemary
garlic powder
handful of fresh parsley
tin foil
shallow baking dish
large bowl for mixing

Baking Beets:

1. Preheat oven to °400
2. Trim stems to about 1/2"
3. Do not wash. Apparently moisture causes the beets to steam and we don't want this. I mistakenly washed the beets and they steamed and sizzled and made funny white bubbles. If there is dirt on your beets just wipe with a paper towel.
4. Brush outsides with olive
5. Wrap tightly in tin foil.
6. Place in shallow baking dish and cook for 45-60 minutes (until soft and skin slips off)
7. When beets are cooked cut off stems if you are not using them, and peel off skin.
8. Chop into bite sized pieces

Baking Yams:

You can bake the yams in the same dish as the beets however you will only need to bake the yams for about 15-20 minute so put them in at the end.
1. Wash yam and cut off any bad spots
2. Chop yam into bite size pieces.
3. Place yams in a large bowl
4. Drizzle on olive oil
5. Sprinkle on sea salt, black pepper, garlic and rosemary
6. Mix
7. Spread yams and beets on baking pan and bake for 15-20 minutes or until soft.  Stir occasionally
8. When ready, salt and pepper to taste  and add fresh chopped parsley.

*Note: For a more substantial meal try adding chick peas. Canned or dry - follow cooking directions. Then sauteé in a bit of olive oil and fresh lemon and salt and pepper to taste.

*P.s. You can also bake fennel with the beets (same way - cook until soft) and eat together as a side dish.
Buon Appetito!
-B