Swing Eats

Only in the past couple of years have I discovered how awesome kale is. When talking about dark leafy greens, the nutritional powerhouse that is kale resides on top. My favorite way to prepare kale had been making chips out of them. The standard procedure consisted of lightly coating the whole kale leaves, stalk removed, season, and bake in oven at low temperature until crisp. Delicious, but too oily for me to call healthy. Then I kept hearing more about kale salad, where the kale is broken down by acid and then dressed. Hm. I usually steer clear of putting any acid into any green vegetables, knowing that breaks down chlorophyll, along with the nutritional content and flavor, as well as transforming it into a drab olive green. Somehow kale salad works on a few different levels. First off, it is delicious. The preparation proves to be super easy without having to cook anything, with the exception of maybe toasting some nuts. This salad gets better upon refrigeration, whereas traditi...

To be honest, I never heard of quinoa (pronounced: keen-wah) before my Celiac diagnosis. After my initial consultation with a dietitian, 12 years ago, I discovered a whole new world of grains that are gluten-free: quinoa, millet, buckwheat, teff, and so many others. They all have unique texture and taste as well as power-packed with nutrients. Quinoa has become one of my standbys. Quino a is an ancient, super-food from South America. It contains about 14% protein and all of the essential amino acids your body needs, i.e, it is a complete protein. Important tip with quinoa: it must be RINSED well with water (using a fine mesh sieve/strainer) before cooking it. There's this weird smelling enzyme that coats it and can be strong and wreck your senses. It is so worth the effort. I make quinoa up as pilafs, tabbouleh, steamed. This time, I let my fridge dictate what method to use for my quinoa love. I saw small bok choy, giant shiitake mushrooms, and green onions. I worked at a Chines...

The flavor imparted to asparagus by roasting is usually overlooked. Roasted potatoes with rosemary remains a standard in my culinary repertoire for many years.  Why not combine the two in one winning side dish? As an Angeleno, I love to go to at least one farmer's market a week. The produce in Southern California blows my mind. This week I picked up a tiny bag of fingerling potatoes and a beautiful bunch of asparagus from the same vendor. Asparagus can hold their own against roasting and rosemary, just not the same time in the oven as potatoes. And the rosemary I was able to source from my yard. Really, it's impossible to over roast the potatoes. I love them on the crispy side. Only about five minutes is needed to roast the asparagus. Note on the potatoes: don't be tempted to use the red-skinned ones, they have too much sugar - will not cook up right in the oven and will burn. Ingredients: 1 pound fingerling potatoes 1 bunch asparagus, fibrous ends removed 2 tablespoo...

The Greeks know how to do Easter.  Spanakopita is a staple for Greek Easter, along with all the lamb.  I also call this delicious treat spanakopita Minus The -Opita  What the what?! You know, the Greek spinach pie with the phyllo - spanakopita without the phyllo. "Pita" means pie in Greek.... So I guess it's really more like Greek spinach casserole, but spanakopita minus the -opita sounds like more fun to me.  I make this for just about every holiday and party that I'm asked to bring food throughout the whole year. This is super easy to make and everyone loves it. Better still, it is gluten-free, and can be served at any temperature. Since this recipe uses such few ingredients, the quality is paramount. Use fresh baby spinach, nice and tender green onions/scallions, and the best sheep's milk feta you can find. Please, for the love of god, don't ever buy the pre-crumbled feta. My favorite feta is the French sheep's milk feta cheese at Costco, wh...

As an Irish girl, I love potatoes. When presented with this week's sensational sides theme of mashed, I knew was going to make potatoes. Italian smashed potatoes have become one of my favorite way to mash potatoes. It's just boiled unpeeled red potatoes with Italian parsley, a good Italian hard cheese, olive oil, salt and pepper.  Remember, all those nutritional goodies are in the skins. They go with everything. So simple. The amount of these ingredients listed below is a mere suggestion. Ingredients: 2 pounds of red skinned potatoes 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1/2 bunch parsley, finely chopped 1/4 pound of really good pecorino romano or Parmigiano- Reggiano cheese, grated salt and pepper to taste Directions: Rinse, clean, and cut the potatoes into roughly equivalent chunks to ensure even cooking. Place them in a medium to large sauce pot with salted water. Bring to a boil on medium high heat. Boil under fork tender, about 15 minutes. Remove a...

When I think of brownies, I think of dense, fudge-y, chocolate "cake" with that thin layer on top. I love that thin layer on top. So in developing a recipe for a complex brownie, I made sure nothing would be on top. What is that thin layer? People call it a meringue layer: the proteins from the egg whites combining with the sugar and migrating to the top during the baking process. However, I have seen this with vegan brownie recipes I have made. Maybe in general, a film of protein and sugar forming on top. A syneresis as I would call it as a scientist. (A good example is the liquid whey that separates out on top of yogurt.) I decided to go the Mexican spiced chocolate route, using cinnamon, chili powders, coffee, nuts, and seeds to add depth and complexity. But at first, I pondered, "How am I going to incorporate the seeds and nuts?" I know, make a crust. This will give a unique texture to the brownies without interfering with that special thin meringue layer and ...

I'm a sucker for bar food. Admit it, who is not? My favorite menu item is the loaded potato skins. Problem is, I cannot eat them safely as a celiac. Turns out they deep fry them before stuffing them with cheese and bacon before broiling and topping with sour cream and scallions. Wow, it's probably a good think I can't eat them - far from the healthiest menu choice. At the same token, I never considered making a homemade version of potato skins, since scooping out the baked potato seemed like a waste. Another favorite unhealthy potato recipe of mine is twice baked potatoes. The portion alone is twice too big. Ah, I know, split them in half, stuff with tasty healthier options and bake until crispy. The ultimate potato mash-up: a twice baked potato skin. This version I stuffed with some of my tasty favorites: Gorgonzola cheese crumbles (a blue cheese), Greek yogurt, scallions, parsley, chives, olive oil, garlic salt, and black pepper. Get creative and try with...

Traditional grilled cheese sandwich dipped in tomato soup remains one of my favorite meals, regardless of the fact that I must be gluten-free.  It's a good litmus test for gluten-free (GF) bread.  I have a winner.  Trader Joe's makes the best GF bread, in my personal opinion.  Hands down!  Both of their varieties: plain and the wholegrain (which I love for all seeds and grains).  You know, I rarely promote brands.  However, here I feel compelled to share my experience, strength, and hope of tasty textured GF bread with you.  Another winner is Traina California Sun Dried Tomato Ketchup, and their version with Sriracha.  Yes, Sriracha and California Sun Dried Tomato Ketchup .  So grown up, sophisticated, and full of sass.  I friend back in Cincy turned me on Traina.  It's almost more like a chutney, packed with flavor and substance. Then some kind of culinary genius struck me: grilled cheese sandwich with the Sriracha ketchu...