Recipe Time

Heather Carey, MS helped us with this week’s recipes! She is a Nutritionist, chef, cooking instructor and speaker are some of her “official titles” but really, she is a woman, a mom and a partner who know firsthand how it feels to get sucked into the false promise of diets, manage her own health challenge; MS diagnosis and have to worry about feeding her family another healthy meal when she’s just feel too tired to cook. She is based out of of Southport and has a whole website of healthy and delicious recipes! Sign up for her newsletter and get recipes sent to you monthly!

Kale And Sweet Potato Soup With Chickpeas

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
2 stalks of celery, diced
1 teaspoon each coarse salt and pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
4 cups homemade chicken stock or low-sodium chicken stock
1 32-ounce can diced tomatoes
3 cups cooked chickpeas (or from 1 large can, drained and rinsed)
1 small bunch parsley, chopped
1 head of kale, stems removed and chopped (feel free to use frozen here as well)

Directions

1. In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add in the onions, carrots and celery with the salt and pepper and sauté for 7 minutes.
2. Add in the sweet potato and garlic and combine well, another 5 minutes. Slowly add the stock along with the tomatoes and bring up to a boil. Bring the soup down to a simmer, cover and let cook for 15 minutes.
3. Add in the chickpeas, parsley and kale and continue to cook for another 10 minutes until the kale is wilted. Taste the soup, you might want to add in another sprinkle of salt or other herbs.
   

   Cauliflower Rice Pilaf With Turmeric And Curry

    

   Makes 4-6 servings

   Ingredients

   2 10-ounce bags frozen riced cauliflower, or 1 large head fresh cauliflower
   2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
   1 small yellow onion, chopped fine
   1/2 teaspoon each coarse salt and pepper
   1 large clove garlic, minced or pressed
   1 teaspoon ground turmeric
   1 teaspoon ground curry powder
   1 small bunch of kale (you can use 1 cup frozen and feel free to use other greens), stems removed and chopped
   1/2 lemon, juiced
   1/3 cup toasted pumpkin seeds, totally optional but gives it nice texture

   Directions

   1. Prep the cauliflower: if using fresh, remove the inner core and cut off the florets. Add the florets to a food processor (you might need to do this in two steps) and pulse until they are the consistency of rice. Set aside.
   2. In a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add in the onion with the salt and pepper and sauté for 3 minutes, until soft.  Add in the garlic, turmeric and curry powder and stir continuously for 30 seconds.
   3. Add in the cauliflower and incorporate into the onion mixture. Saute for 5 minutes until beginning to soften.
   4. Next, add the chopped kale (you might have to do this in batches to let it wilt down), and continue cooking until softened.
   5. Turn off the heat and taste, you might need to add in a little more salt. Sprinkle with the lemon juice and pumpkin seeds if using and serve.

      Eggplant Parmesan
      I posted a picture of my Eggplant Parmesan last week and got a lot of interest in the recipe! This is a meal my mom has made for years and I just take advantage of eating it every so often but never have made….until Quarantine! And now that I know, it’s not hard and so delicious! Still not exactly the same, my mom might layer it more but mine might have been a little bit healthier not having as many layers!

      Ingredients
      2 eggplants (I didn’t peel the skin off, little lazy, little bit because I like it!)
      Fresh Mozzarella (Trader Joes has a pre sliced block)
      Jar of Sauce (my mom probably uses real homemade sauce so whatever you like and have)
      4 eggs
      Italian Bread Crumbs
      Seal Salt
      EVOO

      Directions
      1. Slice eggplants in circle and pretty thin (thinner the better). Lay them out on a plate with a paper towel down, salt, then a layer of paper towel and another layer of eggplant.
      2. Let sit in the frig overnight
      3. In one plate put the eggs whisked (only need 2 at a time) and bread crumbs on another plate. Dip into the egg, coat it and then the bread crumbs, leave them all to the side.
      4. Large sauté pan coat with EVOO and on medium. When sizzling put as many eggplant down as can fit. When brown on one side flip over.
      5. On a plate with a paper towel down take off the pan and lay on paper towel to remove all the oil.
      6. Do this 4-5 times and keep layering on paper towels to soak up all the grease.
      7. Go ahead and eat some while cooking, it’s the best part!
      8. In a long pyrex pan put some sauce down then put down a layer of eggplant, then add fresh mozz on each one and a layer of sauce and repeat. I did 2 layers and had some extra on the side, think my mom does 3-4 layers, so whatever you can fit.
      9. Bake on 350 for 30 mins.
      10. Let cool and eat!
      11. Enjoy and send us pictures, it’s my favorite meal of all time!