Someone gifted me this amazing book without realizing I was a fan of Dr. Weil and the True Food Kitchen restaurant!  It was quite a surprise to hear "I saw this and thought of you!" as I immediately dove in reading the secrets of this wonderful place.  First thing I made was the kale salad.  I was amazed at how simple it was. I had a friend that also had the book and said the secret they don't tell you is to really massage the dressing into the salad to make the leaves a little more tender.  Both ways; tossed or massaged was good to me, just depends on how you prefer it.

Kale Salad
True Food: Seasonal, Sustainable, Simple, Pure
​Andrew Weil, MD

​Here's the signature dish of True Food Kitchen  People who never imagined eating raw kale quickly become devoted.  Unlike most salads, this one gets even better in the fridge overnight.  Make the extra effort to find Tuscan kale - also sometimes labeled as black kale, Russian kale, cavolo nero, or dinosaur kale - as it's deeper color and more complex flavor really lift this into the salad stratosphere.

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
3 cloves garlic, mashed
1/2 teaspoon salt
pinch red pepper flakes
2 bunches kale (14 ounces), ribs removed and sliced into 1/4" shreds
1/2 cup Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, finely grated
2 tablespoons toasted whole wheat bread crumbs
Grand Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese shavings, for garnish

1. In a salad bowl, whisk together the oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and red pepper flakes.  Add the kale and toss well to coat.  Let the salad sit at room temperature for 10 to 30 minutes.  Add the grated cheese and bread crumbs and toss again.
2. Garnish with the cheese shavings before serving.  Cover any leftovers and refrigerate up to 2 days.
​

 Protein packed tempeh kale salad with lemon dressing is a nice refreshing salad.  I was skeptical of raw tempeh so I made the dressing first and then added the tempeh to marinade.  I was surprised it was quite good!  I sprinkled mine with dried cherries and walnuts.  Definitely a keeper of a recipe...  tastes like it took way more effort that in it did...  so easy!

I love looking at photos of beautiful vegan bowls online and ordering them at restaurants but I've never made one before!  This was fun and had me wondering why I don't have more bowls in my life.  I chopped the veggies up for easier eating and topped with siracha.  Leftovers rolled up well in a tortilla!  Buzzfeed's Trader Joe's Challenge Protein Packed Vegan Sweet Potato, Kale and Chickpea Bowl I would make again.  I paired it with a brew from back home that is a 2016 finalist in one of my favorite lists, the Good Food Awards....  a Lakefront Brewery Growing Power Organic Farmhouse Pale Ale. 

I've been working my way through the Engine 2 diet book with not a lot of love.  The recipes take a little to get used to and I'm used to cooking crazy stuff like olive oil or coconut oil or seasonings!...  the premise of the diet eliminates oil but why the lack of seasoning, I don't know.  Just when I was about to give in this kale recipe was a pleasant surprise!  The apple cider vinegar added a great tart flavor, but I added pepper and seasoning salt.  For leftovers I layered this and baked in the oven in a cast iron skillet to mix it up.
Red Beans over Quinoa with Kale Engine 2 Diet page 178

Ingredients:
4 3/4 C water
2 C quinoa, rinsed in a mesh sieve
1 onion, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 clove garlic, minced
2 green bell peppers, seeded and chopped
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 cans red kidney beans, rinsed and drained 
1 bunch kale, rinsed and coarsely chopped  

DIRECTIONS
  
For Cooking Quinoa: 

Bring 3/4 cups of the water to a boil. 

Add the rinsed quinoa, stir once, and cover. 

Cook on medium heat for 25 minutes. If any water remains, cook uncovered for a few minutes longer. 

The quinoa should not be soggy. Remove from heat, and let the quinoa sit covered for 10 minutes. Fluff gently with a fork.

For Kidney Beans:

Saute' the onion and bay leaves on medium heat in a sprayed saucepan for 5 minutes, until the onions are translucent. 

Add the garlic and bell peppers, and cook for 5 minutes, until the peppers soften. 

Add the thyme, vinegar, beans, and remaining 1 cup of water, and cook on low heat for 5 minutes, until broth thickens. 

You can speed this process by mashing the beans a few times with a potato masher. 

For Cooking Kale:

Place coarsely chopped kale with 1/4 cup of water in a large covered pot on medium heat. 

Cook the greens for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until wilted and tender. 

Serve on a plate with each ingredient nestled side by side.

Kale chips are always a lifesaver during any healthy eating phase I have gone through.  They satisfy that crunchy cheesy craving with being approved for any plan I've been on.  I got tired of paying the high price until a friend of mine bought a bag from a local health food store.  They were the most amazing version I have ever tried.  I was happy to give my money to a small local business that created such a tasty snack!  Then my friend blew my mind when she took a class there and got the recipe!  It was the reason I bought an Excalibur food dehydrator!...  to my defense I was pondering it for years and then jumped on it when it was Amazon's Deal of the Day, as did my friend!  It was like the universe wanted us to make kale chips!  And I do...  just about every week!  I'm not going to say it's easy, but it it worth it.  It's a giant mess and takes some fussing but the results are pretty awesome.

Cheezy Kale Chips ​by Karen's Holistic Health
2 heads Kale
1 cup Tahini
1/2 cup Coconut Aminos
1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tsp Onion Powder
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
3/4 tsp Sea Salt
1 1/2 cup Nutritional Yeast
juice of 1 lemon
Water for desired consistency: 3/4-2 cups

Wash kale, remove center stems.  Tear kale into small pieces so it will lay flat.  I find a heavy curly kale works best for chips.  The more delicate leaves don't hold up as well.  Lay the kale out and dry slightly.  I like to make a thick sauce so some water on the leaves is ok.  If you make a thinner sauce you will want to dry the leaves more so the sauce sticks better.

Blend all other ingredients in high powered blender.  The amount of water takes some experimentation.  Karen's recipe calls for 2 cups of water but that makes a very thin sauce and enough to cover 4 heads of kale.  I found that I like a thick concentrated sauce so I use around 3/4-1 cup and it will cover 2 heads kale.  

Pour blended sauce over kale and work into leaves.  When the sauce is thin this is an easy task and you will have plenty left over.  If you make it thick as shown you really need to work it in, making sure it covers each leaf.  Leaving the leaves wet if using a thick sauce helps a lot.

Lay kale on dehydrator sheets in single layer.  Some of the curly ends will not want to lay flat.  Gently add the next tray on top to help flatten and make smooth chip.  

Dehydrate 6 hours at 108 degrees.  Store chips in plastic bag in the fridge.  If you have extra sauce it will last 4-5 days in the fridge.