Cashew Creamed Kale with Pomegranate

  I use to suck the juice out of the seeds (they are actually called arils) of the pomegranate and spit out the actual seeds... I thought that the seeds were poisonous. (I blame my sister for this .She is the one that told me that).  And it turns out that it is an actual thing. That other people think that the seeds are not edible, so I guess don’t feel so duped. But I leaned. The seeds, they are very much edible, and very much tasty. I love biting into a pomegranate seed, letting the juice flood my mouth, followed by a nice little crunch from the seed inside, just like little crunchy red jewels. And the method of removing the seeds just makes them that much better. When you have to whack a fruit for it's edible parts, it got to be good. And to make this clear…. to all the people out there that thick the seeds are poison… the seeds are NOT POISION. In fact, they are quite good for you.

Now that that has been established, we can get to eating these little pearls the right way.  And being all holiday and jolly lala, I was thinking of some classic side dishes that are typical around this time.  Creamed spinach came to mind, but that just seemed a little boring. That’s where the pomegranate comes in.  You add pomegranate to anything and it’s not boring anymore. Also I switched out the creamed part and replaced it with cashew cream, and spinach with kale… cause that’s what I do. And the results are fantastic! Sweet, creamy, crunchy, earthy... All the best flavors. And even though I ate most of it hot, it’s definitely a side that moves from hot to cold and still taste super great. Would even make a nice sandwich or maybe add a little bed of grains and you got yourself a nice little lunch.

But the again, you probably wont have any left overs

The stuff. A bunch of kale, some cashews that have been soaking for a little while,  and a pomegrante  (I only used half of one). We also need us some more fresh water, a lemon, a few cloves of garlic and salt and pepper.

Remove the arils (thats what the juicy seeds ae called) by placing half the pomegranate into a bowl and whacking  it with a big wooden spoon. (martha stewart taught me this)

Strain the soaking cashews and dump them into a blender with the juice of the lemon, the garlic, some fresh water and some salt and pepper.

Turn blender on and blend until a nice smooth consistency

Chop up the kale and place into a really big skillet with a few splashes of water.

Once the kale has wilted, pour the cashew cream all over it. 

Add in the pomegranate  seeds

And get yourself a fork (bowl is optional( and eat. 

Creamed food never tasted this good!

-C

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Cashew Creamed Kale with Pomegranate

makes 3-4 servings 

• 1 bunch (abut a pound) Kale
• 1/2 cup cashews that have been soaking in water for a little while
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 lemon
• 2-3 loves garlic
• 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds (about 1/2 a pomegranate)
• salt and pepper to taste 

Take your pomegranate , slice in half, and place half seed sside down into a bowl. Take a big wooden spoon or something like it, and whack the outside of the fruit. The seeds will all fall out.. but check for any stuck seeds

Strain cashews from soaking waterand dump into a blender with the juice of the lemon, the garlic, ¾ cups of water, and a pinch or two of salt. Blend until a smooth a creamy cream. If you think the cream is to thick, add in another splash of water

After washing kale, chop it up into smallish pieces. (remove stems if you want.. I don't, I like the stems) Stick the kale into a large skillet with a few splashes of water and a sprinkle of salt and place on the oven on medium high heat. Stir around until kale is wilted and the water has evapotated. Pour on the cashew cream, mix around and top with the pomegranate seeds.

and eat..hot or cold. Its all good.

Pomegranate Guacamole

Pomeamole!!  That's what I want to call it, so that's what it is. Guacamole with the addition of tiny little pearls of sweet and tangy juice.. I mean, come one, it can't get much better. This is what happens when avocados are on super sale, I buy a lot…and then eat a lot….and then eat some more.  I start to get a little crafty and, wa la.. add pomegranate seeds. I also inflict anyone eating around me with avocado, even if they believe that they don't like it because that's not possible. I know this because there was a time where I believed that I didn't like avocados… and that's just crazy. I remember the very moment I realized I was wrong. It was the first food Nick ever made for me. I was working at a pottery studio and wasn't able to leave because of a raku firing  and I was starving. My love saved me with a sandwich, and it was the best I had ever eaten.  A sandwich that contained hummus, greens, sun-dried tomatoes, and yup, big slices of avocado. That sandwich change my life. I knew from that moment on….  I loved avocados……oh and that I loved Nick too. I know, we are so cute that you want to barf. Well go ahead, just do it before you eat the pomeamole.

It's all pretty simple...One very tasty ripe avocado, about 1/2 cup of pomegranate seeds,  a little chopped onion, a bit of chopped tomato,  a lemon, a few cloves of garlic and a pinch of salt.  It's what dreams are made of.

Mash it all together minus the pomegranate seeds… As smooth or as chunky as you like it….

Fold in 1/2 the seeds

And top with the rest! And another squeeze of lemon… just like that. You can eat this magic with anything you want;  chippers, rice cakes, tacos, toast, or even top a kale salad with a big scoop. …..we at it with carrots and broccoli. SO GOOD!

Pomeamole! (Pomegranate Guacamole)

Ingredients

• 1 ripe avocado
• 1/2 a small red or sweet onion
• 1/2 a small tomato
• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• salt
•  a lemon or lime

Pit and scoop avocado into a medium bowl and smash until desired consistency. Finely chop onion, garlic and tomato and mix together with avocado and half the juice of the lemon. Fold in most the pomegranate seed. Top with the rest and the squeeze the other half of lemon on top.

Serve with food, or just eat with a spoon.

Hooray for on-sale avocados!! 

-C

Bits of Happy

First week of the New Year.. and I am ready to take this year and ride it like a bull.(I don't know  exactly what that mean, but it sounds right) I am not a new years resolution kind of gal, but I am a goal oriented person and this week I have been thinking a lot about my goals and wishes for life…. and I am on my way..Nothing is going to stop me!(unless I end up getting arrested, but that is not a goal) Anyway, as always, the mister and I spent a good chunk of time with the family. Everyone's kids have had the past two weeks off and I think all of my sisters are about to kill a small child(possibly one of their own), so we tried to help out as much as we could.I mean, I am even happy that the kids all go back to school tomorrow. But it was a good week, we went to a bouncy castle birthday party (I didn't get to bounce..so sad)  and made balloon animals(well sort of. Nick knows how to do a few, I know how to make a snake and inappropriate jokes.) I got to bake a lot and test out a few new food recipes(tasty things to come!) Its been pretty freaking cold so we spent more time then usual indoors which meant I got to read a lot.  We even cleaned out the basement and made it more human friendly..and didn't kill each other doing it! All in all, not a bad start to the new year.  Here are some happy highlights.

New Years Eve hike. Anything outside makes me happy.This giant tree fell over on the trail and it looked so pretty. And yes, Washer looks handsome  too. 

        My Grammy Stems Poppy seed roll recipe…My Dad makes them every year and this is the first time I ever made them. I split the recipe in half( the recipe make 6 huge rolls) and turned one of the rolls into little rolls. Those little rolls might be one of the prettiest things I have ever made. I am going to be making them again soon. 

We had to take out Christmas tree down…which is kind of sad, but I stopped watering it and Nick stopped watering it….and it turned into fire tinder.  Nick took the popcorn garland from the tree and lined the fence…. that made up for not having the tree anymore. Best Christmas present ever…The Mister paid off my outrageous library fine so I can start taking books out again.!(what a guy) I am reading both of these at the moment… and both are excellent!  I kinda don't want to do anything but read. 

This situation going on here…sometimes the most simplest of ingredients make the best dishes… This blue arrow, a marker in the woods. I love arrows

A visit to a green house. I am a house plant slut…I have a ton and always want more.  But ever since we moved into our little cave(it has almost zero natural light) my plants have been sad and I am trying my hardest to keep them happy.  I was on the hunt for some plant food to keep my green babies alive and I found myself happily wondering this greenhouses. I think everyone should have a green house full of plants, it's impossible to not feel good in a light warm room of color. 

 Freshy snow walk. Our feet were the first to lay tracks around the neighborhood. Our feet are awesome.

I love my little kitchen wall, but I would love a little more space/storage/light. I am dreaming up a few kitchen projects for the mister and I to tackle, maybe more shelves, some hooks..Maybe a big old hole in the wall? I spend a lot of time fantasizing about little ways to make the kitchen a little more awesome(it's pretty awesome now) But I mean, a window would make everyone happy. Just an idea…We will see.

So yeah,  the little bits.

Hope You all had a great week and are staying warm and cozy!

-C

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