Some Good Recipes: Kale and Whitefish, Stuffed Tomatoes and Wild Mushroom Casseroles

Easy and Nutritious Low Carb Mid Week Meal

1 bunch of organic kale

4 small white fish (I used tilapia) fillets

1/5 pound local smoked bacon (approx.), cut into 1” pieces

1 organic garlic clove, sliced thin

salt and pepper to taste

paprika

preserved organic lemon slivers

Wash the kale and remove leaf from the central spine.  Compost the spine or feed it to your goats.  Brown the bacon pieces in a Dutch oven, then remove and reserve.  Add the torn kale leaves and sliced garlic clove to the bacon fat to saute.  Toss until wilted.  Cover the pot, checking often for moisture, until the kale is tender (add water if needed).  When the kale is tender, add some water to the pot, then lay the tilapia fillets on top of the kale.  Cover the pot, and poach the tilapia until it’s tender.  Serve two fillets on a bed of kale, garnished with slivered preserved lemon and crumbled bacon.  Serves 2

       Here's a healthy recipe that worked well for our dinner this week.  The tomatoes were from a greenhouse, of course, but given the season, I think it's a pretty healthy alternative to many other options.

Healthy Stuffed Tomatoes (with optional shrimp)

4 tomatoes, hollowed out, with flesh and juices reserved

¼ pound of cleaned and cooked shrimp

½ cup chopped onions

butter

about ½ cup red quinoa

1 large clove of garlic, minced

red pepper flakes or chopped jalapeno to taste

garlic salt

black pepper

water

1-2 slices of multi-grain bread, crumbled and toasted

cheddar cheese

Saute the chopped onions in a generous amount of butter, then add the chopped tomato flesh and juice to the pan.  To the bubbling mixture, add minced garlic, garlic salt, thyme, and pepper.  For added kick, add chopped jalapenos or dried red chili pepper. When the tomatoes have released their juices, add a handful of red quinoa to the bubbling pan and cook until the quinoa is tender. Add a small amount of water if necessary.  When the quinoa is tender, add the chopped shrimp (optional) and cook for five minutes, then add multi-grain breadcrumbs (from a slice or two of toasted bread) to thicken the mixture.  Stuff the raw tomato cups with the cooked mixture, then top with cheddar cheese.  Broil until brown, and serve.

Makes 4 servings

Best Wild Mushroom Casseroles

Wild mushrooms (I used frozen bearded tooth and entoloma abortivum)

Onion

Garlic clove

Peas

Cream

Flour

Butter

Multi-grain breadcrumbs from sliced bread

Tarragon

Garlic Salt and Pepper

Melt some butter in a Dutch oven or a cast iron frying pan, then add a chopped onion.  Saute until the onion is clear, then add the mushrooms (I used about 1.5 cups total, rough-chopped).  Continue to cook until the mushrooms release their juices, then add the clove of garlic, sliced thin.  Cook until the juices are cooked away and the mushrooms and onion just begin to brown; them sprinkle with a tablespoon of flour and about ½ tsp. tarragon.  Add about a cup of cream to the pot and stir over a low heat until the sauce thickens. Add peas and toss gently into the mixture.  Season with garlic salt and pepper to taste. 

Melt some butter and mix it in with the breadcrumbs.  Make enough to cover each of the ramekins.

Spoon the thickened mixture into individual ramekins, then top with the breadcrumb mixture.  Bake at 425 degrees until the breadcrumbs are brown and the filling is bubbling.  Cool slightly before eating.

*Optional: Add some tender chicken, shrimp, scallops or beef strips to the pan with the mushrooms, and saute until finished before proceeding with the recipe.