Christ is in our midst!
I think my stomach has been serenading Bee Gees songs to me lately. My stomach has been so happy since I have been listening to the prescription of eating more greens and drinking more water. I am glad that I have finally listened because I have so much energy and feel calmer. Prayer and eating greens are one of many medications our body needs; prayer being not only the recommended but a necessity for both body and soul. There is no overdose with prayer, if anything there is a risk of underdosing. My prescription for any health issues is to ask God’s help for anything and everything, and in every moment. I am not perfect at it but I try. I am learning that wthere God leads there are no risks.
Briefly bringing up the BeeGees, because they have been gloriously haunting my mind. When I cook, I need songs with soul. God and particular music are the secrets to the cooking I do. They are what makes the food taste exceptional. They’ve got soul. They’ve got love infused in their songs. Some of the songs from BeeGees that has become near and dear to me recently are “Too Much Heaven”, “Wish You Were Here”, Our Love (Don’t Throw it All Away)”, and “Fanny, be tender”. In recent times, I feel like my stomach has been seriously serenading to me, begging me to avoid from foods that hurt me. Be tender with my guts. You know how easy it is to hurt me. Anastasia, be tender with my guts ’cause it’s all that I’ve got..
In the last few weeks, I have been tender with my stomach. I came across this recipe, Kale and Seed Crisps, again when looking for candida-friendly dishes from Julia Morris’ cookbook “Superfood Kitchen”. When I first came across this, I admit, I kept adjourning this recipe. To make kale really appetizing, you have to massage it. I have body pain and have to take care of 6 sentient beings – that’s 3 adults – myself included- and 3 dogs. I am sapped out of energy by the end of the day; sometimes I don’t feel like stretching or massaging my achy muscles. You think I feel like massaging kale if I won’t give myself a massage?
I was proven wrong, beyond wrong. Kale had me beat. Checkmate. I don’t ever like to admit that I am wrong, except in confession. Admitting that I am wrong in confession and to God is easier for some reason.
This recipe is phenomenally easy to make. I thought it was far fetched initially until I had surrendered and made it. I made the dish and mused on the thoughts why did I postpone making this recipe for so long. IT IS SO EASY. When you break up the kale into smaller pieces and massage it with the tahini mixture, it really doesn’t take long. You mix it together, make sure there are no clumps. You put it on the prepared baking tray, put it in the oven and toss it after an hour, then wait for it to finish baking. Bada-bing. Bada-boom. I’ll tell you, I am glad that I doubled the recipe.
The recipe calls for sunflower seeds. I used pumpkin seeds in place and it equally tasted great.
There are some healthy snacks that take a lot of time and “fancy” equipment times. This recipe just requires an oven and bowls to put the ingredients in. When I have all the ingredients for the mixture but no kale, my stomach cries, “Ah, and I wish you were here, drying these tears I cry,
they were good times. And I wish you were here. You’re living your life in somebody else’s [refrigerator].”
Julie Morris’ notes: There’s something about tahini (ground sesame seed paste) that just begs to be paired with dark leafy greens – I always think of tahini as “grown-up” peanut butter. Add a few textural seeds and spices to this recipe, and your protein, healthy fats, complex carbs, and broad-spectrum micronutrients are just a crunch away.
Tips for Kale Crisps:
Kale Crisps are an ingenious way to get copious amounts of greens into your daily diet in the most delectable, snackable of ways (even kids love them)! Kale crisps can be a little fussy to make at first because they burn easily, but with these few tips, you’ll be making best-ever batches in no time.
- Wash the kale thoroughly to remove any grit.
- Dry leaves very well – the dryer the leaves, the faster they will cook!
- For best results, use curly kale. It’s rumpled texture helps seasonings stick to the leaves. (Latigo, or “dinosaur kale , can be used too.)
- Make chips out of the freshest, newest kale you can find. Don’t use old kale that you’ve hung on to for too long, or else your chips will taste bitter.
- When you’re preparing the pan, spread out the kale as evenly as possible, and undo any “clumps” to ensure even cooking.
- Check kale crisp frequently toward the end of cooking time — you may need to remove some crisps earlier than others. This is normal.
- Store kale crisps in an airtight container with a silica packet if you have one (you can reuse the silica packets that come with store-bought packages of seaweed and chips). You can also recrisp your kale by placing a bath in the oven at 250 F for a couple minutes.
Hail to the kale! I am making this dish time and time again! I hope you enjoy this dish by Julie Morris as much as I do!
Makes 4 – 6 cups / 2 servings
1 large bunch curly kale
2 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ tsp onion powder
¼ tsp smoked paprika
¼ tsp sea salt
2 tbsp chia seeds
2 tbsp sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds
- Preheat the oven to 250 F. line 2 baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper. You can also use a dehydrator method for this recipe.
- Strip the kale leaves from the stems, and place them in a large bowl. Tear any especially large leaves into halves or thirds.
- In a small bowl, mix together over the leaves and toss well, then add the seeds. Massage the kale by hand for a moment to ensure that the ingredients are well distributed. Spread the leaves onto the prepared baking sheets and bake for 70 – 90 minutes, tossing once after about an hour into baking, or until the leaves are dry and crispy. Kale crisps may be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 week and recrisped by placing them in a 250 F oven for several minutes before serving.
Superfood boost: add a tablespoon of dulse flakes when mixing in the seeds and make this recipe even more of a mineral-rich powerhouse.
Nutritional Benefits
BEAUTY / BONE STRENGTH / HEART HEALTH / PROTEIN RICH
Kale
A half-cup, cooked and chopped, provides 4,810 IU vitamin A, 26.7 mg vitamin C, 148 mg potassium, and 47 mg calcium.
72% Carbs 16% Protein 12% Fat 35 calories per 1 cup serving (raw, chopped) Protein: 2g
Water: 84.46 grams Calories: 50 Total Lipids: 0.7 grams Protein: 3.3 grams Carbohydrates: 10.01 grams Total Sugar: grams Saturated Fat: 0.091 grams Monounsaturated Fat: 0.052 grams Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.338 grams Cholesterol: 0 mg Fiber: 2 grams Beta Carotene: 9226 mcg Calcium: 135 mg Iron: 1.7 mg Magnesium: 34 mg Phosphorus: 56 mg Potassium: 447 mg Selenium: 0.9 mcg Sodium: 43 mg Zinc: 0.44 mg Vitamin A IU: 15376 Vitamin A RAE: 769 Vitamin B5 Pantothenic Acid: 0.091 mg Vitamin B6: 0.271 mg Vitamin C: 120 mg Thiamin: 0.11 mg Riboflavin: 0.13 mg Niacin: 1 mg Vitamin K: 817 mcg Folate: 29 mcg
Tahini
Tahini is simply made from sesame seeds. Seeds are a healthy addition to our daily life, a clean source of protein, fats, and moderate amount of carbs (depending on the seeds). Sesame seeds flavor are slightly sweet, with notes of butter, milk, and or nuts, and a rich texture. When blended it has a sweet and or salty, nutty, with a creamy texture. Tahini is great and versatile dressing making it a great accompaniment for vegetables and grain bowls. If you ever feel lazy making a healthy dressing, just make a simple tahini dressing with garlic, lemon juice, cumin and salt. (Vegetarian Flavor Bible)
70% Fats 19% Carbs 11% Protein 90 Calories per 1 tablespoon serving Protein: 3 g
Tahini FROM RSTD&TSTD KRNLS (MOST COMMON TYPE)
Serving: 1 oz:
Water: 3.05 grams Saturated Fat: 7.529 grams Monounsaturated Fat: 20.302 grams Polyunsaturated Fat: 23.564 grams Cholesterol: 0 mg Fiber: 9.3 grams Beta Carotene: 40 mcg Calcium: 426 mg Iron: 8.95 mg Magnesium: 95 mg Phosphorus: 732 mg Potassium: 414 mg Selenium: 1.7 mcg Sodium: 115 mg Zinc: 4.62 mg Vitamin A IU: 67 Vitamin A RAE: 3 Vitamin B5 Pantothenic Acid: 0.693 mg Vitamin B6: 0.149 mg Vitamin E: 0.25 mg Thiamin: 1.22 mg Riboflavin: 0.473 mg Niacin: 5.45 mg Folate: 98 mcg
Lemon
Lemon juice, especially when added to greens, adds brightness to the dish. Lemons contain magnesium and phytochemcials such as limonoids and terpenes. Limonoids contain detoxification properties and can help conditions such as cancer and cardiovascular disease prevention. Terpenes contain anticancer properties and can help cancer prevention and hormone balance.
63% Carbs 24% Protein 13% Fat 20 calories/medium lemon (raw, with peel) Protein: 1g
Serving: 1 fl oz
Water: 90.73 grams Calories: 25 Total Lipids: 0 grams Protein: 0.38 grams Carbohydrates: 8.63 grams Total Sugar: 2.4 grams Saturated Fat: 0 grams Monounsaturated Fat: 0 grams Polyunsaturated Fat: 0 grams Cholesterol: 0 mg Fiber: 0.4 grams Beta Carotene: 3 mcg Calcium: 7 mg Iron: 0.03 mg Magnesium: 6 mg Phosphorus: 6 mg Potassium: 124 mg Selenium: 0.1 mcg Sodium: 1 mg Zinc: 0.05 mg Vitamin A IU: 19 Vitamin A RAE: 1 Vitamin B5 Pantothenic Acid: 0.103 mg Vitamin B6: 0.051 mg Vitamin C: 46 mg Vitamin E: 0.15 mg Thiamin: 0.03 mg Riboflavin: 0.01 mg Niacin: 0.1 mg Vitamin K: 0 mcg Folate: 13 mcg
Sunflower Seeds
74% Fat 14% Carbs 12% Protein Calories: 165 per 1 ounce serving (dried) Protein: 6 g
Serving: 1 tbsp
Water: 4.69 grams Calories: 573 Total Lipids: 49.67 grams Protein: 17.73 grams Carbohydrates: 23.45 grams Total Sugar: 0.3 grams Saturated Fat: 6.957 grams Monounsaturated Fat: 18.759 grams Polyunsaturated Fat: 21.773 grams Cholesterol: 0 mg Fiber: 11.8 grams Beta Carotene: 5 mcg Calcium: 975 mg Iron: 14.55 mg Magnesium: 351 mg Phosphorus: 629 mg Potassium: 468 mg Selenium: 5.7 mcg Sodium: 11 mg Zinc: 7.75 mg Vitamin A IU: 9 Vitamin B5 Pantothenic Acid: 0.05 mg Vitamin B6: 0.79 mg Vitamin E: 0.25 mg Thiamin: 0.791 mg Riboflavin: 0.247 mg Niacin: 4.515 mg Folate: 97 mcg
Pumpkin Seeds
71% Fat 16% Protein 13% Carbs Calories: 150 per 1 ounce serving (dried) Protein: 7g
Serving: 1 oz
Water: 4.5 grams Calories: 446 Total Lipids: 19.4 grams
Protein: 18.55 grams Carbohydrates: 53.75 grams Saturated Fat: 3.67 grams Monounsaturated Fat: 6.032 grams Polyunsaturated Fat: 8.844 grams Cholesterol: 0 mg Calcium: 55 mg Iron: 3.31 mg Magnesium: 262 mg Phosphorus: 92 mg Potassium: 919 mg Selenium: mcg Sodium: 18 mg Zinc: 10.3 mg Vitamin A IU: 62 Vitamin A RAE: 3 Vitamin B5 Pantothenic Acid: 0.056 mg Vitamin B6: 0.037 mg Vitamin C: 0.3 mg Thiamin: 0.034 mg Riboflavin: 0.052 mg Niacin: 0.286 mg Folate: 9 mcg
Chia Seeds
According to Joel Fuhrman, he lists it as a top-10 “Super Food for Super Immunity”.
53% Fat 36% Carbs 11% Protein Calories: 140 per 1 ounce serving Protein: 4g
Composed of 30% of alpha-linolenic acid, an essential fatty acid.
According to “Healing with Foods: Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition”, Paul Pitchford says that an energy tonic that lubricates dryness. Next to flax, they are the highest source of omega-3 fatty acids. The Southwest American Indian ate chia for sustenance during endurance contests. Latin Americans use them to treat constipation. Paul Pitchford says that chia seeds are a good dietary option for heart and artery renewal. Paul further suggests that if one is experiencing vascular system products, like strokes, heart attacks, arterial hardening and deterioration, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, stress, and migraines, the fatty acids that are beneficial are alpha-linolenic acid, gamma-linolenic acid, and EPA and DHA. Alpha-linolenic acid (an omega-3): use seeds amongst other seeds or fresh seed oils of flax, chia, and/or pumpkin: soy foods, dark-green plants, cold-climate crops.
Sources
Morris, J. (2012, November 6). Superfood kitchen: Cooking with nature’s Most amazing foods: Hardcover.
Pauling. (1968). Orthomolecular . Retrieved March 30, 2023, from http://orthomolecular.org
(2014, October). The Vegetarian Flavor Bible (1st ed.). Little, Brown and Company.
Anastasia's Peaceful Kitchen 
Thank you sister for the great work, be blessed. James
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