This stuffed kale recipe is best served aside guacamole or a fat-based dressing for the final touch.

If you are anything like me, you love your salads rich and balanced in texture and flavor. When assembling a salad, I usually follow the Buddha-Bowl (and its relatively loose) guidelines: greens plus vegetable scraps plus grain plus avocado. However, even that absolutely satisfying meal can cease being a sight for sore (and hungry) eyes. That’s why, my new favorite way to enjoy salads is by wrapping greens around the would-be add-ins like in this stuff kale recipe. So good. Enjoy!

Bulgur Rice Stuffed Kale Leaves

Serves about 15

Ingredients

• ½ cup bulgur rice (or any rice)
• 4 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon olive oil
• ½ cup finely chopped onion
• ¼ cup finely chopped red bell pepper
• 1 scallion, chopped
• 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes
• 1 small tomato, shredded
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon + few dashes sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon + few dashes dried dill
• 10-15 leaves of lacinato kale (about 1-2 bunches)
• 1 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 cucumber, shredded

Directions

Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, onion, and red pepper to a pot brought to medium-high heat. Cook and stir for a few minutes before adding 1 tablespoon of tomato paste. Continue to stir and cook for another minute. Add the bulgur and cook for another minute. Next, pour in 1 cup of water and stir until evenly combined. Bring the mixture to a boil before reducing heat to a simmer. Season with salt, pepper, and paprika. Put a lid on the pot and let simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the water has been absorbed and the rice cooked. Set aside to cool and pop into the fridge.

While the bulgur cooks, in a separate large pot filled 3/4 the way with water, bring to a soft boil. Add the lacinto kale stalks and sun-dried tomatoes. Simmer for 15 minutes. Both the kale and sun-dried tomatoes will soften. Remove from heat and drain. Rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.

With the bulgur mixture now cooled, fold in the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of tomato paste, lemon juice, chopped scallions, 1 chopped garlic clove, dill, oregano, basil, and grated tomato. (I add them at this stage because I want their flavors to remain fragrant and alive, not cooked to death.) Chop the sun-dried tomatoes that were boiled with the kale and add them to the bulgur. Mix the bulgur mixture until all is evenly combine. Taste for spices and add more salt if necessary.

To assemble, lay out each kale leaf vertically. Take 1-2 tablespoons of the bulgur mixture and place it on the bottom end of the long kale leaf. Roll the leaf over the mixture and unto itself once. Fold sides inward, and then continue to roll the leaf until it reaches its end. Continue with the remaining leaves.

Serve alongside your favorite salad dressing or guacamole. Enjoy!

Related on EcoSalon

Millet, Buckwheat and Other Healthy Grains to Try ASAP

10 Essential Items for a Vegan Pantry

Sunday Recipe: Kale and Hazelnut Quinoa Cakes

Photo Credit: GlowKitchen

The post Stuffed Kale Recipe with Bulgur Rice and Sun-Dried Tomatoes appeared first on EcoSalon.

 

Visions of sugar plum fairies waif through the air with these simple, seasonal and nutritional treats.

Scones, experience says, can be either bland as a dog biscuit or so chock full of sugar and butter that they consume a whole day’s food fulfillment. With this fresh take on the Scottish staple, seasonal, local and wholesome lead the way.

Full of vitamin C—just one plum (in season from the summer to early Autumn) contains 10 percent of the typical daily, recommended value—and vitamin A, these low sugar treats provide the perfect jam-and-scone-in-one blend. Part plummy, part citrusy, part caramely, the sugar plums bring a sweet surprise to tea-time or Sunday brunch.

Make these gluten-free as I have, and you’ll get the dietary diversity of millet, brown rice and sorghum flours—full of fiber, protein, iron and other critical minerals. Add walnuts, and you’re in store for an extra dose of fiber, protein, vitamin Bc (which helps your body convert protein into energy) and omega-3 fatty acids for a healthy body and complexion.

Beauty from a baked good? You just may be in luck.

The Original –  Sugar Plum Scones

From Serious Eats

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour, plus more for rolling
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons very cold unsalted butter, diced
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup chopped prunes
• 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
• about 1 tablespoon water

The Vegan & Gluten-Free Version – Sugar Plum Scones

Inspired by the above recipe and The Best of Vegan Cooking

Makes 6-8 scones

Ingredients

• 2 cups gluten free flour
• (3/4 cup sorghum flour, minus 2 tablespoons)
• (1/2 cup brown rice flour)
• (1/4 cup millet flour)
• (1/2 cup tapioca flour)
• (2 tablespoons almond flour)
• (1 tablespoon xanthan gum)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/3 cup + ¼ cup (for glazing) agave nectar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• ¼ cup cold water
• 1/3 cup oil (canola, sunflower or safflower are ideal)
• ½ cup walnuts (optional)

Caramelized Sugar Plums

• 4 fresh plums (a local, fresh variety of your choice)
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon lemon rind
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon orange rind
• 1 tablespoon orange juice
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. To prepare the Sugar Plum mixture, thinly slice the fresh plums, removing the seed. Gently heat the coconut oil in a skillet, until dispersed across the cooking surface. Add the slide plums, the fruit rinds and juices, the sugar and vanilla extract. Mix together over medium heat, stirring often, for about 5 minutes until the plums are soft but still intact. Remove from the stove top and cool.
3. Place the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and salt) in a bowl and mix.  Add the oil, ½ cup agave nectar, cold water and vanilla and mix for about 1 minute.
4. Gently fold in the sugar plums and walnuts, if using.
5. Form the scones by hand. Begin by dividing the dough into 8 parts. Then make each section into a ball.  You can form a ball into either a circle, a square or a triangular shape, using your hands. Place on the lined cookie sheet and bake for 8 minutes.  Remove from the oven and brush with the remaining agave nectar, then return to the oven for 4 minutes, until lightly browned.
6. Cool before serving & enjoy!

Images: Jennifer Barckley

The post Vegan This: Sugar Plum Scones to Better Your Complexion appeared first on EcoSalon.