Monday, May 7, 2018

Community Meal prep: May!






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Food to Recover was gifted this gorgeous bag of baby kale from Wasatch Community Gardens. So, we designed our meal prep around this nutrient-packed vegetable and let the inspiration grow!

Here's what we made, I hope you can try some of these recipes and let us know how they turn out! Happy kale-ing!



Coconut Lentil kale nourish bowl
1 can coconut milk
2 cups of red lentils
2.5 cups broth/water
3 Tbsp curry powder
2 tbsp garam masala
½ lemon, juiced

2 sweet potatoes
2 handfuls of kale
1 cup frozen corn
2 shallots
6 cloves garlic

1)    Cook the rice according to the package.
2)    Dice the shallots. Roughly trim the kale.
3)    Chop sweet potatoes in 1” cubes for roasting. Preheat oven to 400 and place sweet potaotes in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, 2 tsp cumin, 1 tablespoon curry powder, 1 tsp garam masala and ½ tsp salt. Mix, and spread on a baking sheet. Place in oven and roast for about 20 minutes, or until soft.
Over medium heat in a large pot, heat 2 tbsp olive oil. Add the shallots and garlic and cook until shallots begin to be translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the red lentils and coconut milk and broth. Add the curry powder and garam masala. Add the corn. Bring up to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook until red lentils are soft, only about 12-15 minutes. Continue to test, do not overcook. With about 6 minutes left, add trimmed kale and let simmer until soft.
Squeeze lemon over dish at the end.
Build the bowl: Place rice down, add lentils and sweet potatoes. Top with fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lemon.



 Mediterranean Turkey Burgers with kale salad

2 lb. ground turkey 
8 halves sun dried tomatoes 
1 medium red onion, diced very small
1 Handful swiss chard, chopped very small
1/3 cup crumbled feta 
1.5 tsp dried oregano 
1.5 tsp minced garlic 
1/3 cup plus 2 tbsp bread crumbs 
1 1/3 lg. eggs 
8 hamburger buns 
to taste salt and pepper 

Finely chop the swiss chard to prevent long stringy pieces. Also chop the sun dried tomatoes and the red onion.
In a bowl combine the ground turkey with the chard, sun dried tomatoes, red onion, feta, 1 tsp minced garlic, dried oregano, egg, bread crumbs, 1 tsp of salt and some freshly ground pepper. Stir everything until it is evenly combined. Shape the mixture into 12 patties. Allow to sit for about 10 minutes in the fridge.
Cook the burgers on a grill.

Make the kale salad:

4 cups kale, trimmed
2 clove garlic
1/3 c olive oil
1/3 c red wine or apple cider vinegar
3 T Balsamic vinegar
4 T maple syrup
2 T lemon juice
1.5 t dry mustard
pinch red pepper flakes

Mix the dressing in a separate bowl.
Trim the kale leaves. Pour dressing over the kale and massage with hands for about 3 minutes or until the kale begins to soften.





Ground chicken patties and roasted veggies with Kale pesto

2 lbs ground chicken
2 egg
½ cup Red green pepper
1/3 cup Red onion
Jalapeno, seeded and diced small
1 tbsp Cumin, 2 tsp coriander
Salt pepper
2 tsp chopped mint
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

Roasted veggies:
Zucchini
Squash
Bell pepper


Massage the kale for the pesto with lemon juice and let it sit.

Chop veggies and place in bowl. Drizzle with canola oil and 2 tsp dried oregano, 2 tsp dried basil, and 1 tsp lemon pepper seasoning. Lay out on baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes or until soft and browned.

Mix all pattie ingredients together in a large bowl. Form into 8 patties.

Place patties on parchment paper on a baking sheet and bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes, flipping halfway through. Alternatively, you could allow them to sit in the fridge for about 15 minutes and try them on the grill.

Kale Pesto
2 cups Kale- massaged with lemon juice first
½ packet Mint leaves
8 oz Yogurt
½ bunch cilantro
lemon juice to taste


Place all ingredients in a blender and blend.

To serve:
Serve up chicken pattie and roasted vegetables. Top with kale pesto.


Grilled steak salad with soy sesame dressing

2 lbs skirt steak or carne asada
1 large head of romaine
2 handfuls babay kale
3 Grated carrots
1 Cucumber, diced into cubes

Dressing/marinade:
3 tbsp chopped shallot
¼ cup toasted sesame oil
⅓ cup unseasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon finely grated peeled ginger
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon tahini
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

Make the dressing/marinade. Divide it in 2 bowls, one to marinade, one to dress the salad. Allow the steak to marinade at least 4 hours and up to overnight.

Grill the steak under desired doneness is reached. Rip the lettuce to bitesized pieces and trim the ends of baby kale. Grate the carrot on a cheese grater and dice the cucumber. Build the salad, top with steak, and pour remaining dressing overtop (discard of used marinade!)




Smoothie prep bags

Meal prep kale smoothie bags containing:
1 banana
3-4 strawberries
1 large handful kale

Take it home, add plain greek yogurt, 1 cup milk of your choice, some chia seeds and peanut butter (if desired) and blend and enjoy!

Food to Recover Garden Planting Party


On April 21st, FTR members polished up their green thumbs and planted a seed in the Food to Recover garden.

They imagined planting a seed for their recovery and watching it grow, as they themselves grow.

Led by member Matthew Kendall, members learned the basics of planting and where to plant. Members planted carrots, onions, cabbage, bell peppers, hot peppers, peas, beans, lettuce, spinach, kale, herbs, eggplants, tomatoes, and broccoli. 



Gardening can be a wonderful way to connect with your food, the earth, and those around you. There is something so calming about being in the dirt and being a part of the miracle of plant growth. For some, it was their first time planting, so members got to take some seeds home to try it again for themselves!


We look forward to watching the seeds grow as we continue to support each other in our recovery. There is nothing more inspiring than watching a small seedling shine its face to the sun every day to grow taller and eventually provide nourishment for others.

may we all learn from the garden, respect the garden, and enjoy the harvests of the garden in the Food to Recover kitchen!