Quick Kale Soup for the last days of winter

Quick Kale Soup

servings 2

2 T olive oil

1/4 sweet onion, diced

3 small garlic cloves

one bunch of kale

about 7 asparagus stalks

1 T white wine

1 cup broth

3 cups water

3 T red mahtjang (miso) sauce

1 t sesame oil

1 T soy sauce

1/4 t salt

1. Prep all vegetables first.  Chop onions, peel garlic, rinse and chop kale, rinse and snap asparagus. 

2. Warm oil in pot.  Add onions and sauté 3-4 minutes, until golden brown.  Crush in garlic and cook for 30 seconds.   Add kale and tossed to get all leaves lightly coated with oil.

3. Splash in white wine and cook for 1 minute.  Then add in all liquids.  Stir gently.

4.  Add in remaining ingredients, stir again, lower heat so that the soup is at a light simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes.

5.  Enjoy!

Eggs Over Easy with Kraut

With all the rage about the importance of gut health, it's not surprising I started researching how to get probiotics into my daily diet. Sure I've always been mindful of eating live cultures; I eat yogurts, but now I am interested in diversifying my probiotic portfolio. Here's how it started:

The news is breaking regularly about the importance of human gut health, it's relation to immune health, overall wellbeing, and it started to get my attention. Probiotics, the microorganisms in some fermented foods, may help break down carbs and sugars, aiding in healthy digestion and better human health.

On this day, I wanted to start my day with a punch. Koreans eat kimchi, a spicy pickled cabbage condiment, at every meal, starting with breakfast.  NO kimchi in the house this particular morning when I had begun this adventure. Instead, my option was limited to what I had in stock- sauerkraut. But how could I make it into a breakfast? Probably the only way I'd eaten sauerkraut in my life was on a hotdog or with kielbasi. Protein is always a key ingredient and I knew then that I needed to make these two work. What I didn't know was that I was about to embark on would be a foodie experience that would surprise me, in delicious ways.

I heated up my cast iron pan and got my ingredients out. Once a few drops of olive oil had heated and dispersed, I crack my egg on the side of the pan and dropped it gently down. It started to sizzle almost immediately. After about 2 minutes, I added the sauerkraut; I scooped about 4 heaping tablespoons of the fermented cabbage right next to the sizzling egg. Almost immediately the two foods met and started a synergistic cooking phenomenon. I guess the moisture of the sauerkraut in some way was absorbed by the egg in the minutes. I flipped my egg easily, which both suddenly and miraculously flipped with ease as if I'd just transplanted my cast iron with a chemical-laden non-stick pan. The egg had cooked quickly and the kraut was warmed enough that it seemed appropriate to serve myself breakfast. The ease and agility of the egg lent itself to a quick swipe of my spatula, as I delivered my concoction to the plate. I added a dollop of mustard for good measure, got my fork and arrived at my table ready to dive in and see if this experiment had turned into a success.

At first, I was hesitant, not sure the two were ever meant to meet and afraid that I may have wasted food in  my haste and reckless abandon. I gently cut into my egg, allowing the egg yoke run a bit, and forked a piece of egg heaping with kraut atop. The fork delivered this bite to my mouth and I had to take a moment, or maybe I needed a second bite, possibly even a third to know what I had gotten myself into.

And what did I get myself into? ... Possibly one of the best health packed breakfasts I've had yet! Eggs over easy with Sauerkraut! It was an experience in my mouth for sure. Remember I talked about the moisture meeting the egg as it cooked, well the pairing gave way that the egg was cooked softly, gently and blended with the kraut in a way that seemed to melt in my mouth like buttah. With a little mustard for sharp flavor, I enjoyed in delight this light, nutritious packed, morning starter meal I had just created for myself.

After a successful smile settled on my face, my belly felt satisfied, my taste buds electrified, a light bulb in my idea bubble lit brilliantly and I ran to my desktop computer, opened up Google and searched eggs over easy with sauerkraut. The all mighty worldwide web showed this masterpiece to have limited fame with very few links. Ah, my day, a great breakfast and a new blog post. "I'll share my invention with the world."

And here it is. Try it, you'll see, probiotics and protein packed meal that takes literally minutes to prepare.

Beautiful Infused Waters

14 Beautiful Infused Waters To Drink Instead Of Soda

Make each with 6 cups of water and ice. Recommended to make in the evening and let sit overnight for stronger flavor. Or, if short on time, prepared and refrigerate for 10 minutes.

You can also muttle your fruits and herbs to intensify flavoring.

Healthy, hydrating, and homemade.

1. Strawberry, Lemon, & Basil                                         2. Orange & Blueberry

                                                               

4-6 strawberries, hulled and cut                                               2 oranges, cut into wedges

1/2 lemon, sliced                                                          a handful of blueberries
Small handful of basil, scrunched 

3. Watermelon & Mint                                                      4. Citrus & Cucumber

                                                       

1 cup cubed watermelon                                             2 large oranges, sliced              

1 handful of mint leaves                                            1 lemon, sliced

                                                                                   ½ large cucumber, sliced

                                                                                   1 handful of fresh mint

5. Strawberry, Lime, & Cucumber                                      6. Citrus & Cilantro

                                                              

1 cup sliced strawberries                                                    1 orange sliced

1 cup sliced cucumbers                                                      ¼ cup cilantro leaves

2 limes, sliced

1/4 cup fresh mint leaves

7. Rosemary &Grapefruit                                                   8. Blueberry & Lavender

                                    

half a grapefruit sliced                                                                    1/2 pint blueberries

several sprigs of rosemary                                              couple of springs of Lavender Flowers

9. Cantaloupe, Honey & Mint                                             10. Kiwi & Cucumber

                                                         

1 cup sliced cantaloupe                                                6 kiwis, peeled, sliced

1 tsp honey                                                                   1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded

Handful of mint leaves

11. Honeydew, Lime & Raspberry                                   12. Grapes & Pineapple

                          

1 cup honeydew, cubed                                                      1 cup pineapple

½ lime, sliced                                                                     ½ grapes, sliced

Handful of raspberries

13. Apples & Cinnamon                                                    14. Mango & Ginger

                                   

1 apple, thinly sliced                                          1 in Ginger Root, peeled, sliced
1 cinnamon stick                                                1 cup fresh or frozen Mango