BBQ Kale Baked Potatoes

Sometimes you just need a baked potato! Who would have thought that kale dripping in BBQ sauce and sweet caramelized onions would make such a scrumptious combination? This is a easy and uncomplicated meal that just takes a bit of time for the potatoes. It's a perfect introduction to a more summery mood.

Hello there, my sweet doves! Sorry it's been so long, but as you know (if you follow on Facebook, Instagram, and/or Twitter) I've been in Kauai! It was a complete dream. There was lots of Hawaiian farmer's markets attended, playing at the beach, eating at delicious vegan restaurants, and even a nude beach adventure! It got a little creepy, but that's a story for another time. 

I'm happy to be home though, even in the full swing of everything that's happening. It's a crazy busy life and I often have to remind myself that life can't always be a relaxing day at the beach, or a serene ski through the woods. Change is necessary. Even if at the time it feelings overwhelmingly worrisome, exhausting, and stressful. I know that the payoff is big and 110% worth every nerve-wracking minute!

“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”

— Anais Nin

Before we left on vacation I whipped up these baked taters, while trying to use up the last of the vegetables in the house. Boy did they hit the spot! It's a great spring time dish to kind of help get you in the mood of summer strolling on down the lane. Todd and I can't wait to do  a lot of BBQing this summer! #grillalltheveggies

BBQ Kale Baked Potatoes

Sometimes you just need a baked potato! Who would have thought that kale dripping in BBQ sauce and sweet caramelized onions would make such a scrumptious combination? This is a easy and uncomplicated meal that just takes a bit of time for the potatoes.

Yield: 4 potatoes

Ingredients

• 4 large russet potatoes, whole and unpeeled
• 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 large yellow onion, cut into half-moon slices
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 4 large kale leaves, destemmed and chopped
• ½ cup vegan BBQ sauce, divided
• ½ tsp ground mustard powder (or regular mustard)
• dash of salt
• dash of ground black pepper

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Scrub the potatoes and dry them. Poke with a fork about six times per potato, all over. Place them in a bowl and coat with 1 tbsp olive oil. Next, place the potatoes directly on the center rack in the oven and bake for about 1 hour. Put a baking pan on the rack below the potatoes to catch any oil drippings. When done, the potatoes should be fork tender.
2. While the potatoes bake, heat the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil in a large cast iron skillet or heavy bottomed soup pan over medium. Add the onion slices to caramelize. This will take about 40 minutes over medium to medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. When they are darkened in color and taste sweet, add the garlic and reduce heat to medium.
3. Next, add the kale leaves to wilt. You may have to wilt them in batches if there isn’t enough room in the pan, but they wilt down quite a bit so don’t be scared of overflowing the pan. Once they are completely wilted and tender, stir the mustard powder into a ¼ cup of BBQ sauce. Next, stir the ¼ cup of sauce into the kale mixture. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. When the potatoes are done baking, Poke a dotted line with the fork from tip to tail of each potato. Push on the sides to crack it open, and salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle each potato with about 1 tbsp (remaining ¼ cup) of BBQ sauce and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Next, place ¼ of the kale mixture in the middle of the each potato.
5. Serve hot!

 Dutch Word of The Day

Vacation --> vakantie (vah-kon-zee)

Information of The Day

If you occasionally indulge in McDonalds french fries (no judgement, fries=delicious)..they are in fact...surprising not vegan. Or even vegetarian! Check it out in it's ridiculousness here. They assure us nothing they have is either vegan or vegetarian. Good to know. Word has it Burger King's fries are the same, but Wendy's apparently are A-okay! 

BBQ Lentil Baozi

Life isn't complete until you've had a baozi. Also known simply as bao or Chinese steamed buns. They. Are. So. Good. I first had these buns as a child. We bought them frozen from some local store (or Costco, maybe?) and I remember getting home from school and throwing them in the microwave for a quick snack. Several years ago, I was in Chicago and discovered an entire bao eatery in one of the large malls there. Utterly overjoyed to be reunited with my love for all things baozi, when I returned back to Alaska obviously the only thing to do was to go on a great bao search. Unfortunately, I couldn't find them anywhere! So sad. 

Before you shed a tear for such a tragic tale, you should know...I have been reunited once more with my beloved bao. By making my own! Not being able to find frozen baozi within 60 miles of my home may be one of the greatest culinary things to have ever happened to me. Like pretty much all things in life, baozi are better made from scratch, with love. Even if they do come out with a few imperfections. 

They're fairly easy to make too, albeit a wee bit involved. I'll say though, it was a great little Saturday food project. Lots of people do crafts or whathaveyou on their days off. Not me, give me ALL the food! I will make more food. Besides, crafts = lame. You can't eat crafts...usually. I'm coming to the realization I'd probably be much skinnier if I did craft projects instead of food projects...you might be seeing more crafts on the blog henceforth.

Anyways, what I am trying to tell you is that the baozi I stuffed my face with in my youth were BBQ pork. I'm making a really gross and disgusted face right now that I wish you could see. Who needs pig muscles...besides pigs? Lentils and sweet potatoes did the trick perfectly in a sweetass homemade BBQ sauce, all nestled inside a warm and pillowy soft steamed bun. What's better than a baozi? Not much. If you've never had one, you're in for a real treat. 

BBQ Lentil Baozi

Makes 12 steamed buns

• Dough:
• 2/3 cup warm water
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. malt barley sweetener (optional)
• 2 1/4 tsp. instant yeast
• 2 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• non-stick cooking spray
• Filling:
• 1 cup dry red lentils
• 3 cups water
• 2 tsp. salt
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 medium sweet potato, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 tsp. chipotle chili powder
• 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

Notes: There'll be a little bit of the filling leftover but it's fantastic on its own. 

To start the buns, whisk together all the dough ingredients in a small bowl except for the flour, until there are no more yeast clumps and the sugar is dissolved. Allow to rest for about 5 minutes in a warm place, until foamy.

In a large bowl, add the flour and then pour in the yeast mixture slowly while stirring to combine completely. 

Knead the dough on a floured surface for a few minutes, until smooth and soft. Form into a ball.

Wash out the flour bowl (or don't if you're lazy like me), dry, and coat with a nonstick cooking spray. Place the dough ball in the bowl and cover loosely with a dishcloth. Place in a warm spot to proof for about 1 hour, until it's doubled in size. 

Meanwhile, prepare the filling by bringing a large pot of the lentils, water, salt, and 2 whole garlic cloves to boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce to low and simmer for about 25 minutes, or until the lentils are tender. Drain very well, extracting all the water.

While the lentils are simmering, heat the oil over medium in a large frying pan and add the onion, minced garlic, chipotle chili powder, and ground ginger. Allow to saute for about 5 minutes, or until the onions begin to brown. 

Add the sweet potatoes and saute for 10 additional minutes, until they begin to soften. 

Add in the rest of the filling ingredients and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are done simmering. 

Once the lentils are done, drain them very well and add to the sweet potato mixture. Cook over medium, stirring occasionally, until all or most of the water is gone. It should be a pasty consistency, not soupy. Ensure it doesn't stick and burn at the bottom of the pan. Remove the two whole garlic cloves and remove from heat when the water is gone.

Once the dough is done rising, punch it down and roll out into a large, flat rectangle on a floured surface. Now, form into a 1-2 inch wide log. Cut log into 12 slices. 

Prepare your steamer. I use an electric steamer/rice cooker. Fill the pot with a few inches of water, put in the steamer basket, shut the lid and bring to a boil. My steamer basket only allowed four buns to steam at a time, so I did them in batches of three. Be sure to add more water as needed throughout the batches.

Meanwhile, roll out four dough slices into circles. Place about 2 Tbsp. of the filling into a lump in the middle of the circle and then pull up all the sides and pinch completely closed. Repeat with the remaining three. Flip so the seam is on the underside and place on a flat surface to rest for 10 minutes. 

Once the water is boiling and the buns have rested, coat the steamer basket with a nonstick cooking spray and place the buns, seam down into the steamer basket. Try not to let them touch if possible, as they will puff up when steaming. 

Allow them to steam for 15 minutes. In the mean time, prep your next batch of buns. When they are done steaming, unplug the steamer and crack the lid just a teensy bit. Very slowly, like over the course of one minute, open the lid. If you open it all at once, the difference in the ambient air temperature versus the steam temperature will cause the buns to collapse and they won't be pillowy, but instead dense, hardened and sad. Take the time to very, very, slowly open the lid. I also peek inside to make sure that they aren't falling as I open the lid.

Remove them with a spatula and set aside to cool. Repeat with the two remaining batches, ensuring that they are allowed to rest for 10 minutes prior to steaming and that the lid is opened slowly once done steaming. Add more water as needed and bring back to a boil before steaming.

Serve warm. Cover and refrigerate leftovers. Pop them in the microwave for 20 seconds prior to eating, if refrigerated. 

Pillowy, BBQ deliciousness. 

Funkin' out groovy style. [soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/37936427" params="color=ff5500&auto_play=false&show_artwork=true" width="100%" height="166" iframe="true" /]

[yumprint-recipe id='70']

Southwestern Avocado Ranch Salad

You guys! Produce On Parade has over 100 email subscribers! Am I unnecessarily excited by this? Yes, it's possible, but it's so super exciting! Okay, okay, I'll stop being a 12 year old girl...I just can't imagine there's that many people that get emails every time I post some vegan craziness. Whoopie! Okay, now for the good stuff. This recipe seriously couldn't be easier. The only work that's needed is a little chopping and a little blending. Quick and simple! Great for those times you forgot about the family BBQ (ummm...I brought a bag of chips?) Plus, people will appreciate a salad...trust me. Especially those of the vegan variety! One can only eat so many veggie hot dogs, okay?

Leave the bag of chips at home. Instead bring this Southwestern Avocado Ranch Salad to the next surprise gathering and be the Veggie BBQ Superstar!

Southwestern Avocado Ranch Salad

Inspired by the magnificent Girl Makes Food

Serves 4-6

• -- For the Salad --
• 1 head of lettuce, washed and chopped
• 1/2 large cucumber, diced
• 2 vine-ripened tomatoes, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup frozen sweet corn
• 1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• crushed tortilla chips, for topping
• vegan shredded mozzarella cheese, for topping
• chopped cilantro, for garnish
• squeeze of fresh lime juice
• -- For the Avocado Ranch Dressing --
• 2 large avocados
• 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. fresh dill, chopped or freeze dried dill (1/4 Tbsp. dried)
• 1/4 cup. fresh parsley, chopped (1 Tbsp. dried)
• 2 tsp. garlic powder
• 2 tsp. onion powder
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper

-- For the Salad --

Combine everything excluding the toppings in a large salad bowl. Mix well.

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-- For the Avocado Ranch Dressing--

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth, scraping down sides as necessary.

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-- Combining the Salad and the Dressing --

I won't have leftovers: This is important and I cannot stress this enough...if you know all this delicious salad is going to be gobbled up as soon as you make it and it WILL NOT be left sitting, overnight in the fridge as leftovers then feel free to combine the dressing and the salad. Just be sure to mix the two well. However, it's a big salad and you'll probably have leftovers, especially if you're not bringing it to a gathering.

I will have leftovers: If you think you might have leftovers, DO NOT combine the salad and dressing. Just use the dressing as a condiment and add it to each serving. If the two were combined and left to sit, you'd end up with one big, mushy, watery salad. No bueno! I learned this lesson the hard way a while back! So, if it's not all eaten up, store the two separately and the salad should last for several days. The dressing might turn brown on top after a couple days but its' just the avocados and it's perfectly fine. Don't freak out, yo! It ain't no thang!

Serve topped with crushed tortilla chips, shredded mozzarella cheese, chopped cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime juice! And be sure leave that bag of chips at home...

Southwestern Avocado Ranch Salad

Recipe Type: Entree

Author: Katie - Produce On Parade

Serves: 4-6

Leave the bag of chips at home. Instead bring this salad to the next surprise gathering and be the Veggie BBQ Superstar! Quick and easy to make.

Ingredients

• -- For the Salad --
• 1 head of lettuce, washed and chopped
• 1/2 large cucumber, diced
• 2 vine-ripened tomatoes, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup frozen sweet corn
• 1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• crushed tortilla chips, for topping
• vegan shredded mozzarella cheese, for topping
• chopped cilantro, for garnish
• squeeze of fresh lime juice
• -- For the Avocado Ranch Dressing --
• 2 large avocados
• 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. fresh dill, chopped or freeze dried dill (1/4 Tbsp. dried)
• 1/4 cup. fresh parsley, chopped (1 Tbsp. dried)
• 2 tsp. garlic powder
• 2 tsp. onion powder
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper

Instructions

1. -- For the Salad --
2. Combine everything excluding the toppings in a large salad bowl. Mix well.
3. -- For the Avocado Ranch Dressing--
4. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth, scraping down sides as necessary.
5. -- Combining the Salad and the Dressing --
6. I won't have leftovers: Mix the salad and the dressing together.
7. I will have leftovers: If you think you might have leftovers, DO NOT combine the salad and dressing. Just use the dressing as a condiment and add it to each serving. If the two were combined and left to sit, you'd end up with one big, mushy, watery salad.
8. Serve topped with crushed tortilla chips, shredded mozzarella cheese, chopped cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime juice!

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