More fun with kumquats! This simple Kumquat, Honey & Thyme Marmalade is a beautiful combination of four simple ingredients to make a sweet, herbal jam with a hint of that marmalade bitterness fans know and love. Spread it on simple almond crackers, manna bread, sliced granny smith apple or stir some into a cup of steamy chamomile tea. Experiment. Have fun.

Tools:
Chef’s knife
Large saucepan
Spoon
Food processor

Ingredients:
Try to buy everything organic. Here’s why.
1 cup kumquats
2 cups water
1/2 cup wild-harvested honey*
2 tsp fresh chopped thyme

*If you like a sweeter marmalade, add more honey to taste.

Let’s get started.
Slice kumquats into quarters and remove seeds and pith—keep peel on and discard seeds and pith. Place kumquats in large saucepan with water, honey and thyme. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a rolling boil for about 30 minutes until reduced to a jam-like consistency. It will thicken as it cools.

Transfer to the food processor and pulse a few times until you reach a consistency that you like. I prefer a bit of chunkiness…

Store in an airtight glass container in the fridge for a loooong time. Use your eyes and nose to tell you when it has expired. Ah, nature’s way.

Preparing asparagus is much simpler that you may realize. It’s not just a lovely side dish you order at restaurants, it’s something you can easily make at home—all you need is 10 minutes, a skillet and a handful of ingredients. I have also included an oil-free substitution after the jump.

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TIP: Make sure when you buy asparagus to store it in the fridge standing up in a dish/bowl with enough pure water in it to soak 1″ of the stalks.
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Tools:
Skillet
Chef’s knife

Ingredients:
Try to buy everything organic. Here’s why.
1 bunch asparagus
2 tsp fresh lemon juice (here’s a tip)
1-2 clove garlic, minced (here’s a peeling tip)
1/4-1/2 tsp cold-pressed virgin coconut oil (you can also use olive oil)
Pinch fine ground sea salt
Pinch fresh ground black pepper

Let’s get started.
Wash your asparagus. Bend the stalks until they snap naturally towards the end of the stalk. This is a trick I learned from a pal of mine—instead of cutting off ends, you let the asparagus tell you where the good part is. Ssssnap. Repeat until all stalks are freshly trimmed.

Mince garlic and juice lemon. Warm oil in skillet over medium heat. Add asparagus and garlic and cook, turning or shaking occasionally, for 5 minutes.

Remove from heat, sprinkle with lemon juice, salt and pepper and enjoy!

Want to prepare a no-oil version? Simply place 2 tbsp veggie stock (make your own) in the pan instead of oil. Yum.

Store leftovers in an airtight glass container in the fridge. Reheat on the stove. Never a microwave.

Kumquats are small olive-shaped citrus fruit resembling baby oranges. Whenever I see them at the store I think “how adorable, I wonder what I could do with these guys?” This past grocery store trip, they made it into my cart. [Picture them helium-voice-cheering and jumping up and down, it will make you smile].

Did you know you can eat the peel? Yup, and kumquats are full of fiber and antioxidants. They cook up with other nutrient powerhouses like lentils and chickpeas for an easy one-pot dinner like this flavorful tagine—a slow-cooked Moroccan stew. My plant-based recipe is adapted from a Chicken and Kumquat Tagine from Eating Well Magazine. Serve over cooked quinoa, buckwheat or on its own in a big ole soup bowl. Delish. It’s one of those recipe that tastes better with each day that goes by too.

Tools:
Large stockpot/dutch oven
Chef’s knife
Paring knife
Large spoon

Ingredients:
Try to buy everything organic. Here’s why.
1 tsp cold-pressed virgin coconut oil
2 red onions, thinly sliced
3 chopped carrots
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
2 1/2 tsp ground coriander
2 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tsp fine ground sea salt (or to taste)
1-2 tsp freshly ground pepper (if you like spicy, go for 2, if not, go for 1)
4 cups vegetable broth (make your own)
2 cups kumquats, seeded and quartered
2 cups chickpeas, soaked and cooked, start with 1 cup dry (read how and why)
3 cups green or brown lentils, soaked and cooked, start with 1 1/2 cups dry (read how and why)
1 tbsp wild-harvested honey
2 tsp apple cider vinegar

Let’s get started.
Soak and cook your lentils and chickpeas. I always do this a few days in advance and keep them ready in an airtight container in the fridge.

Slice your kumquats in half, removing pith and seeds, but keeping the peel on. Then slice halves into small half-moon strips. Set aside.

Brown onion and carrots for 10 minutes over medium heat in large stock pot with coconut oil.

Add garlic and stir 3 minutes.

Now, stir in coriander, cumin, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and cook together for 1 minute to release a lovely fragrance. Add kumquats and cook together 1 minute. Add stock, apple cider vinegar and honey, stir and bring to boil, then reduce to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in lentils and chickpeas and cook for 5-10 more minutes until they are warm.

Serve over cooked buckwheat, brown rice, quinoa or on its own in a big soup bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with some dulse flakes or granules for extra trace minerals.

Store in the fridge in an airtight glass container. Every day it gets better!

This cereal is inspired by my pal and photographer Marta Sasinowska. She texted me this afternoon telling me all about this amazing cereal she came up with using chai tea spice (the girl is crazy for it), quinoa and fresh, sliced apple—but “oops”—she didn’t take any photos and didn’t write down the recipe. She assured me that is was “super delish though!” [friendly eye roll] After some kind encouragement to document next time, I decided I’d make a version myself to share because it did sound quite tasty.

This Almond Chai Quinoa & Chia Breakfast Cereal is a gluten-free, dairy-free, warm and naturally sweetened way to start off the day—full of protein-rich quinoa and omega-3, fiber-rich and hydrating chia. It has an earthy, warming flavor that is especially comforting on a rainy morning. You can make your own chai spices with our Rooibos Chai Spice recipe, too…

Makes: 3-4 servings

Tools:
Medium glass bowl
Coffee grinder (optional)
Medium saucepan
Small saucepan

Ingredients:
Try to buy everything organic. Here’s why.
1 cup dry quinoa
2 chai tea bags or 1/4 cup of Homemade Chai Rooibos Spices
1 1/2 cup pure water
2 tbsp chia seed
1 tbsp almond butter
8 medjool dates
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp coconut oil
1/4 tsp fine ground sea salt
1/4 cup chopped almonds, toasted for extra flavor
1/2-1 red apple, diced (optional)

Let’s get started.
Soak quinoa overnight and cook according to instructions in this post. You can always prepare a day or two in advance, just store cooked quinoa in an airtight glass container in the fridge until you need it.

Bring 1 1/2 cups of water to a boil in small saucepan.

For extra chai-ness, grind contents of one tea bag in a coffee grinder until it becomes a fine powder and set aside.

Steep one tea bag in boiling water for 7-10 minutes. If no coffee grinder, steep the two tea bags in one cup boiling water for 7-10 minutes.

In blender, mix ground chia spice, steeped tea, salt, dates and almond butter. Add to cooked quinoa.

Add coconut oil and chia, too, and stir well over low heat until warm and then remove. Allow to sit for about 5 minutes so chia thickens.

Top with almonds and apple and enjoy!

Store in fridge in an airtight glass container and reheat on the stovetop. It’s also pretty yum cold.

Well, this has been a very fun food month. The Big Kale Recipe Contest has not only proven that kale can be used to make everything from Pesto to Ice Cream, but now I have a whole bunch of new favorites in my personal weekly recipe rotation (I encourage YU to try them and do the same). I have to thank all entrants for sharing their recipes with us. It takes guts to put your creation and passion out there for strangers to vote and comment on, but know that kitchens all over the world are now outfitted with more healthy and delicious options thanks to YU. The task of voting was next to impossible. Truly an emotional experience—I’m very inspired and proud of all entrants. Many times, I would go over and over and over my notes and think “can’t there be 8 grand prize winners?” I ask everyone who participated in this contest to take a moment and pat yourself on the back and say “I rocked it.” Because YU all did.

Now without further ado, here are the recipe placements and their well-deserved prizes from our generous sponsors…

The WINNERS:

Lisa Kelly wins 5 Whole Days of the THRIVE Foods Direct Meal Delivery Program AND a copy of the best-selling book THRIVE Foods by Brendan Brazier for her Shredded Brussels Sprouts & Kale Salad recipe. It is easy to prepare, nutrient-rich and scrumptious. Scrumptious! Bravo Lisa for this all-around winner.

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Stefanie Ramsden Dougherty wins 3 Days of the BluePrintGreen Cleanse for her Steamed Buckwheat-Stuffed Thai Kale Wraps recipe. The flavor combo in this recipe was a very nice surprise. It’s full of nutrient-rich ingredients and the recipe includes a clever technique for steaming wraps that I will use from now on in my kitchen. Great job, Stefanie.

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Pamela DeSalvo wins One 30 oz. Tub of Vega One All-in-One Nutritional Shake AND a copy of the best-selling book THRIVE: The Vegan Nutritional Guide by Brendan Brazier for her Blood Orange & Kale Salad. I love the creative combination of cool, crisp cucumbers, nutty hemp seeds and the acidity of fragrant and sweet blood oranges. I drank the dressing when I was done. No shame. It was that good. High five, Pamela!

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Fern Olivia wins 2 cases of MARK BARS for her Immunity-Boosting Hijiki-Shiitake Stuffed Kale Wraps with Raw Pumpkin Seed Pesto. I have prepared this recipe 3 times now aside from my judging batch—one morning I woke up craving it. It is packed with nutrient-rich goodness, it’s a great way to get some seaweed in the mix and it is just as tasty chopped up and mixed together in a bowl. Thank you for this winning recipe, Fern Olivia!

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Mairen Hughes wins 12 Single Packets of VEGA Pre-Workout Energizer AND a copy of the best-selling book THRIVE Fitness by Brendan Brazier for her Kale Tacos with Chili Verde Salsa. While I made a hot mess out of eating this one, and ultimately mixed it up in a bowl, the creativity, various textures and winning flavor combo had me completely overlooking my lack of delicacy. Very tasty stuff. Well done, Mairen.

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Kacy de Villez wins The YU 3-Pack of eBooks (over 100 pages of interactive recipes, tips and extras) for her easy-to-prepare, versatile, smoky and rich Cashew Kale Wraps. Excellent recipe, Kacy.

Jesse from Out to Lunch Creations wins The YU 3-Pack of eBooks (over 100 pages of interactive recipes, tips and extras) for her creative and rich Crispy Chickpea & Kale Salad. I will make sure I always have crispy chickpeas on-hand from here on out, Jesse. Thank YU!

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Lisa Pitman wins The YU 3-Pack of eBooks (over 100 pages of interactive recipes, tips and extras) for her creative, easy-to-prepare and party-worthy Crustless Kale & Mushroom Quiche recipe. Great idea, Lisa.

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Thanks again to everyone who entered and to our super sponsors THRIVE Foods Direct, BluePrint Cleanse, Vega One, Vega Sport, Brendan Brazier and MARK Bars for making this contest possible. It has been so much fun—exactly what I created YumUniverse for. Until next time…

When my girlfriends and I go on vacation, we tend to drink a lot of chai tea—it’s such a treat. But weaning off of it afterwards is always tough so I have come up with a spicy Rooibos-based combo for chai that satisfies that rich hot beverage craving without the dairy, the soy or the caffeine. This one’s inspired by Marta and Maya and Joshua Tree.

Makes: about 1 cup spice, about 12 servings total, recipe below shows 4 servings

Tools:
Chef’s knife
Large pot with lid
Large glass bowl
Cheesecloth
Blender

Ingredients:
Try to buy everything organic. Here’s why.
Tea Spices
2 tbsp dried cinnamon sticks, chopped up into pieces
1/4 cup cardamom pods
2 tbsp dried orange peel
2 tbsp dried ginger root
2 tbsp whole cloves
2 vanilla beans, chopped
1/2 tsp cracked allspice (optional)
1/4 tsp cracked black peppercorns (optional)
1/2 tsp fennel seeds (optional)
1/4 tsp coriander seeds (optional)
1 bay leaf, chopped (optional)
1 cup Rooibos tea

Non-Dairy Milk/Foamy Topping
1/2 cup coconut water
1 date
1 tbsp almond butter
Blend

Sweetening Options
1/4 cup sucanat
3 tbsp wild-harvested honey
3 tbsp agave nectar
1/4-1/2 cup Date Puree (this is a whole food sweetener option—get the recipe)

Let’s get started.
Chop up and crack your spices and place in a large bowl. Stir. If you’d like to store your spices to use another time, just secure in an airtight glass container in the pantry. I tend to keep a big batch in a recycled almond butter or kombucha jar.

Bring one quart (about 4 servings) of pure water to a boil in your pot. Remove from heat, add 1/4 cup Rooibos tea, 1/4 cup spices and stir. Cover with a lid and steep for 5 minutes.

Strain through a cheesecloth and return tea to the pot and warm over low heat. Stir in the sweetener of your choice to taste.

In a blender, mix up your Non-Dairy Almond Milk and add about half to your tea. Stir well.

Run the blender again to create more foam…and pick out an adorable mug.

Add your tea.

Spoon on some non-dairy milk “foam” and sprinkle with ground cinnamon and/or ground cardamom.

Now kick back, relax and enjoy.

Feel free to make up the full 12 servings and store in a large glass container with a lid in the fridge. Just warm in a pan on the stove top as needed.

Let’s start with the moral of the story on this one—don’t tally contest results when you’ve just driven from Chicago to West Virginia towing a 2,000lb vintage trailer the whole way. Hazy roadtrip brain makes for inaccurate results.

In the spirit of one of our favorite themes around here—organic—and of course, fairness, I have to adjust The Big Kale Recipe Contest to include two finalists that should be in The Top 6—which is now Top 8. I have to admit, I’m excited to try two more recipes these next few days and I hope YU are all cool with the adjustments.

Here’s what happened.

Last week I was in Chicago…

After a busy time celebrating birthdays, working, having meetings and enjoying dinners with friends, my sweetheart and I picked up our lovely rehabbed 1968 Shasta LoFlyte Trailer (a.k.a. Stella) and started driving…

(isn’t she pretty?)

…over 700 miles to where we are spending more time these days—West Virginia.

(le sigh)

When we arrived, I was so excited about the contest that I didn’t even unpack. I sat right down at my trusty laptop and tallied votes. I went over them three times even—all the post comments and likes on our Facebook page that came in by midnight on the last community-voting day. I just overlooked the many votes that came in via the “like” button on YumUniverse.com. (…Gulp…)

So here’s my solution.
I’m taking The Top 6 that I tallied and announced on the 27th…
Pamela DeSalvo’s Blood Orange & Kale Salad
Lisa Pitman’s Crustless Kale & Mushroom Quiche
Jesse’s Crispy Chickpea & Kale Salad
Mairen Hughes’ Kale Tacos with Chili Verde Salsa
Fern Olivia’s Immunity-Boosting Hijiki-Shiitake Stuffed Kale Wraps with Raw Pumpkin Seed Pesto
Stefanie Ramsden Dougherty’s Steamed Buckwheat-Stuffed Thai Kale Wraps

And the New Top 6 tallied today…
Lisa Pitman’s Crustless Kale & Mushroom Quiche
Kacy’s Cashew Kale Wraps
Pamela DeSalvo’s Blood Orange & Kale Salad
Mairen Hughes’ Kale Tacos with Chili Verde Salsa
Stefanie Ramsden Dougherty’s Steamed Buckwheat-Stuffed Thai Kale Wraps
Lisa’s Kale & Brussels Sprouts Salad

To make a Top 8:
Lisa Pitman’s Crustless Kale & Mushroom Quiche
Kacy’s Cashew Kale Wraps
Pamela DeSalvo’s Blood Orange & Kale Salad
Mairen Hughes’ Kale Tacos with Chili Verde Salsa
Stefanie Ramsden Dougherty’s Steamed Buckwheat-Stuffed Thai Kale Wraps
Lisa’s Kale & Brussels Sprouts Salad
Fern Olivia’s Immunity-Boosting Hijiki-Shiitake Stuffed Kale Wraps with Raw Pumpkin Seed Pesto
Jesse’s Crispy Chickpea & Kale Salad

I’m going to look at the bright side with this little human error of mine (and I hope YU will too). Team YU and I will have even more tasty recipes to try out and we will have even more winners! I will not let 7th and 8th place go empty-handed—I’ll make sure they get the YumUniverse 3-Pack of eGuides. Yay!

So please send well-deserved congratulations to:

Lisa Kelly for her Shredded Brussels Sprouts & Kale Salad…

and to Kacy de Villez for her Cashew Kale Wraps.

Now I’m off to the store to buy more ingredients! Stay tuned…

The Big Kale Recipe Contest has been so much fun these past few weeks! We received creative entries for everything from Kale Pesto to Kale Ice Cream and now the community has spoken. Out of all the beautiful recipes that were shared, six gathered the most votes by far and now it’s time for Team YU to prepare, taste and choose who wins what incredible prizes from our generous sponsors. Join us! Spend the weekend trying out some of these recipes and tell us what you think.

I know that recipe development takes a lot of time. I also know that it can be somewhat emotional too—it’s exciting to share your “baby.” It takes guts to put your creation and passion out there for strangers to vote and comment on, so I want to thank all of the entrants for sharing their kale masterpieces with us these past few weeks. Kitchens all over the world are now outfitted with more healthy and delicious options thanks to YU. This is how we can make a healthy lifestyle work—by sharing. This is how we create change for the better. Everyone who participated in this contest should consider themselves a winner. High fives all around.

Now, a drumroll please…

In no particular order, here are the TOP 6 Finalists that YU chose! Team YU and I will be preparing, tasting and voting these next few days. Who do you think will be the Grand Prize Winner?

The FINALISTS:

Pamela DeSalvo’s Blood Orange & Kale Salad

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Lisa Pitman’s Crustless Kale & Mushroom Quiche

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Jesse’s Crispy Chickpea & Kale Salad

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Mairen Hughes’ Kale Tacos with Chili Verde Salsa

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Fern Olivia’s Immunity-Boosting Hijiki-Shiitake Stuffed Kale Wraps with Raw Pumpkin Seed Pesto

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Stefanie Ramsden Dougherty’s Steamed Buckwheat-Stuffed Thai Kale Wraps

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Who do you think will be the BIG winner?

Vote for your favorites below and on Facebook!

The Big Kale Contest is now officially closed for entries and we are calling for the community to vote for favorites. I’ve pulled together a list of the entrants, so read through and comment below, telling us who you think should be the big winner. You can also help out your favorite entrant by visiting the YumUniverse Facebook page, finding the post for their recipe and giving them a “like”. Community voting ends April 26, 2012. The Top 6 community-chosen recipes will be tasted and judged by members of Team YU starting April 27, 2012 and winners will be announced the week of May 1st.

We are lucky to have some of the most generous sponsors around—plant-based prizes for our winners include 5 days worth of the THRIVE Foods Direct meal delivery program, a 3-day green juice cleanse from BluePrint Cleanse, Vega One All-in-One Shake, Vega Sport Pre-Workout Energizer, Brendan Brazier’s best-selling book THRIVE Foods, a 24-pack of MARK Bars, and I’m adding to the mix with the YU 3-Pack of eGuides.

So, best of luck to all the creative entrants, and most of all, thank YU for sharing!

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Read more about The Big Kale Contest and our sponsors here.
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Our Entrants:

Lisa Kelly’s Kale & Brussels Sprouts Salad

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Cheryl Lundquist’s Kale & Sweet Potato Soup

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Dr. Todd’s Raw Steam Greens Sauté

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Leigh Ann Boscarino’s Kale Mushroom & Bean Bowl with a Balsamic Reduction

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Pamela DeSalvo’s Blood Orange & Kale Salad

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Hidemi Walsh’s Pistachio & Sautéed Kale Salad

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Mélisa Deault’s Kale Pesto & Zucchini Pasta

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Adeline Chan’s Kale Ice Cream

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Lisa Pitman’s Crustless Kale & Mushroom Quiche

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Out To Lunch’s Crispy Chickpea & Kale Salad

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Mairen Hughes’ Kale Tacos with Chili Verde Salsa

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Fern Olivia’s Immunity-Boosting Hijiki-Shiitake Stuffed Kale Wraps with Raw Pumpkin Seed Pesto

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Yifan Luo’s Raw Fuel Kale Bars

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Yifan Luo’s Creamy Kale Pesto Spread

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BillieJean’s Sautéed Kale, Tomato, Dried Red Pepper and Basil

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Morgan Martindale’s Kale, Quinoa & Broccoli Bowl

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Stefanie Ramsden Dougherty’s Steamed Buckwheat-Stuffed Thai Kale Wraps

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Casey’s Cashew Kale Wraps

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Crystal Lawrence’s Kale, Red Cabbage & Pistachios in Coconut Sage Butter

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Monica Harwood’s Savory Kale Crisps with Spicy Red Pepper Dip

Who do you think is The Big Kale Contest winner? Comment below with your favorite and be sure to “like” the recipe you think should win on our Facebook page.

Monica Harwood enjoys all things vegan, animal-friendly and fun. As an opera singer and aspiring yogini, she spends her days cooking delicious meals, singing, gardening and radiating positive energy. She shares her thoughts with the world on her podcast, The Vegan and the Cannibal, in which she and her (non-vegan) boyfriend tackle a wide range of topics involving the vegan community and vegetarian lifestyles, along with a variety of other interesting issues.

Monica has created a kale chip recipe that “will stand up to delicious dip.” Think this recipe is The Big Kale Contest winner? Tell us with a comment below and be sure to “like” it on the YumUniverse Facebook Page if it gets your vote!

Tools:
Cutting Board
Knife
Large Bowl
Cookie Sheet
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Saucepan
Oven

Ingredients:
Crisps
2 cups of finely chopped Kale, stems removed (reserve 2 tablespoons for dip and garnish)
1 can of cooked black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 small yellow onion, diced
2 tbsp flax seeds, just covered in warm water
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp of olive oil (or enough to get the blender going)
2 tsp lemon juice
Salt

Sweet and Spicy Red Pepper Dip
1 large red pepper, finely diced
1/2 onion, finely diced
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup chopped raisins
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flake

Let‘s get started.
For Crisps: Preheat oven to 425˚F. In a blender, mix beans with onion, garlic, lemon juice and oil for a minute or until puréed. After flax seeds have soaked for about 10 minutes, mix all ingredients and bean purée in large bowl.

Rub some olive oil on a cookie sheet and spoon out the mixture by the teaspoon, flattening each as you go.

Bake for 10 minutes, then flip and bake for another 10 minutes, or until crispy. Dash with a bit more salt as they come out of the oven.

For Dip: In a saucepan, bring all ingredients to a boil. Once a boil is achieved, reduce to a simmer and place the lid on the saucepan. Continue to gently simmer until red pepper and onions are softened and the liquid has evaporated, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in one tablespoon of finely chopped kale and place in serving dish.

After dip and crisps have cooled a bit, spoon red pepper dip onto the crisps, and garnish with remaining chopped Kale.

Enjoy!

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Visit NoCredentialsPN.com or MonicaHarwood.com to learn more about her.