Oven Dried Tomatoes

Whenever you’re not happy with some decisions you make, the easiest thing to do is blame it on your parents. Time and time again, I have boldly stated my love and commitment to cooking seasonal, local foods. So you may ask yourself…why I am sharing an oven-dried tomato recipe at the end of April when I live in NYC.

I’m blaming this one on my parents. 😉

I recently came home to Chicago for a visit and wanted to make dinner one night. As I searched through our refrigerator I came across a pack of tomatoes in the refrigerators. My Mom suggested of using them in my dinner. I, of course, shot her the look of disappointment, “tomatoes in April…really?” Nevertheless, they were available so I set out to use them.

The only way to eat to tomatoes out-of-season is to cook them to allow the natural sugars of the tomatoes to awaken, so they don’t taste like bland, acidic, rocks.

Oven Dried Tomatoes

Makes 4 Servings

1 serving = 1 Point Plus

• 1# tomatoes cut into medium pieces
• 1 sprig rosemary, minced
• 1 tsp fresh thyme, minced
• 1 garlic clove sliced
• 1 tsp olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 300°F. Combine the tomatoes, rosemary, thyme, garlic, and olive oil in a small bowl. Season liberally with salt and pepper.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Lay your tomatoes onto the baking sheet making sure there is enough room between each piece of tomatoes.

Allow to slowly cook in the oven for 2 hours. Tomatoes should be caramelized on the outside but still soft and moist on the inside.

I realize that it is extremely difficult to constantly be focused on seasonal ingredients, especially when you in cooler climate places (like NYC, Chicago, or even North Dakota). The most important thing is to buy seasonal and local when you can. It’s not realistic to think people can do it 100% of the time, no one is perfect, but if you can do it once or twice a week it’s a great start for the environment and for your local economy. Even I buy things out-of-season, but for now I’m still blaming this one on my parents.

Slow Cooker Kale

Adding dark, leafy greens to my new diet has been a fun and interesting challenge. I really love the texture, the nutrition, and the taste of dark greens. However, I do not like the prep work involved. De-stemming, cutting, blanching, shocking, etc. So I decided to come up with a recipe that would allow me to cook a large quantity of greens without much prep work, so all I would have to do throughout the week is re-heat them.

My slow cooker kale is a “spin” on collard greens. It has the sweet and spicy aspects of braised collard greens and I used turkey bacon in place of bacon or ham hocks. I also added some extra veggies to pump up the flavor and texture of the dish.

Slow Cooker Kale

Makes 6 servings

1 serving = 1 hefty cup = 2 Points Plus

• 4 slices of turkey bacon, cut into small pieces (I prefer using Butterball brand)
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ tbsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 packet of Truvia
• 1 # kale, de-stemmed and roughly chopped
• 2 cups of chicken broth
• 2 cups of water
• salt and pepper to taste

Spray the bottom of the slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Line the bottom of the slow cooker with the onions and pepper.

Place half of the kale on top of the onions and peppers. Sprinkle with half of the turkey bacon, garlic cloves, and crushed red pepper flakes. Place the rest of the kale on top and finish with the rest of the turkey bacon, garlic and crushed red pepper flakes.

Combine the Truvia, chicken broth, and water. Pour this mixture over the kale. Turn the slow cooker on high for an hour. Turn it down to low and cook for 7-8 more hours. Make sure to stir the greens every 3 hours or so. Add more liquid if necessary.

How To Slow Cook in a Small NYC Apartment

This method works great with kale because it softens it just enough while allowing it to hold some texture. I love the sweet and spicy combination with a little smoky background from the turkey bacon. Another great aspect is the liquid leftover after the braising process (also called pot liquor or potlikker). This liquid is super flavorful and delicious! Serve the greens with a little extra liquid…great for dipping cornbread or crusty bread into. Mmm…greens.