The Spirit of St. Patty's Day

Green is the theme! Green food colouring, tacky Irish clothing, and mass alcohol consumption, this is the international recipe for a solid Saint Patrick's Day!
 Saturday March 17, 2012: Sunny with a high of 15°C. For residents of South Western Ontario this is music to the ears because it's almost 10°C above the seasonal average and more then likely patios will be open! Whether you plan to hit up your local pub or get together with friends in your backyard, The Grower's Basket has got you covered for the perfect 100% organic "green" pair for St Patty's Day Shenanigans.

Organic Kale Chips & Organic White Wine
Southbrook Connect White Blend and Kale Chips

The Wine: Southbrook Connect, Organic White Blend ONLY $15 @ LCBO. Let's put it this way, I absolutely adore Southbrook Vineyards. A local Niagara on the Lake Winery striving to make the finest wines possible in a respectful, local, light-on-the-land fashion. By 2008 they were the first wine estate in Canada to have both organic and biodynamic certification for its winery and vineyard. This refreshing off-dry white has a subtle sweetness on the palatte with notes of pear, lemon, and a slight minerality. For more information on organic wine check out my first blog post or this great organic wine's of Canada info page. 

The Snack: Organic Kale Chips with Sea Salt and Vinegar. This is one of my favourite snacks, it totally satisfies any salty chip craving and is a great source of anti-oxidants, Vitamin K & C. Kale chips are also easy to make. Preheat the oven to broil. First you rip the leafy green parts away from the stems, put the leaf in a salad spinner and wash. Make sure the leaf is completely dry, if not they will steam rather then crisp. Transfer the kale to a large mixing bowl and add 1 tbsp of canola/veg oil and mix until evenly distributed. Lay Kale out on a baking sheet like so:
raw kale ready to bake!
Now that the kale is evenly dispersed on the baking sheet sprinkle about 1 tsp of sea salt evenly and put it in the oven on the middle rack and broil for 4-5 minutes. Make sure you set a timer because there is a very small threshold between perfectly crisp and burnt. When ready the kale should look like this:
Crispy Kale ready to eat!
Once cool, toss crispy kale in a bowl with some white vinegar and enjoy! 

I wish all my reader's a safe, fun, and healthy St Patty's Day, Slàinte mhath!

Cheers Friends!



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