Fiesta Kale Salad

I remember the first time I made this salad; my kiddies and I were clinging to the last few weeks of summer break.  My mom, myself, a couple of my sisters and their kiddies decided to head up American Fork canyon to beat the heat and let the kidlets play in the frigid river water.  Part way up the canyon, we picked a picnic area close to the river, set up, and tried to make our peace with the bugs and bees that also seemed interested in what we were having for lunch (and by making our peace I mean that we tried and tried to get rid of them, but our efforts were in vain).  After getting settled, we pulled out jars of strawberry lemonade (it was actually a mix of citrus because I ran out of lemons) and wrapped up the fiesta kale salad in pieces of whole wheat naan smeared with sour cream.

I remember my sister had brought her then new boyfriend (and now husband) along to meet the small portion of our family that was there.  I'm the oldest of nine and I'm guessing she wanted to ease him into the craziness and introduce him to us in small doses.  It was probably a good idea! ;) After we started eating, he made the comment that he didn't know something so healthy could taste so good.  I felt happy inside even if he was just saying it to be nice.

This salad involves a bit of chopping, but besides that it comes together quickly.  The addition of black beans and avocado make it completely satisfying and it doesn't leave you wanting say, a bag of chips when you're finished. :)

 
Fiesta Kale Salad

1 bunch lacinato kale, washed, stemmed, and shredded
1 cup baby tomatoes, halved
1 bell pepper (red, orange, or yellow), small dice
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 English cucumber, small dice
1 small bunch of cilantro, roughly chopped
1 14-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 large avocado
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Sweet and spicy sunflower seeds (recipe below)
Juice of two limes
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon hot sauce
Kosher salt to taste

Place shredded kale in a large salad bowl and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and massage the leaves with your hands until the leaves are darker in color and fragrant.

To the kale add, tomatoes, peppers, green onions, cucumber, cilantro, and black beans.  Add the juice of limes, olive oil, and hot sauce, and a sprinkle of kosher salt.  Toss to combine.  Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Top salad with avocado, feta cheese and a scatter of sunflower seeds.

*The dressing is forgiving.  I never measure.  I just squeeze some lime juice on the kale; give it a quick glug of olive oil, and a few good shakes of hot sauce. 

Sweet and Spicy Sunflower Seeds
 
3/4 cup raw sunflower seeds or pepitas
Heaping 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat and toast sunflower seeds until just fragrant, about 2 minutes.  Add the salt, cayenne, and brown sugar and toss them around until the sugar is hot enough to stick to the seeds, 8-10 minutes.  Place sunflower seeds on a piece of parchment paper and spread out in a single layer to cool.

Recipe slightly adapted from Sprouted Kitchen

Kale and Tomato Salad with Tahini Dressing

Todd jokes that soon after we started dating he walked into my King Henry apartment and I was sitting at the counter eating a Cafe Rio salad that looked big enough to feed a small family.  I remember that day perfectly.  He learned early on that I can eat with the best of them. 

Today at lunch we sat across the counter from each other, him with his peanut butter and honey sandwich and me with my kale salad.  He sarcastically told me that my salad was really small.  Haha!  He then reminded me again of the giant Cafe Rio salad.

I love kale salads, like really love!  I'm pretty sure that Todd thinks I'm crazy for having cravings for them.  I told him last night that after I ate this salad for lunch (yesterday) that a couple hours later I was wishing I had some more.  I was feeling pretty pumped that I had enough leftovers for today and I loved eating every bite (even if it was big enough to feed a small family). ;)

Kale and Tomato Salad with Tahini Dressing

1 large bunch lacinato kale, ribs removed, washed and finely chopped
A squeeze of fresh lemon juice
A pinch of kosher salt
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, packed in oil
1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1 avocado, cut into chunks or slices (personal preference)
1/4 cup sweet and spicy sunflower seeds (recipe follows)
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

Place kale in a large bowl and sprinkle with a pinch or two of kosher salt and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.  Massage the kale a bit until the leaves are darker and fragrant. Think scrunch and release.  This helps the kale be not so tough and more palatable.  Place in refrigerator until ready to dress.

For the sun dried tomatoes, drain off any excess oil and pulse through a food processor for a chunky texture or mince very fine.  Set aside.

Tahini Dressing
 
1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons low sodium tamari
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
2 tablespoon water
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in a jar and give it a good shake.

Sweet and Spicy Sunflower Seeds
 
3/4 cup sunflower seeds
Heaping 1/4 teaspoons sea salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat and toast sunflower seeds until just fragrant, about 2 minutes.  Add the salt, cayenne, and brown sugar and toss them around until the sugar is hot enough to stick to the seeds, 8-10 minutes.  Place sunflower seeds on a piece of parchment paper and spread out in a single layer to cool.

To prepare the salad, drizzle the massaged kale with a big spoonful or two of the tahini dressing.  Next, add cherry tomatoes and a spoonful of the chunky sundried tomatoes to the kale and toss until combined and ingredients are evenly distributed.  Taste and adjust seasoning adding more dressing, salt, and/or pepper if needed.

Plate your salad as you with and top with avocado chunks/slices, sweet and spicy sunflower seeds, toasted sesame seeds, and a drizzle of the tahini dressing.  Serve.

*This was enough for me to eat for two lunches with leftover sunflower seeds and dressing. I like having seeds to toss on other salads so I just put the extras in a baggie and tossed them in my freezer.

*Because I knew I was going to have this salad for lunch the next day, I only used half of the ingredients the first day and the other half the following day instead of making one giant salad.

Recipe adapted slightly from Sweetish.co

The sunflower seeds are from Sprouted Kitchen Bowl and Spoon

Kale, Orange and Feta Salad with Honey-Lime Dressing

This time of year is always a bit hard for me.  I love the holiday season and all the excitement that comes swirling around with it.  New Year’s often leaves me feeling a little down and deflated.  I had a conversation with my mom about these very feelings and wondered why I often feel like this and why I don't look at the beginning of the year in a different light.  Instead of feeling sad that the holiday season is over, maybe I should look at this time of year as time for renewal and becoming a better version of myself.  I'm not the best goal setter and that possibly might be because I'm not the best goal achiever.  Maybe the expectation of the New Year and achieving great things adds to my deflated feeling.  Maybe this year instead of great, big expectations and dreams, maybe it's about taking baby steps towards the better version of me.  Maybe instead of doing the things that are good and better, making a choice each day to do the things that are the very best and most important.  Maybe some days it will be easier to make that choice and I will make great strides towards that better me and maybe some days it will be harder and I'll make small skips like choosing to eat a kale salad for lunch (and loving every single bite), but hopefully either way I'll keep moving forward.

Just a side note:  I told my husband a few days ago that I was craving a kale salad.  He seemed to think that the words crave and kale don't go together as well as maybe crave and potato chips.  I guess I see his point, but this so called craving came back in full force after I had eaten my weight in Chex muddy buddies on New Year’s Eve.

 
Kale, Orange and Feta Salad with Honey-Lime Dressing

1 bunch kale, washed, stems removed and leaves shredded of finely chopped
1 avocado, thinly sliced
1 pomegranate, arils removed
3 oranges, peeled and sliced into rounds
5 radishes, thinly sliced
Handful fresh cilantro, chopped
1/3 cup crumbled feta
1/4 cup pepitas, toasted

Honey-Lime Dressing

3 tablespoon fresh lime juice (about 2 small limes)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium jalapeno, membranes and seeds removes, minced
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

Dressing:  Whisk all ingredients in a small bowl or place ingredients in a small glass jar with a lid and give it a good shake.  Set aside.

Place shredded kale in a large salad bowl and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and massaged the leaves with your hands until the leaves are darker in color and fragrant.

Drizzle salad dressing over the kale (you may not need all of the dressing) and toss well to lightly coat the kale.  Add the avocado, pomegranate, oranges, radishes, cilantro, feta and pepitas to the bowl.  Toss the salad gently to combine and serve.

Adapted ever so slightly from Cookie + Kate.

Roasted Tomato and Caramelized Onion Farro Salad with Brown Butter

The first time I first made this salad was for my sister Madeleine's bridal shower and it was a delicious hit!  Everything in this salad from the tangy roasted tomatoes to the sweet caramelized onions and nutty brown butter makes my insides tingle with excitement and then when you combine all that deliciousness with a few other ingredients and Holy Moly it is awesome goodness!

Roasted Tomato and Caramelized Onion Farro Salad with Brown Butter
3 tablespoons butter
2 cups cherry tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
A few good pinches of salt
A good pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 cup farro
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup coarsely chopped parsley

Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.  It will melt, then foam, then turn clear golden and finally start to brown and smell nutty.  Stir frequently, scraping up any bits from the bottom as you do.  Keep your eyes on the butter; it burns very quickly after it browns.  Once butter is browned, place in a small bowl and set aside.

Place a rack in the center or the oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Place tomatoes on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and chili flakes.  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the tomatoes have burst and are sizzling and golden brown.  Remove from the oven and set aside.

Place olive oil and butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add chopped onions and toss to coat in fat.  Let the onions cook down for 5 minutes without stirring.  Toss after 5 minutes and allow to cook without stirring for another 5 minutes.  Add salt and toss.  Onions will begin to brown and break down.  Remove from heat and add balsamic vinegar.  Toss to coat all of the onions.  Return to heat and let onions cook down until deeply browned and will have a melty onion consistency.

Bring 5 cups of water to a boil in a large pot.  When the water boils, add a good pinch of salt.  Add farro and stir.  Cook farro until it is softened through and has a light al dente bite to it, about 20 minutes.  Drain farro in a strainer and return to the pot.  Toss farro with olive oil.  Add roasted tomatoes, caramelized onions, brown butter, and parsley.  Toss and serve warm or at room temperature. 

Recipe slightly adapted from Joy the Baker

Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

I hate (that may be a strong word, but it's true) most bottled ranch dressings.  For as long as I can remember, my Mom and Grandma have used the Hidden Valley Buttermilk Ranch packets to make ranch dressing and so when I make ranch, that's what I have always used.  About a month ago, I decided to make my own ranch dressing (actually Guy Fieri's ranch dressing) for a loaded baked potato pizza we were having for dinner.  It was so flavorful and yummy that I may have a hard time going back to my stand by ranch packets (except for when we eat taco salad with Nalley Chili, anything else wouldn't seem right).

Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

1/2 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3/4-1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried dill
2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley
3 tablespoons chopped chives
2 or 3 garlic cloves, grated with a microplane

In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients and blend well with an immersion blender (or blend all ingredients in a blender).  Blend it just enough to blend the ingredients well, but not well enough that there are no signs of any fresh herbs being in the dressing.

Recipe adapted from Guy Fieri's Buttermilk Ranch Dressing recipe

Grilled Peach Salad with Buffalo Mozzarella and Arugula

Please go make this amazingly delicious salad now!  I love, love, love this salad and it is so perfect for this time of year.

Grilled Peach Salad with Buffalo Mozzarella and Arugula

6 peaches, cut in half and pitted

Salt

3-4 large handfuls baby arugula, washed and dried

1 small red onion, slivered

5 ounces buffalo mozzarella or other fresh mozzarella, torn into bite-size pieces

4 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons honey

2 teaspoons whole grain mustard

1/3 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon heavy cream

Heat grill or grill pan to medium hot.  Lightly salt the cut sides of the peaches and drizzle lightly with olive oil.  Place cut side down on the grill.  When the peaches are charred and just beginning to soften, remove from grill and set aside. 

To make the dressing, place vinegar, honey and mustard in a small bowl.  While whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in olive oil until emulsified.  Whisk in cream.  Toss arugula and onion with vinaigrette and place on serving platter.  Set peaches and mozzarella amongst greens and drizzle with a little more dressing.  Sprinkle with coarse sea salt and serve.

Recipe adapted just a tiny bit from Farmhousetable.wordpress.com

Grilled Avocado and Corn Salad

Happiness in the form of sweet summer corn and creamy grilled avocados!

Grilled Avocado and Corn Salad

2 avocados, halved and removed from their skin

1 tablespoon butter

2 cups fresh or frozen corn

1/4 teaspoon cumin

2 scallions, chopped

1 tablespoon diced jalapeno (more or less)

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1/4 cup crumbled cotija or feta

Add the butter to a hot skillet.  To that add the corn, cumin and a pinch of salt.  Sauté until corn is just cooked; 2-3 minutes then turn off heat.  Toss in the scallions, jalapeno and cilantro.  Taste and add more salt if needed.

On a very hot grill or grill pan place the avocados on the grill.  Let sit undisturbed for a couple of minutes.  Flip the avocados over and grill the other side.  Salt the avocados and place on a platter with the corn salad.

Grill some thinly sliced bread that has been drizzled with oil.  Brush the grilled bread with a garlic clove.  Serve alongside the salad.

Recipe from Not Without Salt

Thai Crunch Chicken Salad

This salad is full of colors, flavors, textures and yumminess!

Thai Crunch Chicken Salad

Spicy Peanut Dressing

1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter

6 tablespoons hoisin sauce

2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1-3 teaspoons of chili-garlic sauce

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon minced ginger

1/2 cup water

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium/low heat.  Heat until hot, but not boiling, and sugar is dissolved.  Pour mixture into a blender and blend until smooth about 20 seconds.  Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.  Cover and chill.

Cilantro Lime Dressing

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar

1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro

1/4 cup minced red bell pepper

1/4 cup honey

4 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons sesame oil

2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

2 cloves of garlic

Salt

Fresh ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend on high for 20 seconds, or until cilantro is chopped fine, but not entirely pureed.  Taste and adjust seasoning in necessary.  Cover and chill.

Salad

1 Head Napa cabbage, thinly sliced

2 cups thinly sliced red cabbage

1 cup pre-cooked, shelled edamame

4 green onions, finely chopped

1 red bell pepper, julienned

2 cups carrots, julienned

1/2 cup loosely packed chopped cilantro

3 chicken breasts, cooked and sliced very thin

1/2-1 cup salted cocktail peanuts

Combine cabbages, edamame, green onions, red bell pepper, carrots, cilantro and chicken in a large bowl.  Add enough spicy peanut dressing to lightly coat salad ingredients.  Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.  Plate and drizzle with cilantro-lime dressing and garnish with additional cilantro, green onions and peanuts.  Enjoy!

*This made enough for my family's dinner (I have a few small eaters), a plate to share with my kiddie-corner neighbors and my lunch the next day.  I still have a lot of the cilantro-lime dressing and a little of the spicy peanut dressing leftover.

The recipe for the dressings comes from tastebook.com

Birthday Dinner

This past weekend was my birthday weekend.  On Friday, I went to lunch with my mom, sisters (wishing Stephanie was here and not in Hawaii, I've been missing her like crazy), my sister-in-law and Grandma.  We went to one of my favorite places, Pizzeria 712; I know it was shocking to everyone that I picked that place.  Then on Saturday I got to spend most of the day with Todd.  We started the afternoon off with a movie, then headed to Tony Caputo's for some vinegar, hand pulled mozzarella, prosciutto, and chocolate.  To finish the night off we enjoyed a very delicious meal at Pago.  The entire time Todd and I were eating, I had this tight, excited feeling that I get when I eat really good food; I couldn't stop smiling.  On my actual birthday, for breakfast, my little family and I ate Burg's French toast (with a Traci Magleby spin) topped with peaches and whipped cream.  For dinner we ate a really great salad, pizzas and a very rich chocolate cake with homemade vanilla ice cream.  It was a really great weekend filled with two things that I really love, family and food!

Arugula Salad with Pistachios and Chocolate

Vinaigrette

1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard

3 tablespoons Banyuls vinegar (you can substitute sherry vinegar)

1/2 teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons olive oil, plus more to taste

In a small bowl, combine the mustard, vinegar, and salt and whisk to blend.  Add the olive oil and whisk vigorously to emulsify.  Taste, and adjust as needed.

Salad

About 8 ounces arugula

2 tablespoons finely chopped pistachios, for serving

2 tablespoons finely chopped bittersweet chocolate, for serving

Place the arugula in a large bowl and add a spoonful or two of dressing.  It's best to err on the side of underdressing at first.  Using two forks or, preferably, your hands, carefully toss the arugula, taking care to handle it as lightly as you can, since it bruises easily.  Taste, and add dressing as needed.

Divide the dressed arugula among 4 plates.  Serve with small bowls of chopped pistachios and chocolate on the side, allowing each eater to sprinkle his or her salad with a bit of each.

Recipe from A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg

Roasted Asparagus, Egg & Prosciutto Pizza

Pizza dough
Olive oil

Roasted Asparagus (drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper and roast for 10 minutes at 400)

2-3 ounces fresh mozzarella, torn into nickel size pieces

2-3 eggs, cracked and waiting in a bowl

2 ounces San Danielle or other high quality prosciutto

High quality sea salt or fleur de sel and fresh cracked pepper

Freshly grated Parmigiano

Preheat your oven for 45 minutes with pizza stone inside, to 500-550 degrees.

With you dough create 12" round.  Place on flour dusted pizza peel (I use the back of a sheet pan).  Brush with olive oil and dust with sea salt.  Break up fresh mozzarella on top of pizza, add roasted asparagus.  Slide onto pizza stone and bake for 3 minute.  Open oven and as quickly as possible pour the eggs onto two or three different places around the pizza.  Bake for another 7 minutes or until golden and eggs are cooked to your liking.  We shoot for a semi-soft yolk.  Remove from oven and grate Parmigiano over top.  Drape 4-5 slices of prosciutto on top of pizza.

*When I poured the eggs on to the pizza, I had a hard time getting both of my eggs to stay on the pizza.  One of those darn eggs wanted to slide off onto my pizza stone.  In an attempt to keep the egg on the pizza, I created a dam with a piece of asparagus and it seemed to do the trick.

Recipe from Not Without Salt

Pizza with Bacon, Caramelized Onions & Ricotta

Pizza dough

Ricotta cheese

1/4 pound thickly sliced bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch strips

2 medium onions, thinly sliced

Place pizza stone on bottom rack of the oven (if you have one).  Preheat oven to 500 (or the ovens highest temperature).

In a medium skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until the fat is rendered and the bacon is crisp.  Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.  Add onion to skillet and cook until onions are golden and caramelized.  Set aside.

Shape pizza dough into desired shape and place on a floured and cornmeal dusted cookie sheet that has been flipped upside down.  Layer the toppings as follows, caramelized onions, bacon, and spoonful’s of ricotta to dot the pizza.

If you don't have a pizza stone, place cookie sheet (with pizza on it) on the bottom rack of the oven and bake until crust is golden.  If you have a pizza stone, very quickly slide the pizza from the cookie sheet to the pizza stone (this is always a little bit scary for me).  Bake until crust is golden brown, about 10-12 minutes.

Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen