kale Archives - Page 4 of 6 -

June 10, 2015

Roasted Tomatoes and Greens with Shallot Vinaigrette

June in Michigan is such a wonderful time of the year for cooking. There’s an abundance of fresh produce everywhere and the weather is still fairly moderate so I don’t mind being at the stove or turning on the oven. The cooler mornings and evenings keep me in the mood for baking and the warm sunny afternoons inspire a myriad of colorful salads. These days are perfect for roasting all of those early summer fruits and vegetables. Lately we’ve been enjoying our fair share of roasted cherry tomatoes in our pastas and salads. Like any roasted fruit, cherry tomatoes become intensely sweet and even more beautiful after being roasted. It may take a little bit of time to roast the tomatoes, but the extra effort is worth it in the end. This salad is a glorious combination of textures and flavors- soft and juicy tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, crunchy pepitas, creamy crumbly feta, and chewy spelt grains. Adding whole grains to salads is a wonderful solution for making salads more substantial and filling. I’ve used spelt here, but any whole grain such as farro, quinoa, or barley will do. I brought this to a teacher’s appreciation luncheon at my daughter’s school a few weeks ago and it quickly disappeared!

Roasted Tomatoes and Greens with Shallot Vinaigrette

Serves: 6 side portions

Ingredients

Salad

1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 cup spelt, soaked 4-6 hours, drained and rinsed
1 bunch kale, stems removed, leaves shredded
1 English cucumber, diced
⅓ cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
¾ cup crumbled feta, plus extra for sprinkling on top

Dressing

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic white vinegar
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
2 shallots, minced
½ teaspoon kosher salt
⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut tomatoes in half lengthwise and toss with 1 teaspoon olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spread tomatoes evenly on prepared baking sheet and roast for 25-28 minutes, until tomatoes are softened and slightly shriveled.
In a small saucepan, combine the spelt and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil then simmer spelt until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.
In the bowl of a food processor, blend dressing ingredients until well combined and smooth.
Toss kale, cucumbers, pepitas, and spelt with half the dressing. Gently toss in feta, tomatoes, and additional dressing to taste. If needed, season with additional salt and pepper. Garnish with additional feta and pepitas.

March 17, 2015

Kale Salad Tortillas with Za’atar Yogurt

I made lunch for just myself yesterday and was pleasantly surprised at the newfound freedom that went along with that. Cooking for only myself is something I rarely do these days so I found it refreshing not having to worry about pleasing anyone else’s palette besides my own. Don’t misunderstand, some of my greatest joys come from cooking for others and I love bringing people together to share a meal. It’s a privilege to be able to feed and nourish others. Lately though my kids have become frustratingly pickier eaters (Aren’t they supposed to become less picky as they grow older?!) and it’s interesting how my choices in food differ when it’s just me. These kale salad tortillas with za-atar yogurt… these are what my dreams are made of.

I mostly used the recipe for this kale salad, except this time I added thinly sliced fennel and substituted sunflower seeds and pepitas for the pine nuts. For the tortillas, I used sprouted multigrain, which I heated directly over an open flame on the stove. Carefully heating the tortillas this way achieves those beautiful charred edges without using a grill. I often find all-natural sprouted grain tortillas stiff and dry, but after a few minutes of heat, they become soft, pliable, and so much more toothsome.

Za’atar is a Middle Eastern spice blend that has lots of variations, but is usually a mixture of dried thyme, sumac, roasted sesame seeds, and salt. You can buy it pre-made in the spice aisle or make your own. The za’atar yogurt layered at the bottom and drizzled on top gives these tortillas that extra kick in flavor and creaminess. It adds a slight tang and complements the bright lemony kale salad perfectly. I ate all three of these for lunch.

And as it turns out, Ryan ended up giving these leftovers a thumbs up and my little girl willingly gave the salad a try, so there may be opportunities for me to make this again for the family after all.

Kale Salad Tortillas with Za'atar Yogurt

Serves: 12 6-inch tortillas

Ingredients

Kale Salad

1 bunch kale
2 cups thinly sliced red cabbage
1 cup grated carrots (about 2 medium carrots)
¾ cup thinly sliced fennel (about ½ fennel bulb)
3 tablespoons toasted sunflower seeds
3 tablespoons toasted pepitas
2 tablespoons olive oil
1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoon sea salt
dash of pepper
Za'atar Yogurt
1 cup plain whole milk or low fat yogurt
1 teaspoon za'atar
pinch of kosher salt
sprouted multigrain tortillas

Instructions

Kale Salad

Remove kale leaves from the tough stalks and thinly slice kale into shreds. Toss with the cabbage, carrots, fennel, and seeds.
Whisk olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper together. Pour over salad, tossing together until salad is evenly coated. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper. Allow salad to marinate in dressing for 15 minutes or so while preparing tortillas and za'atar yogurt.
In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, za'atar, and salt. Set aside.
To prepare tortillas, turn a stove burner to medium high. Using tongs, carefully hold a tortilla over the open flame, about 2 minutes per side until tortilla becomes soft and pliable and edges begin to char. While tortilla is still warm, gently mold tortilla into a taco shape. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
To assemble, spread 1 tablespoon za'atar yogurt on the bottom of the tortilla. Top with kale salad and an additional drizzle of yogurt. Serve immediately.

December 18, 2014

Kale Quinoa Salad with Pickled Onions, Raisins, and Pine Nuts

Kale salad time again because I love eating kale salads more than anything else in this world. Goodness, how times have changed. When I was in high school, I could proudly eat an entire pint of Ben & Jerry’s in one sitting because ice cream was my favorite thing to eat. Now, however, if someone were to present me with the choice between pints of ice cream, a platter of cookies, or a giant kale salad, I would in all honesty choose the kale salad. The rest of the family thinks I’m strange, but I like to just think of myself as healthy.

This Kale Quinoa Salad with Pickled Onions, Raisins, and Pine Nuts is inspired from a salad I had at Social Kitchen and Bar a couple years ago. (Yes, the salad was so good that I am still thinking about it two years later.) Since I don’t live close enough to frequently dine at the restaurant, I did my best to recreate the salad at home. Hello to my new favorite.

I listed general amounts of ingredients in the recipe below, but really there is so much liberty that can used when assembling salads. Increase the quinoa if you’d like a heartier grain salad or add some extra cheese for a stronger parmesan or romano flavor. The pickled onions add a lot to this salad though so don’t skip those. (Note that it’s important to find raw and unfiltered apple cider vinegar for pickling the onions because pasteurized apple cider vinegar does not have the same health benefits.) This salad is a bit salty, a bit tart, and a bit sweet. With all of those holiday cookies around during this season, now is the perfect time balance it all out with this marvelous kale salad.

Kale Quinoa Salad with Pickled Onions, Raisins, and Pine Nuts

Ingredients

8-10 cups chopped kale, from 1 large bunch, tough stalks removed
⅓ cup raisins
⅓ cup pine nuts
½ cup cooked quinoa
½ cup romano or parmesan cheese, grated
½ cup pickled red onion (see recipe below)
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Toast pine nuts in a single layer in a 350 oven for 2-3 minutes. Watch carefully because the pine nuts burn easily.
In a large bowl, mix together the kale with the raisins, pine nuts, quinoa, cheese and pickled onion.
Whisk together the vinegar and olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour dressing over salad, tossing until salad is evenly coated.

Pickled Red Onions

Ingredients

1 cup sliced red onion
½ cup water
½ cup cider vinegar
1 tsp honey
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon mustard seeds

Instructions

In a small saucepan, bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Add the onions and turn off heat. Allow the onions to sit in the hot water for 1 minute. Drain and add onions to a small glass jar.
In a small mixing bowl, combine the water, cider vinegar, honey, and salt. Stir until salt and honey are dissolved. Pour mixture over the onions and sprinkle in the mustard seeds. Allow onions to sit in the vinegar solution for at least a few hours before serving. Keeps in the refrigerator for at least 2 weeks.

Notes

adapted from Bon Appetit