Windsday Pinsday--Kale Salad 2

You will love this Quinoa Kale and Sweet Potato Salad.  Originally I found this recipe at The Bojon Gourmet Blog that I follow.  The author is a former unemployed (Bojon is backwards for no job) pastry chef in San Francisco who is now a professional photographer and blogger.  I like her blog. And I love this salad.  

Chop up the scrubbed sweet potato in 1 inch or so pieces.  Coat with extra virgin olive oil.  Place in the pan and roast in 325 degree oven for about 25-30 minutes.  Don't cook them to mushiness.   

Chop up a huge bunch of Scotch Blue Kale and cook the Quinoa as directed.

Tip:  Quinoa can be bitter if not soaked and rinsed.  Check the package for instructions or you may not like it.  Costco's large package that I buy is already soaked and rinsed, but I still rinse it off in a fine sieve before cooking it.

Mix together slightly cooled Sweet Potato, Quinoa, Kale and extras.  Add dressing at the last minute and voila'  you have the most delicious, healthy salad ever.  Serve warm or cold.

Quinoa, Kale and Roasted Sweet Potato Salad

The Recipe:
1 large or two small red sweet potatoes
   Or orange or yellow cubed
1 large bunch of garden fresh kale
   washed, ribs removed and chopped
1 C quinoa toasted and cooked*
2/3 C toasted pepitas, or nuts(pecan
   or walnuts)
2/3 C dried cranberries

Dress with:
1 lemon, squeezed and seeded
3 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 T toasted and ground cumin seed
Several sprigs of fresh parsley chopped
Crumbled goat cheese or feta cheese

Prepare squash, chop and toss in
EVOO and roast in oven or toaster oven
at 325 degrees for 25-30 min.  Cover with
foil in toaster oven if begins to burn.
Cook Quinoa*.  Prepare Kale**.  Toast cumin
seed and crush in coffee grinder.  Toast
Pepitas or nuts lightly.  Stir together sweet
potatoes, kale, quinoa, nuts or seeds, and
cranberries.  Mix together lemon, EVOO
and cumin and mix into salad.
Top with parsley and crumbled cheese.
Enjoy.

*Tip: Quinoa can be toasted in hot oil until
they pop, add water and cook for 15  min.
on low.

**Tip: Kale can be softened by blanching with
boiling water (pour over kale) then cool
quickly in ice water. Drain and let dry a little.

This is delicious.  Enjoy as a main dish with grilled chicken on the side.  Yum.

HAPPY EATING


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Windsday Pinsday --Kale

Kale has become the green jello of the new millennium. Don't you just love it?  Kale was never the go to vege when I grew up.  I am not sure I even knew what kale was.  Surely, it would have topped the list of least favorite foods right there next to broccoli.  Growing up on the farm we had a silage pit filled with chopped up corn stocks left fermenting for winter cattle food.  It smelled so bad.  When my mother served us chopped broccoli for dinner, I was convinced she had heated up some of the silage.  I just couldn't eat it.  I am glad she didn't know about kale.

This recipe unlocks the mystery of Costco's Sweet Kale Salad (Chou Frise' Doux).  You can purchase a big package of this salad for about $5 that serves a huge crowd or several small salads for two and it comes with the dressing and dried cranberries and pepitas.  I'm not sure why I need to break this down, but some of my children have never eaten it and asked me for my own version.

From the garden's bounty

That looks good on this crystal winter day of clear blue sky and a foot of undisturbed snow still piled in the garden rows. I can see a double batch of fresh salsa and a yummy kale salad and other mouth watering foods.  I can't believe I didn't get the blog written last fall.  I took all the pix.

This is the best greens cleaner.  Cut them up, soak in ice cold water, drain easily, pull out the basket and dump the water (I always water my outdoor plants with it), return to base and spin them dry.

Remove the rib (chop it up and feed it to the chickens.  The girls are not big on pecking it apart).  Chop and wash.  This is obviously not baby kale and it will be tougher and stronger flavored. You can rub the leaves to soften them up a little, but I don't. We just chew it longer.

Add other finely sliced greens like cabbage (green and purple), broccoli shreds, chicory and slice Brussels sprouts. This last addition is such a good surprise. I put them in most of my green salads now. By the way, Costco's salad mix has less kale where mine is mostly kale.  The other ingredients I add if I have them on hand.  Add dried cranberries and pepitas, toss in Poppy Seed Dressing and serve immediately.  Sunflower seed can be substituted for pepitas, but pepitas are the best. If you are wondering what pepitas are, they are shelled pumpkin seeds raw or roasted.

Use commercial dressing, my favorite is Brianna's Home Style Rich Poppy Seed Dressing, or make your own dressing with a recipe I found on Pinterest.  

These are the fixin's for a delicious homemade poppy seed dressing.  I found this recipe on Pinterest on the blog:  bellyful.net  called Homemade Creamy Poppy Seed Dressing.  It is very good.  Thank you, Amy at bellyfull.

• 3/4 cups mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup half and half
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2/ tablespoons poppy seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS

1. In medium bowl, whisk all the ingredients together until thoroughly combined and smooth.
2. Transfer to a clean jar and keep in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use. Shake well before using.

NOTES

Milk may be substituted for the half n half, but it won’t be as creamy. White wine vinegar can be substituted for the apple cider vinegar. This dressing will keep refrigerated for up to a week.   Makes 1 1/2 Cups.

I did copy and paste this time.  I was getting a bit tired.  I  use honey instead of sugar and only 1-2 tablespoons (to taste). 

TIP:  Honey is twice as sweet as sugar so you can use half as much.

I have another great kale salad recipe.   Maybe next week.

HAPPY GNOSHING

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It's Pinsday!

I have been sick, again.  It seems that I cannot shake the flu bugs that come and go around here.  This is the fifth infection since I got my flu shot last fall.  Of course, it triggers my asthma and really takes a toll on my health.  After two weeks I still have a cough, but it is getting better finally.  One of my doctors said that the flu shot was just not as effective this year.  Amen to that.

When I felt like cooking, I tried a couple of really great recipes from Pinterest.  The first is Thai Chicken Salad with Orange Peanut Dressing.  http://www.cookingclassy.com/2015/02/thai-chicken-salad-orange-peanut-ginger-dressing/  Very yummy.  Actually made it as it was written.  I purchased all of the ingredients and did exactly what it said to do.  I was a little nervous about serving it to Dan, because he doesn't like recipes with peanut butter in them, but he ate it and had seconds (usually a good recommendation).  The day after I found out that I forgot to put the cashews in it, but I just ate them plain (there was no leftover salad).  Next time.  It was still delicious anyway.  The pin is located in my board: Salads and Dressings.

The second was a shrimp dish called Cilantro Lime Quinoa Shrimp Bowl--a warm dish.  http://www.spoonfulofflavor.com/2015/04/15/cilantro-lime-shrimp-quinoa-bowls/   When it says Cilantro it means tons of cilantro.  Each layer was filled with cilantro and lime.  I don't love cilantro, but I made it just like it said.   Interestingly enough, I had most of the ingredients in my freezer;  shrimp, leftover black beans and leftover quinoa.  I did not have a mango, but had a can of mangos (not recommended for texture, but the flavor worked), and my avocado for the dressing was spoiled (it works without the avocado), and I was too sick to run to the store.  We managed without these, and the dish was quite delicious.  This pin is in my board: I Love Food, la Mer.

Both recipes has tons of cilantro, so I consider them a way to broaden my palate.  It wasn't so bad.

Last but not least, by any means is Five Minute Raspberry Chia Seed Jam.  https://www.pinterest.com/pin/201536152051638113/ 
The pin is found on my new board: Condiments, Jam and Pickles along with other jams I want to try.
Raspberry freezer jam is a favorite of mine; I could eat it with a spoon, and I do.  I have seen these recipes for Chia Seed Jams and have the Chia Seed so I wanted to try them.  Smith's had raspberries on sale last week for .99 per cup so I picked up 10 cups and froze the berries.  I saved out two cups to make the jam.  It is good, not too sweet and will be yummy on hot rolls or ice cream.  It is not as good on toast (soggy, but I rushed it not allowing the seeds to thicken the jam).  One must not expect low sugar to taste like regular jam.  If it did, there would be no sinful pleasure in the original.    I used two tablespoons of honey because I like it tart, but you can add more to taste.  

Here are some pictures.  It is such a beautiful color.

I used the shjusher--the wand blender so I didn't have to scrape it out of the blender.  It worked wonderfully.  The touch of vanilla is a good addition.

So good.  I could eat it with a spoon, too.  Not as sweet, but ever so raspberry.  I am not sure how long it will keep in the refrigerator.  I will probably eat it before I find out.  

Here is my breakfast:  an onion omelet with salsa on top, cantaloupe and toast and jam.  

HAPPY PINNING


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