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Dinner Gluten Free Recipes Salad Vegetarian

Simple Kale Salad

May 8, 2019

Simple Kale Salad
(AKA Copycat Kale Salad)

People often ask me if I miss New York. Of course I do! Top things I miss?

  • My family/friends
  • Food
    • Delivery
    • Pizza
    • The first al fresco dinner of the season
  • 10 minute shoulder massages on every other corner

Top things I don’t miss?

  • Traffic
  • The smell of garbage in the summer
  • My shoulders feeling like they’re going to fall off from carrying my groceries, school bags, purse, and anything else that seemed necessary to carry with me that day.

This recipe is a take on a favorite salad from R&D Foods in Brooklyn. The shop is full of freshly prepared foods, irresistible baked goods, and a selection of packaged food that you’ll want one of each. Whenever I go to R&D, I get the kale salad, a chocolate chip cookie, and some BjornQorn. My sister has this waiting for me in her kitchen as soon as I land in New York.

Simple Kale Salad
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 head of curly kale
2-4 tablespoons of olive oil
Juice of half a lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 a red onion
1/3 cup raw sunflower seeds
A hard cheese for grating, such as Grana Padano, Parmigiano Reggiano, or Prairie Breeze

Directions:
1. Destem and trim the kale into bite size pieces. Wash and dry thoroughly. I recommend using a salad spinner and a dishcloth for drying. Place the kale into a large mixing bowl and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Massage very well. Add the lemon juice and salt and massage for another minute.
2. Slice the onion into very thin rounds and add to the mixing bowl.
3. Place the sunflower seeds in a pan and toast on low heat. Forget that you’re toasting them and completely burn them. Measure out new sunflower seeds and promise you won’t get distracted this time. Add to the mixing bowl when they become slightly browned and fragrant.
4. Grate your choice of cheese onto the salad. Add more olive oil, lemon juice, and salt if desired.

Question:
What foods do you miss?

Besides this salad, I miss Chinese food from Connecticut.

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Dinner Recipes Salad Vegetarian

Bruschetta Panzanella

September 19, 2018

Bruschetta Panzanella
(AKA Hobbies on Hobbies)

My husband has a lot of hobbies. So many hobbies, that his hobbies have hobbies. Take gardening. He is on the quest for the perfect vegetable garden. So he did all of the research and bought all of the materials he needed for the garden. This included a worm farm… enter secondary hobby. I know. Never in my life did I think I’d be cohabitating with worms, but then again never in my life did I think I’d (happily) be living in Iowa and here we (happily) are. At any rate – We got worms.

Jon’s rational behind the worm farm was so that he could achieve the most perfect soil for his garden. I told him I would never be a part of the worm farm – the feeding, the cleaning, the saving any food scraps. But surprise, surprise, 10 months later I’m dedicated to the project. I even have a little section in our refrigerator devoted to feeding the worms. It’s just a container with some food scraps, but now I feel odd when I throw away apple cores, carrot shavings, kale stems, etc.

When we go out with friends, Jon and I usually have a conversation before that goes something like this…
Me: No talking about the worms tonight. People already think we’re weird enough.
Jon: Okay, no talking about the worms.
Gets to party
Me: So have you heard about our worms???

I admire my husband’s hobbies – they’re so original and make mine feel so basic.
Mine: Pilates, food, running, organizing, decor. Ugh! I may as well write “North Face & Uggs!”
His: Gardening, orchids (?!?), bread baking, ice cubes (that’s for another post… see note above about being weird).

But onto the recipe. Thanks to the garden… and the worms, we have beautiful tomatoes. So many tomatoes we didn’t know what to do with all of them. Until I came across this Bon Appetite article that inspired me to make this salad.

This Panzanella is perfect for using up the end of your summer produce. I love it as a side, dinner itself, or if you’re feeling fancy, for brunch. In all honesty, panzanella is such a funny salad to me! It’s called a salad, but it’s just an excuse to eat a loaf of bread? And I’m okay with that!

Bruschetta Panzanella
(Serves 4)

3 cups of cherry tomatoes
1 head of garlic, peeled
¼ cup and 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, separated
½-1 teaspoon of salt
½ a baguette or about 4 cups of bread ripped apart
5 ounces of arugula (one container)
Juice of half a lemon
4 leaves of basil, chiffonade
2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
¼ cup of pine nuts
Parmesan cheese for garnish

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Place the tomatoes and garlic on the baking sheet and toss them in ¼ cup of olive oil and ½ a teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of pepper or to your liking. Bake for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from oven and set aside until warm or room temperature.
  3. Place the torn bread on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until the pieces toast.
  4. Make the salad: Toss the arugula in the lemon juice and remaining olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Toss in the toasted bread and place the tomatoes on top. Drizzle the balsamic on top and garnish with pine nuts, basil, and parmesan.

Question:
What are your hobbies?

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