The world needs another Kale Salad recipe

The top selling salad at work is the Kale Carrot.  I made a batch of it yesterday.  It will all be sold out by the end of today.  How much kale is in a batch at a busy deli?  20 large bunches.  8 cups of toasted sunflower seeds and about 25 carrots. 

A few posts back I gave you the recipe for the kale salad we sell at work.  Kale is our new green at home.  I used to make dinner salad with romaine, but it has been replaced with kale.  I love it!  Plus, it has to be better for us than romaine or leafy green lettuce, right?

Lots of good nutrition in that bowl

According to Food Lover’s Companion, kale is a member of the cabbage family.  It is a cruciferous plant (having four-petaled flowers, suggestive of a cross) that provides ample amounts of vitamins A and C, folic acid, calcium and iron.  I knew it was better for us than romaine!

So, last night our salad consisted of kale, shredded carrot, red onion, thinly sliced, a handful of chopped walnuts and satsuma wedges.  The satsumas are in season now and are oh, so sweet and juicy.  Be sure to remove the stems from the kale and wash the leaves.  Slice the leaves into thin strips.

Pretty little citrusy dressing

The dressing is what really made this salad outstanding.   Here goes:

1 large spoonful (2 tablespoons) of vegenaise

1 heaping tablespoon of frozen orange juice conentrate

1 tablespoon of orange muscat vinegar (Trader Joe’s)

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

2 teaspoons pure maple syrup

zest of one orange

Whisk it all together in a small bowl and dress salad.  Salad is best if the dressing has a chance to soak into the kale for about 30 minutes or more before serving.  I usually make the salad first and then prepare the rest of our meal.

A microplane is a great tool for zesting

If you don’t have a microplane, you can use a cheese grater.  A microplane is just so much easier to use and you get a finer zest.

A lovely salad for any time of the year

I hope you give this one a try.  We really liked it.  What did I serve this with?  Butternut Squash Ravioli in a garlic veloute sauce topped with Parmesan cheese and sweet and spicy roasted Brussel sprouts.  But it would be good just on it’s own with perhaps a hunk of garlic bread.

Deli? We don’t need no stinkin’ deli!

And neither do you.  Here is an easy, quick deli style salad that you can whip up in the privacy of your own kitchen.  It features quinoa, one of my personal favorite grains.  If you are not yet familiar with quinoa (pronounced KEEN-WAH) I strongly suggest that you two should get acquainted.  It cooks up like rice, is packed with protein and it looks pretty cute!

Colorful, tasty Quinoa Salad

1 cup uncooked quinoa

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 bunch green onion, cleaned and thinly sliced

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

1/2 orange bell pepper, diced

1 celery stalk, diced

1 jalapeno, diced (I prefer to use the whole pepper including the membrane and seeds, but if you are a light weight, you can ditch them)

2 tablespoons rough chopped cilantro

Bring 1 1/2 cups salted water to a boil.  Add quinoa, stir and lower heat to simmer.  Place lid on pot and simmer for 19 minutes.  Remove from heat, stir to fluff.  Spread cooked quinoa on a baking sheet and allow to cool.

Once quinoa has cooled, place in a large bowl and toss with remaining ingredients.  Make dressing:

1/4 cup lime juice

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 – 2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon of cayenne, if you want more kick to it

Whisk all together in a small bowl.  Pour over salad and toss to coat well.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Ready for it's close up, just to make you hungry

I think this is best after the ingredients have had a chance to mingle and marry.  Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.  This will last for about 3 days in the refrigerator, but it never lasts that long at our house!

Can I get that recipe?

Kale, Carrot & Walnut Salad ala Vampiregran

Those of you who know me personally know where I work.  You also know that the deli there is pretty popular.  We sell a lot of salads, especially when the weather warms up and everyone is dashing off to the nearby park for an impromptu picnic.  The kale salad is probably the most popular salad going these days or at least a close second.  The Mac n Cheese salad may have to step down as the favorite as the kale serges ahead.

My version of the kale salad is a bit more spicy than what we sell at work.  I always like to ramp up the spices, ya’ know, give it some kick and pizzazz!  So, without further ado, here is “that recipe”.

Kale, Carrot & Walnut Salad

 

1 large bunch dark green curly kale

4 large carrots, peeled and grated

½ cup chopped walnuts

 

¼ cup Veganaise*

1 tablespoon tamari

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

¼ teaspoon cayenne

½ teaspoon ground cumin

1 medium clove garlic, minced

 

Remove stems from kale.  Slice kale into thin ribbons.  In a large bowl, combine kale, grated carrots, and walnuts.

In a smaller bowl combine remaining ingredients.  Whisk until smooth.  Pour over kale mixture and toss to coat.

This salad holds well for up to three days in the refrigerator.

* Veganaise is a vegan mayonnaise.  You could substitute regular mayonnaise, if you prefer.

Watermelon & Cucumber Salad

Beautiful colors from a summer garden, this salad is fast and simple to make

 

In 1970 I had the wonderful opportunity to live as an exchange student in Mexico.  Every Sunday, my host family and I would attend church services, which wasn’t much different from life in California with my folks.  The thing that set this Sunday morning ritual apart from my American life was the fruit vendor that waited outside the tiny church.  He was there, faithfully, every Sunday at 11:oo am.  We would line up to buy his sweet melons, pineapple and cactus fruit.  Paper cones were loaded with assorted fruit, lime juice was squeezed over the top and a dusting of chili powder finished it off.  The flavor was incredible!

I’ve been dealing with an abundance of cucumber from our garden this summer and wanted to make something other than the usual cucumber and red onion in sugar and vinegar.  This simple salad came together quickly and made me reminiscent of my 16th year and the simple life in Mexico.

Watermelon & Cucumber Salad

Seedless watermelon, removed from rind

Cucumber, peeled and seeded

Fresh lime

Salt

Chili powder

Cilantro

 

Cut watermelon and cucumber in bite size chunks and place in bowl.  Cut and squeeze lime juice over the fruit.  Season with salt and chili powder to taste.  Chop cilantro and add to salad.  Toss until the pieces are lightly coated.  Enjoy!

 

Grilled Corn Salad

Vibrant color and smoky, spicy grilled flavor abound in the Grilled Corn Salad

I am not a big fan of the summer heat, but this salad I made up the other day sure made it a bit more tolerable.  Cool and crunchy, spicy, smoky and sweet it was the perfect accompaniment to some wheat meat “chicken” fillets marinated in Spiced Plum Sauce and served over Basmati rice.  You can use any veggies you like, but this combo was certainly a hit.  It tastes like summer!

 

Grilled Corn Salad

4 ears of corn

1 bunch asparagus

½ medium pineapple

4 ¼” thick slices Halloumi cheese*

1 cup cooked black beans

½ medium red bell pepper, chopped

½ small red onion, chopped

1 large jalapeno 

Shuck and clean corn.  Peel and slice pineapple into 4 thick slices (leave the core, you will remove than after grilling).  Clean asparagus and remove tough ends.

Grilled pineapple and jalapeno

 

Grill pineapple slices and jalapeno until the pineapple has nice grill marks and the pepper is charred.  Remove from grill and set aside.  Grill corn and cheese.  Cheese will be done grilling before the corn.  Turn cheese and brown the other side. Remove from grill and set aside.  Keep turning the corn to get it roasted on all sides.  Remove and set aside.  Grill asparagus until slightly charred.  Remove and set aside.

Grilling the corn and Halloumi Cheese

 

Cut pineapple slices in quarters and remove the core.  Cut pineapple, asparagus and cheese into bite size pieces and place in salad bowl.  Add chopped red bell pepper and red onion.  Add black beans.  Toss.

Remove corn from cob.  I like to place the corn in a large bowl, stand it on end and holding the top, slice half way down.  Go all the way around the cob then turn upside down and repeat until all of the corn kernels have been removed.  This prevents the kernels from spilling all over your counter top and it catches the sticky corn milk.

Add corn to salad bowl and toss.

 You are probably wondering why I had you grill that jalapeno, right?  It’s for the dressing.

Roasted Jalapeno Dressing

1 large jalapeno, roasted

2 medium tomatoes (from the garden or organic are the best flavor)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon honey

1 clove garlic, minced

Juice of one lemon and one lime

Salt to taste

 

Place all ingredients in food processor or blender and process until smooth.  Pour over salad, toss and marinate in refrigerator for about an hour.

* Halloumi cheese is an imported goat and sheep milks cheese made in Cyprus, Greece.  It is sold in most upscale markets but you can also order it online.  To learn more about Halloumi cheese go to halloumicheese.com.