Papaya and Olive Kale Salad

Another hot day; another simple salad!  Very tasty!!


Toss together, layer, or otherwise put in a bowl and mix
1+ cup kale, ripped to bitesize pieces
1 papaya, seeded, diced (no peel)
2 tbsp olives, sliced
2 tbps tangerine vinaigrette dressing (Cindy's Kitchen)

Top with 
1 tsp of dukkah (egyptian nut topping)

Enjoy!

Rated a 4.64 on the Kale Scale.

Red Grapes, Red Pepper Kale Saute

Made this to go with a salmon fillet. Was pretty quick, and tasty!

Saute
3 tsp coconut oil
1/3 Cup onion, chopped
1/2 sweet red pepper, chopped
22 red grapes, halved

Make a simmer sauce
4 tsp white wine
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/8 cup orange juice

Add, cover and wilt as desired
1.3 cups of kale, ripped to bite size pieces
simmer sauce from above

Serve with a dusting of dukkah on top.

Rated a 4.5 on the Kale Scale.

Spicy Potato and Egg with Kale Saute

This was delicious, and filling. I started out reading the recent issue of Cooking Light, and was motivated to these ingredients by a recipe I saw. However, by the time I was done, this had nothing in common with that recipe except the kale!

Saute
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp Shiba's Popping Seeds
1/3 C onion, chopped
2/3 potato, chopped (used 1 small red; and 1 fingerling)
1.5 tsp turmeric, ground

Add, cover and simmer for about 5-10 min till potatoes are soft
1/4 to 1/2 C water

Add, and continue simmer at almost a saute temperature
1/3 C broccoli slaw
2 brussel sprouts, chopped
7 cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 oz white wine
1/3 C non fat milk

After ingredients are hot, and liquid almost gone, make room in middle of pan and add, fry over hard:
1 egg

As needed, add a bit of liquid to keep egg from sticking and keep ingredients around edges steaming.

As the egg cooks, add:
1 C ripped up kale around the edges on top of the other veggies. When the egg is done, take it out and set aside. 

Cover the dish and wilt the kale 1-2 mins til done.

Serve by putting the veggie mix on plate with egg on top.  Dust with chopped almonds.

Rated a 3.73 on Kale Scale.

Momo Masala Spiced Kale

Just returned from trip to Nepal where momos are a favorite appetizer. Momo is like a dumpling; or a pot sticker. It has spiced veggies or meat wrapped in dough and then steamed.  One of the ingredients
in momo is a collection of spices that one can buy in a spice mix called Momo Masala (which I found at the Nepal Airport for $2).




I did not make momos. Just used the spice. As you can see in the pix, momos by themselves are more work than my typical culinary activity.

This Kale experiment was inspired by the spices.

Next time, I think I'll bypass the tofu marination; and just saute it with the spices.  But overall it was a tasty dish.  These ingredients make 2 servings. The nutrition count is for one serving.

Marinate for 15 minutes or so
7 oz tofu, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 T Momo Masala spice
1 T raw shredded ginger
1 T soy sauce, sodium lite
1 T olive oil

1 T white wine

Saute
2 tsp olive oil
2/3 onion, diced
1 yukon gold potato, small, diced

Move this to a plate when done.

Saute (add oil only if needed)
The marinated tofu
1 tsp turmeric, ground

After tofu is heated through and browned some add, and simmer for 5 minutes or so, stirring every so often:
onion and potato mix
2 brussel sprouts, chopped
1 T white wine
1/2 c soy milk

Steam
1 cup kale, chopped fine

Put the kale on dinner plate. Put serving of Momo masala veggie mix on top.

Serve with a dusting of dukkah (ground Egyptian nut mix)

Rated a 3.60 on the Kale Scale.

Ham Tangerine Kale Saute

Something quick for the New Year.  It turned out very tasty!

Saute
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup onion, chopped

Toss in and keep sauting
1 cup broccoli slaw
1 tangerine, peeled and segments cut in half
3  oz of ham, lean (I used 3 tiny slices that came in a pack of 8 slices)

Add, cover and wilt
1+ cup kale, ripped to bite size pieces
1 oz white wine

Serve with
dusting of home made dukkah



Rated a 4.79 on the Kale Scale

Four Ingredients Salad

How much simpler can it get?  This quick salad was nicely done, very tasty!

Mix, layer, toss

1+ cup kale, ripped to bite size pieces
1 pear, cored, chopped up
1 tsp or so of dukkah
2 tbsp. Fig Balsamic Dressing

Yum!

Rated a 4.65 on the Kale Scale.

Simple Salad with Pineapple, Green Olives and Kale

Simple and quick. Tasty.

Mix together, how you like for a salad:

1 cup Kale, ripped to bite size pieces
1/2 cup Pineapple, raw, diced up
8 Olives, green castelverano, halved (pitted)
1 tsp Dukkah (minced nuts, Egyptian style)

Top with:

2 Tbsp  Fig Balsamic Dressing (Cindy's Kitchen for Whole Foods)
1-2 tsp shredded Parmesan cheese

Rated a 4.6 on the Kale Scale

Kale Chicken Saute with Red Cabbage, Shredded Ginger and Pineapple

I made a delicious chicken recipe in January, froze a piece, pulled it out to use tonight. Remembered the cabbage, and then there was this piece of ginger root that needed to be used. That's how this came together.

Saute
2 tsp olive oil
1/3 C onion, chopped up
1/3 C red cabbage, chopped up

After a bit, add and continue saute
8 grape tomatoes, quartered
1/2 C pineapple, chopped up
3 oz chicken breast, already cooked
2 tsp ginger, shredded
1 oz water
2 tsp balsamic vinegar

Add, wilt to your desire
1 C kale, ripped to bite size pieces
2 oz orange juice

Serve with a dash of dukkah on top.


Rated a 4.65 on the Kale Scale.

Kale Brussel Pineapple with Ginger

End of the week, end of the food supply before replenishing with the next grocery run. Using what's on hand.

Saute
2 tsp olive oil
1/3 cup onion, chopped
3 brussel sprouts, chopped up
1 bunch green onions, white part, sliced

Add and continue saute
2 tbsp olives, chopped (canned)
1/2 cup pineapple, raw, chopped up
25 grapes, halved
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ras el hanout

Add, cover, wilt as desired
1+ cup Kale, ripped up to bite size pieces
1 oz white wine

Serve with
1 tsp dukkah
1 tbsp Feta cheese crumbles

Rated a 4.7 on the Kale Scale.

Spiced Acorn Squash with Kale

Another squash recipe from my archives, to which I embellished a bit. The squash recipe is a keeper!

Bake the squash this way:
Cut the squash in half; bake acorn squash with some 100% orange juice in the cavity of each half; along with ground ginger, nutmeg and ras el hanout. No butter. No sugar. No oil.

When it has about 15 minutes left, I added couple tablespoons of buttermilk to each cavity. Mostly because I had some, and thought it might add something. It didn't hurt.

Once the squash is done, let it cool a bit. Then scoop out the squash meat and put in a bowl.

Add to the squash meet, some dukkah and some parmesan cheese.

Steam
1 cup kale, ripped to bite size pieces

Mix up
Half of the baked spiced, squash meet
Steamed kale pieces

Serve with a topping of
1.5 oz of greek non-fat plain yogurt



Rated a 4.7 on the Kale Scale.

Cabbage, Pineapple and Kale Sauted with Wine

Pulling together several things in the refrigerator for this one.  This turned out to be very tasty!

Saute
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/4 cup cabbage, chopped
1/3 cup pineapple, chopped
7 olives, castelvetrano, halved
2 fingerling potatos, sliced fine
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/2 tsp ras el hanout

Let that cook for a bit.

Add, cover and wilt as desired
2 Tbsp wine
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 cup kale, ripped to bitesize pieces

Serve with
1 Tbsp dukkah (Egyption nut and spice mix)

Rated a 4.66 on the Kale Scale.

Pineapple-Pear Kale Dukkah Dusted

At the holidays, I received handcrafted olive oil and balsamic vinegar from Washington. This mix is one way in which I used a bit of these gifts.

Saute
2 tsp Basil Olive Oil
1/2 cup pineapple, cut up
2/3 red pear, cored and cup up
1 tbsp Prickly Pear Balsamic Vinegar

Steam
1+ cup kale, ripped to bite size pieces

Serve
Put the pineapple and pear on top of the kale.
Dust with 1+ Tbsn of Dukkah (Egyptian nut-spice mix)

Rated a 4.7 on Kale Scale.

Kale with Broccolini and Brussel Sprouts

Started out thinking I didn't have any kale tonight, and given that what was the next best thing - brussel sprouts... not the next best thing, like a favorite, but the next best thing nutrition wise. After more than a year of this, I can say that I like kale better than something ... brussel sprouts!

After I got everything going, simmering, I remembered - I froze some kale before my last vacation in October!  I pulled that out of the freezer, and voila - another kale concoction was created.

Saute
2 tsp olive oil
1/3 cup onion, chopped up
3 brussel sprouts, chopped up
1 small sweet red pepper, chopped up

After a bit, add
2/3 cup pineapple, raw, unsweetened, chopped up
1/2 cup broccolini florets
2-3 Tbsp water or other liquid
Dashes of each - chili powder, ground pepper, turmeric, Mrs Dash

Serve with
2-3 Tbsp non-fat greek yogurt, plain
1-2 tsp dukkah
1-2 tsp parmesan cheese, grated
1 tsp worcestershire sauce


Rated a 4.59 on the Kale Scale

A quick side dish to go with a hunk of halibut - a variation on the Kale with Parmesan from last week. Very good, fast food!

Steam
1+ cup kale, ripped to bite size pieces

Toss steamed kale with
7 grape size tomatoes, halved
8 green olives - castelvetrano, halved
3 Tbsp crumbled Feta cheese
1 tsp Dukkah (see previous blog entries too)

Rated a 4.68 on the Kale Scale.

Pineapple Kale dusted with Dukkah

A quick tasty side.

Steam
1 cup kale, ripped to bite size pieces
1/2 cup pineapple
1 Tbsp of chopped olives

Serve and top with
1-2 Tbps Dukkah


Rated a 4.67 on the Kale Scale.

Kale Steamed With Parmesan and Dukkah

A quick side dish to go with a hunk of salmon. Very good, fast food!

Steam
1 cup kale, ripped to bite size pieces

Toss steamed kale with
7 grape size tomatoes, halved
8 green olives - castelvetrano, halved
2 tsp capers
2 Tbsp shredded parmesan
1-2 tsp Dukkah (see previous blog entries too)

Serve with
1.2 tsp worcestershire sauce

Rated a 4.68 on the Kale Scale.

Brussel Pineapple Egg'n'Kale

This was 20 minutes in the making. Turned out pretty good. That is for Brussel Sprouts and Kale.

Saute
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup onion, chopped

Add and continue saute
3 brussel sprouts, chopped up
1/2 cup raw pineapple, chopped up

Push saute to side, and adjust temperature to fry egg:
1 egg

While that's cooking, steam:
1 cup Kale, ripped to bite size pieces

Serve
Place steamed kale on plate and top with the egg and vegie saute.
Dust with some dukkah (the finely chopped nut and spice mix)

Rated a 4.64 on the Kale Scale.

Hotsy Totsy Steamed Kale

Quick and easy this was. The hotsy totsy part is adding 1/8 to 1/4 tsp of chili powder to this concoction. But that paired nicely with the pineapple and Ras El Hanout.

Steam 1.5 minutes in microwave:

2 brussel sprouts, cut up
1/2 cup pineapple chunks, cut up
1 clementine, peeled and segmented, those cut in half
4 green onions, white part sliced thin
1 oz white wine
1/2 tsp Ras El Hanout
1/8 to 1/4 tsp chili powder
2 tsp dukkah (the Egyptian nut crumbles)

Add, and steam 2 minutes more in microwave:

1+ cup kale, purple and green, ripped to bite size pieces.

Serve and dust with a bit more dukkah.

Rated a 4.65 on Kale Scale

Dukkah Dusted Kale

Dukkah, pronouced do-ah, is an Egyptian/Middle Eastern dipping spice - often used when dipping bread in olive oil, and then dipping in the dukkah.  Often made with hazelnuts, it can be made with a variety of nuts and spices. It's more that the final result is a jar full of a crumbly spiced nut topping.

Someone asked me if I had ever tried any, and no, so I got to researching. This is the best explanation I've found to far.  I pulled out the Egyptian cookbook I bought in Egypt (which is written in Spanish as it was the only version left at the airport souvenir shop), and found its recipe for Dukkah, which I chose to follow, more or less.

I used walnuts, as I thought that was what nueces meant in spanish, and I would use hazelnuts next time. I mixed sesame, coriander seeds, walnuts, cumin seeds. Toasted in oven for about an hour at 175-200f. And then put 1/3 at a time in the blender and ground it up, but not pulverize.

I made the dukkah yesterday, and used it today for this recipe.

Steam, 2 minutes in microwave
1 cup kale, ripped to bit size pieces
2 tsp cooking sherry

Mix steamed kale with
5 cherry tomatoes, halved
6 green olives (castelverano)
3 black olives

Serve mixed up kale and veggies on plate and
Dust with 2 tablespoons of kale.

Rated a 4.7 on the Kale Scale.