Pear Parmesan Kale Salad

A simple salad and convenient side for a salmon steak. Quite tasty!

Toss as desired:

1+ Cup Kale, ripped to bite size pieces
1 pear, cored, diced - unpeeled
2 tbsp toasted almond slivers
3 tbsp grated parmesan
2 tbsp fig balsamic vinegar dressing


Enjoy!

Rated a 4.7 on the Kale Scale.

Kale Saute with Chicken, Pear and Anise

A quick saute for dinner. Cut up a left over cooked chicken breast to incorporate. This was good.


Saute
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 fennel/anise bulb cut up
1/4 cup onion, cut up
3/4 pear, chopped up

Add, cover and wilt
1/4 cup orange juice
1 Tbsp white wine
1+ cup kale, ripped to bite size

Rated a 4.4 on the Kale Scale

Savory Fruit Kale Saute

The weather is finally cold again, and that encourages one to saute kale. The summer and early fall was just too hot to do that without heating up the house.


Using what I had in the fridge, comes this option for tonight.

Saute until limp
1-2 tsp olive oil
1/3 cup onion, chopped up

Add and continue saute
2/3 pear, cut up
2/3 nectarine, cut up
2 tsp pumpkin seeds, toasted

Add, cover and wilt as desired
1.5 cups kale, ripped to bite size pieces
2 tsp capers
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3 Tbsp orange juice
3 Tbsp white wine

Mix it all up, simmer without lid to reduce the juices.
Serve and enjoy!

Rated a 4.66 on the Kale Scale

Watermelon Kale Salad with Walnuts

A summer salad with fresh watermelon. Very tasty!

Mix, toss, layer - whatever you want - put these ingredients together:

1.3 cups Kale, cut to small, but not fine size pieces
1 cup+ of watermelon balls (about 20 or so)
1 pear, cored and diced. (Leave the peel intact)
1 oz walnut pieces
2 tbsp of Tangerine Vinaigrette Dressing (Cindy's Kitchen)

Serve and enjoy!!

Rated a 4.6 on the Kale Scale

Kale Pear Salad with Strawberry Mustard Vinaigrette

Inspired by, and not a replica of, a recipe in Eating Well magazine. The dressing was tasty - very nice!  Next time, I might use an apple in the salad and maybe some walnuts. But, overall, very, very good!

Use electric hand blender to mix the following to make Vinaigrette
- 3 big strawberries, cut up
- 2 green onions, white part diced
- 1/4 clove garlic, diced
- 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 3/4 tsp mustard (Portland Mustard, but use any not dijon)
- 5 sprigs of chives
- 3 tsp orange juice, 100% juice
- up to 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Toss together to make salad
- 1.25 cups kale, ripped to bite size pieces
- 1 pear, cored, diced.
- 6 green olives (castelvetrano), halved
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup angel hair coleslaw (actually finely shredded cabbage)

Mix together and serve
- Veggie mix
- Vinaigrette
- 1 tbsp feta cheese crumbles, sprinkled on top

Rated a 4.53 on the Kale Scale.

Kale Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

I was inspired to try a Lemon Vinaigrette after having that in a salad at the Rheinlander Restaurant this week. My version, well, not as tasty as the restaurant's. But, it was a solid showing - had good flavor and structure. When I try it again, I'll probably have more fruit, add some cheese, and reduce the olive oil, and maybe add a touch of a lemon vinegar.  The dressing itself disappeared into the kale. Not messy at all. And not over powered on the flavor.

Lemon Vinaigrette - mix together; whisk or put in jar with tight lid and shake
2.5 Tbsp of olive oil
1/2 tsp yellow mustard (or your choice, but mustard)
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1/4 tsp ras el hanout spice

Salad - toss as you wish 
1.75 cups of Kale (yes, this much. cut up with kitchen shears to make pieces smaller)
1/2 cup or about 20 pods of sugar snap peas, chopped
1 pear, chopped  (counted about 80% after cut out bruises)
1 nectarine, chopped (ditto the 80%)

Pour in the vinaigrette and mix it up.

Serve with
3 tsp of chopped, dry roasted, unsalted almonds

Rated a 4.63 on the Kale Scale

Kale Salad with Pear, Cranberries and Asiago Cheese

This was delicious!  And very quick to make.

Toss together

1.5 cups Kale, cut fine with kitchen shears
1 red pear, cored, chopped
1 oz of Asiago cheese, diced
 1.5 oz dried cranberries, sweetened with juice
2 Tbsp of Fig Balsamic Dressing
Dusting of Dukkah on top

Serve and enjoy!

Rated a 4.68 on the Kale Scale

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Kale, Pear and Fried Egg

Looking for simple, and filling. This egg and pear inspired mix worked!

Saute
2 tsp olive oil
1/3 cup onion, chopped
3/4 red pear, cored, chopped

As this cooks add
1/4 cup pomegranate juice
1/2 tsp ras el hanout spice
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp fresh chives, snipped to pieces
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

Move the vegetables to around the edge of pan add and fry your way
1 egg
1/2 tsp black pepper

Serve and enjoy!

Rated a 4.45 on the Kale Scale

Kale with Pork, Pear and Onion in Mustard Sauce

This turned out great - delicious and simple.  Using Organic Yellow Mustard from Portlandia Foods Company - a very nice mustard that has no sugar in it. 

Saute for a bit to soften the onion, and heat the pear
2 tsp  olive oil
1/3 cup onion, chopped
1/2 pear, chopped


Add and continue sauteing til pork is heated through to your liking
4.5 oz pork chop, diced  (using 1 and 1/2 slices of Hormel Smoked Pork Chops)

Add, cover, wilt 
1 cup kale, ripped to bite size pieces
Mustard sauce made of .... 3 tbsp Organic Yellow Mustard, 1/4 cup each orange juice and soy milk

Uncover and simmer sauce down

Serve with a dusting of dukkah on top.



Rated a 4.5 on the Kale Scale.

Sweet and Savory Kale

Getting to the end of the week and cleaning out the miscellaneous from fridge. Turned out to be very tasty - the pear and persmisson were a good match for the brussel sprouts.

Saute
2 tsp olive oil
1/3 cup onion, chopped
1/4 cup fennel bulb, chopped
1 fingerling potato, chopped
3 brussel sprouts, chopped

After a bit add and continue saute, lower heat and cover
1 red pear, cored and cut up
1 persimmon, cored and cut up (keep the peel on)
1 oz white wine
2 tsp white balsamic vinegar
1 tsp ras el hanout
1/4 tsp cardamon
1/4 tsp coriander
2 veggie patties (Morningstar), cut up

Steam in microwave
1+ cup of kale

Pile the sweet and savory mix on top of the steamed kale and enjoy!


Rated a 4.79 on the Kale Scale.

Squash and Pear Hash on Kale

Looking around for what to do with acorn squash and a pear plus, or course, kale. Decided to create a fruit and veggie hash. It was delicious!

Microwave til done
1 acorn squash.  Cut in half, scoop out seeds. Only using 1/2 so set the rest aside.

Saute til onion is limp
1/3 cup onion, chopped up
1.5 tsp olive oil

Add and continue saute
1 pear, asian, cored, chopped fine (peel left on)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp tumeric
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Simmer with

1 oz white wine
1 Tbsp fig balsamic vinegar
1 tsp sesame seeds

Add, mix up and heat through
2 fake sausage patties, cut up
1/2 cooked acorn squash - scoop out by spoonful and add to pan

Steam till wilted, about 2 minutes
1+ cup kale, ripped to bite size pieces

Assemble on dinner plate
Steamed kale topped with the squash and pear hash mixture
10 green olives, halved (castelvetrano olives)


 Rated a 4.78 on the Kale Scale

Pear and Bacon Kale Salad

The bacon was actually 'fake bacon' or Morningstar veggie strips. While the salad was filling, it was not my favorite. It might have been better with real bacon bits!

Steam in microwave
1+ cup kale, ripped to bite size pieces

Add to the kale, toss or layer
1 pear, cored and cut up
7 fake bacon strips, crumbled
2 Tbsp Fig Balsamic Dressing (Cindy's Kitchen for Whole Foods)


Rated a 4.3 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.

Pear with Gouda Kale Salad

A simple side salad for my salmon dinner.  The salad was delicious!

Mix, toss, layer - make a salad with:

1+ C   kale, ripped to bite size pieces
1   red pear, cored, cut up (keep the peel on)
1 oz   smoked gouda cheese, diced
9 sprigs  cilantro

Serve with:

2 Tbsp  Fig Balsamic Dressing (Cindy's Kitchen for Whole Foods)


Rated a 4.68 on the Kale Scale.

Chicken Salad Kale

Simple, if you have the chicken ready. I had made up pound chicken thin breast fillets a couple days ago - dredged with buttermilk, almond meal, wheat germ and spices chili powder, coriander, ras el hanout. Yum!

Layer or toss to make salad:

1+ cup kale, ripped to bite size pieces
1/2 cup pineapple, raw, cut up
1/2 pear, cored, cut up (leave the peel on)
3 oz chicken breast, cut up

Top with dressing:

2 tbsp Fig Balsamic Dressing (Cindy's Kitchen for Whole Foods)

Rated a 4.5 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 Fruit in Buttermilk Saute

The buttermilk was for some mashed potatoes that I made, and since I had some left, I thought, how can I use that with some kale. This was the result.

Carmelized the onions to go into the mashed potatoes, and I save 1/4 cup to go with the kale.

Saute
2 tsp olive oil
2 Brussel Sprouts, chopped up.
1/4 cup onion (previously chopped and carmelized)

Add, and cover, lower heat
1/4 pear, cored, chopped (leave the peel on)
1 persimmon, Fuyu or Japanese, short squat one, peeled, cored, chopped
Dashes of chili powder, ras el hanout
2 Tbsp water

Steam for 1.5 minutes
1+ cup kale, ripped to bite size pieces

Add, stir in
1/4 to 1/3 cup buttermilk - it just disappears into the veggie mix

Add, cover, wilt as desired
Steamed kale

Mix it all together and serve.

Rated a 4.68 on the Kale Scale.