Savory Kale Salad with Feta Cheese

Over 90 today according to the thermometer on back porch. Didn't want to heat up the kitchencooking.  I've been wanting to make a black bean taco, but that involved cooking. So, I used the coleslaw and dressing ideas from that recipe for this salad. Worked well. Deelicious!

Steam in microwave 1 and 1/2 minutes
1+ cup kale, ripped to bitesize pieces

Mix together with steamed kale and toss
12 or so grape tomatoes, halved
6 or so green olives, halved (castelvetrano kind)
6 falafel balls from Whole Foods, ready to eat section, quartered
1/2 cup Angel Hair coleslaw (from a package at Safeway)

Make dressing
1 Tbsp non-fat plain yogurt
1 Tbsp white balsamic vinegar
9 sprigs of cilantro cut up
2 green onions, diced
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Mix the tossed salad with the dressing.

Serve with 1 Tbsp of feta cheese crumbles on top.

Rated a 4.75 on the Kale Scale.

Scrambled Eggs and Kale

Using tomatoes from my garden, this was a fairly simple dinner. Tasty too!

Saute
2 tsp olive oil
1/3 cup onion, chopped
1 brussel sprout (it's all I had)

Steam in microwave 2 minutes
1+ cup of kale, cut up to small pieces

Add and continue sauting
Steamed kale
12 grape size tomatoes, halved

 Add and scramble
2 eggs beaten with 1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/2 tsp Spanish seasoning (that's the label)

Serve with a splash of Worcestershire sauce.


Rated a 4.58 on the Kale Scale.

Kale Mashed - Variation

Using leftovers for the foundation of this dinner.  It was very tasty!

Layer and heat in microwave in a bowl and mix up after
1 serving of mashed blue (or purple) potatoes
1+ cup kale, ripped to bite size pieces

2 Tbsp white wine

Cook in microwave, and cut kernels off after
1 ear of corn

Cook in microwave, and cut up
1 veggie patty (Morningstar)

Mix all the ingredients together and top with
8 grape tomatoes, halved (from my garden!)

Deeelicious!!

Rated a 4.74 on the Kale Scale.

Corn Kale with Veggie Patties

This mixture was very hearty, filling and delicious! The tomatoes were out of my garden Grow Box which turning out tomatoes more successfully than my other attempts over the last couple years.

Cook 
1 ear of corn (I used microwave)
Cut the kernels from corn
Add butter and pepper to taste.

Steam
1 cup of kale, ripped to bite size pieces

Microwave
3 veggie patties - I use Morningstar Breakfast Patties (flavored like sausage)

Assemble on dinner plate
Steamed kale
Corn Kernels
Breakfast patties, cut up
10 Tomatoes, halved

Splash with Worcestershire sauce, and enjoy!

Rated a 4.7 on the Kale Scale.

Fresh Corn Kale Salad with Figs

Had a couple things on hand which prompted this salad.

Cook an ear of corn 

I used the microwave - 4 minutes
Cut the kernels off the cob, and mix with 2 tsp of butter and 1/2 tsp of black pepper.

Mix ingredients, toss, layer - whatever - to make salad

1+ cup Kale, ripped to bite size pieces
10 tomatoes, grape size, halved
Prepared kernels from the corn
2 figs, peeled, and sliced
2 Tbsp Fig Balsamic Dressing (Cindy's Kitchen for Whole Foods)

Serve and enjoy!


Rated a 4.65 on the Kale Scale.

Watermelon Smoothie

Half of a small watermelon made about 2 cups for a smoothie. The ingredients were added at random from there.

Add and blend as desired (Vitamix took less than a minute)

2 cups watermelon
1/2 cup pineapple chunks, raw
3 clementines, peeled
2 Tbsp Hemp protein powder (Bob's Red Mill)
1/4 cup yogurt, Danon Light'n'Fit vanilla
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 tbsp hummus
2/3 cup milk
1/4 cup pomegranate juice
10 grape tomatoes
1.25 cups of kale


Rated a 4.67 on the Kale Scale.

Smoothie for a Hot Day

Hot today. Felt like 90+. Doldrums, no wind. Great day for a smoothie! Delicious!

Put in Vitamix and blend

1 cup	MILK, NONFAT (SKIM)
2 tbsp	hemp protein powder, Bob's Red Mill
1 fruit	ORANGE
3/4 cup	GRAPES
30	BLUEBERRIES
2/3	CARROT
4 medium	STRAWBERRIES
2 oz	YOGURT, VANILLA, NONFAT, Dannon
1/4 tsp	CINNAMON, GROUND
1/2 tsp	NUTMEG, GROUND
10	Tomato, grape

Rated a 4.7 on the Kale Scale.

Fruit Spiced Sauce on Kale

Making a side dish to go with a salmon fillet. Started with the tomatoes and olives, then pulled out an apricot that has been too tart to eat outright. And this just evolved from that start.

Saute
2 tsp olive oil
1/3 cup onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, slice fine

Add and continue
10 grape tomatoes, halved
5 green olives, halved (castle vetrano)
1 apricot, raw, cut up

Add, mix it up, lower heat and simmer for a few minutes
1 oz Pomegranate juice (100% POM brand)
1 oz sherry
1 oz soy milk
1 tsp Gulden's brown mustard
2 Tbsp date crumbles (Bob's Red Mill)
1/8 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp black pepper
3/4 tsp ras el hanout

Steam on the dinner plate (use a steam cover)
1+ cup kale, ripped up to bite size pieces

Top the kale with the fruit spiced sauce and enjoy!

Rated a 4.6 on the Kale Scale

Citrus Smoothie with Hummus

Tossing things in the vitamix to make this smoothie.  It was pretty good! 

However... I have been reading Fat Chance by Dr. Robert Lustig. Finally, a book about how bad added sugar really is!  He is offering evidence for why we have an obesity pandemic.  I highly recommend the book.

He also talks about other facets of food, including the role of fiber and how soluble fiber can’t do its job without insoluble fiber being present (which gets completely destroyed in all processed or blended food, yes blended, as in a blender, as in a vitamix).  So I won't be going full blended meals; and I'll probably still have smoothies, cause it's just so easy.

Blend

1 orange
1+ cup of Kale
3/4 cup raw pineapple
2 Tbsp hummus
5 grape tomatoes
1/2 yellow pepper

Rated a 4.51 on the Kale Scale.

Tipsy Kale

After sauteing the veggies and fruit, I decided to simmer in wine for a bit. And when I was ready to steam the kale, I spritzed it with 2 tsp of wine.  It all worked well!  The one thing I'd do differently is to leave out the tomatoes, and up the number of apricots. The apricot was actually an after thought when it looked like I needed more veggies for the amount of kale I ripped up. All in all, a fine side for a Sunday salmon dinner.

Saute

This is a fully packed cup o' kale and then some.

2 tsp olive oil
1/3 cup onion, cut up (sweet Walla Walla onion)
2 tsp raw ginger, cut up fine

Add and continue saute
9 grape tomatoes, halved
1 apricot, cut up

Simmer, uncovered about 2 minutes, with
2 oz white wine

Cover with steam lid, and steam in microwave, about 2 minutes

1+ cup Kale, ripped up
2 tsp white wine, sprinkled around on the kale

Serve with cut up cilantro garnish and a splash of Worcestershire sauce.

Rated a 4.58 on the Kale Scale.

Kale Caper

It is cold, rainy, stormy in the 50s. Like a nice winter day - but, it's spring! This calls for a warm dinner.  Inspired by some Canadian Bacon and capers that I had in the 'fridge.  This hit the spot for this cool blustery evening.

Saute:
2 tsp olive oil
1/3 cup onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp raw ginger, cut up fine

Add and continue saute:
3 slices lean canadian bacon (the kind that gets you 60 cals for 60 grams of bacon)
8 grape tomatoes, halved

Add and scramble:
1 egg, beaten
3 tsp capers

While the egg cooks, steam:
1 cup kale

To serve:
- put the steamed kale on plate
- top with the scramble mix
- add a dash or worcestershire sauce

Rated a 4.85 on the Kale Scale

Cabbage, Sprouts and Kale with Olives and Cheese

Made this to go with a halibut steak. Putting pineapple together with tomato - not sure I'd to that again. This wasn't a favorite.

Saute:
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup Onion, chopped
2 brussel sprouts, chopped
1/2 cup red Cabbage, chopped
1/4 tsp ras el hanout
1/4 tsp ground coriander

After a bit, add and continue to saute
1/3 cup Pineapple, raw, diced
10 grape tomatoes, halved
8 green, pitted, castelvetrano olices, halved
1/3 cup soy milk

Add and cover
1 cup Kale, ripped to bite size pieces, and wilt in the steam of the soy milk

Top with
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1-2 tsp grated parmesan cheese

Rated a 3.5 on the Kale Scale.

Steamed Kale Topped With Roasted Vegies

Decided to roast some root vegies which included fennel bulb, onion, parsnip, turnip, rutabaga, yellow pepper, fingerling potatoes. Roasted with a bit of oil, balsamic vinegar, ras el hanout spice, chili pepper ground, black pepper ground, ground ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon. HmmMmm... good!

Steam
1 Cup of Kale, ripped to bite size pieces

Top with
1 and 1/4 cup of the roasted vegies
10 grape tomatoes, halved.

Enjoy!


Rated a 4.71 on the Kale Scale.

Winter Salad

The spring like weather yesterday inspired a salad.

Toss and mix up, then serve:

1+ cup purple kale, ripped to bite size pieces
8 green olives, halved
12 grape tomatoes, quartered
2 oz whiskey cask cheddar (from Whole Foods)
1 tsp pepper, ground
2 Tbsp Fig Balsamic Dressing (Whole Foods)







Rated a 4.667 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.

Fried Egg Vegie Mix Kale

This is a variation from another meal from last week. Vegies saute, with a couple thin pork slices, fry and egg in the middle.

Saute
1+ tsp olive oil
1/3 cup onion, chopped
2 little itty bitty fingerling potatoes, sliced thin
2 brussel sprouts, chopped up
7 grape tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup pineapple, cut up
2 little cooked breakfast lean pork chops (tiny, 2 oz total), sliced up

Add and wilt, and then mix it all up
1+ cup Kale, ripped to bite size pieces
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/4 tsp Mrs Dash
2 Tbsp wine
1+ tsp balsamic vinegar

Fry egg
Move the kale around so a clear spot in the middle of saute pan.
1 egg - fry to your desired level of doneness.

Serve with a dash of worcestershire sauce.


Rated a 4.7 on the Kale Scale.

Steamed Kale Salad

I call this a salad because everything but the Kale was fresh, not cooked, I tossed it all together, and gave is a dash of salad dressing.  Pretty good, nice and quick.  The fresh pineapple salsa is made at Whole Foods and sold in the fruits and vegetable area in their cold case.

Steam
1+ cup Kale, ripped to bite size pieces

Add, and mix up or toss
7 grape tomatoes, halved
6 green olives, castelvetrano, halved
1/4 cup pineapple jalapeno salsa, Whole Foods
2 tsp feta cheese, crumbles
1/3 cup pineapple, cut up
2 tsp fig balsamic vinegar

Serve with
1 tbsp of dukkah, dusting on the top


Rated a 4.69 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.

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.