Kohlrabi Chickpea Salad

What is kohl-rabi? Kohl...rabi? Is that how you say it?

What does kohl-rabi taste like? Can you eat the leaves?

That's a funny looking vegetable! 

I've seen kohlrabi at the store, but I don't know what to do with it. How do you prepare it?


In my life away from this computer, I spend a lot of time talking to people about vegetables and encouraging kids and adults to eat outside of their comfort zones. Fall and winter brings us many vegetables that we are already familiar with and love, including: winter squashes, a variety of greens, and beautiful root vegetables. I've found that kohlrabi is one of the most unfamiliar veggies this season and most people have questions about how to prepare it and what to do with it.

Today I have a special treat for you... Check out the video below to learn how easy it is to prepare kohlrabi and see the cooking demo for this delicious recipe!

This recipe can be easily assembled in under ten minutes and is the perfect make-ahead dish for weekday lunches. The ingredients are very flexible so if you don't have broccoli stalks, you can sub more kohlrabi or cabbage.  And, if a sweeter version is desired, simply add some shredded carrots or apples to the mix!

Kohlrabi Chickpea Salad
Serves 6 - 8

Ingredients:
2 medium or 3 small kohlrabi
five medium broccoli stalks (one pound)
one small head (one pound) red cabbage
grated zest of 1 lemon
lemon juice from two lemons (6 tablespoons)
large bunch of dill, roughly chopped (about 6 heaping tablespoons)
1/3 cup olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
2 cups cooked chickpeas/garbanzo beans
freshly-ground black pepper to taste

Instructions:
Peel the kohlrabi and broccoli stalks and grate or process in food processor, until finely shredded. Slice the cabbage finely into 1/4-inch thick strips. Put kohlrabi, broccoli, and cabbage into a large mixing bowl.

Mix the lemon zest, lemon juice, dill, olive oil, and garlic clove together and pour over kohlrabi mixture. Add sea salt.  Use your hands to massage everything together for about a minute so the flavors will mix and the cabbage will soften.  Add the chickpeas and mix. Let sit for about ten minutes.

Top with freshly-ground black pepper and serve. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to five days.

Recipe shared at Wellness Weekend

Daikon Carrot Salad with Almonds

Do you know how hard it is to get a cat to make a cute paw print on a card?  No, of course you don't... because why would you?  Why on earth would you do something weird and wacky like that?  Things like this are best left up to me; then I can come back and tell you how crazy they are.

I got this idea to make a card "from our cats" for my partner for Valentine's Day.  Naturally my first concern was what medium to use that would be safe on their paws. Anything possibly toxic like ink and paint were most definitely out so I opted for fresh beet juice.

You should know that beet juice stains. Bad. Especially when there are tiny paws covered in beet juice that are running very quickly away from you. In the end, I didn't even get a cute paw print on the card. All I got was a couple of red, ill-shaped blobs. I think the card ended up looking more like a threat than a gesture of one's love and admiration.  

So, the lesson here is simple: don't be like me when it comes to cats... or probably life in general. But, if you like good food, you are more than welcome to be like me when it comes to this salad.

This salad is simple and easy to adapt depending on the produce you have on-hand.  I love using daikon radish in this salad for its mild spice that complements the sweet carrots and broccoli stalks perfectly.  Serve this as a refreshing appetizer or side dish to any entree.

Daikon Carrot Salad
Adapted from Clean Start by Terry Walters
Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 cups julienned daikon radish
2 cups julienned carrots
2 cups julienned broccoli stalks
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup chopped raw almonds

Dressing
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons ume plum vinegar
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions:
Place daikon, carrots, broccoli, and cilantro in a large mixing bowl and toss to combine.  In separate bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients.  Drizzle dressing over salad and toss evenly to coat. Fold in chopped almonds and serve.

Tempeh of the Sea

Things I love about summertime...

• The way my kitchen always smells like a juice bar
• Sleeping with the windows wide open
• Biting into cool, crisp watermelon slices
• Mock tuna salads

Things that drive me crazy about summer time...

• The way my kitchen is always swarming with fruit flies
• Waking to the sound of chirping birds at 5 am and my cat trying to rip out the screen in order to get to them
• Biting into mushy watermelon slices
• Running out of my favorite mock tuna salad

For someone that can't stand the thought of seafood or the smell of the ocean, I am oddly obsessed with mock tuna salads, especially in summer.  Every time I am at a new restaurant and see a mock tuna salad on the menu I have to try it.  My obsession finally got to the point where I knew it was time to make my own version so I could have it whenever I wanted.  And so I did.  

I used tempeh to replace the “tuna” in this recipe.  (If you are unfamiliar with tempeh, you can read more about it in a previous post here.) Let me tell you that I have eaten this every week for the past six weeks... in cold sandwiches, on top of romaine salads, and grilled in flat bread.  In fact, I have been so busy eating this that I keep forgetting to share the recipe with you.  My apologies.    

Tempeh of the Sea
Serves 4

1 -8 oz package plain tempeh, crumbled
1/4 medium red onion, diced
2 green onions, diced
3 celery ribs, diced
3 Tablespoons sweet relish
1 cup cashew mayo (or vegan mayo of your choice)
1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
sea salt and pepper to taste

Crumble tempeh and mix with the red onion, green onion, celery, relish, mayo and brown mustard.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve cold or grilled.

Mizuna Salad with Roasted Cherries and Balsamic Glaze

Once in awhile a recipe comes along that changes my world.  This happened a few months ago when I discovered the beauty that is pineapple fried quinoa.  As a result of this discovery I think I ate enough pineapples over the winter to feed a small island.  And then there was this tahini broccoli salad with cashews.    After this my fridge has always been stocked with tahini, broccoli, and red onions.  Always.

But then I recently discovered that you can roast cherries.  And when cherries are roasted, their juices condense into the most intensely flavorful, sweet, cherry goodness that you can possibly imagine.  It is utterly indescribable.  If you are not a cherry person, I don't know what to tell you to convince you otherwise. But if you are?  This recipe is mandatory.

This salad was inspired by this week's farmers market bounty.  Fresh cherries and a bunch of mizuna, baby romaine, and baby kale.  Mizuna is a green with peppery flavor, similar to arugula.  Any mix of greens would work fine in this salad, but I especially loved the peppery and sweet contrast of the mizuna and cherries.  If you can't find mizuna, arugula would be an easy substitution. 

Once you roast the cherries, the rest of this salad is kept simple.  I added some raw cashews and a light drizzle of olive oil and balsamic glaze.  Balsamic glaze is also called balsamic reduction, which is balsamic vinegar that has been cooked down to form a thick, tangy-sweet syrup.  I used a storebought version, but there are plenty of tutorials out there if you want to make your own.

Mizuna Salad with Roasted Cherries and Balsamic Glaze
Serves 4 as a side

6 cups salad greens (I used 3 cups mizuna, 2 cups baby romaine, and 1 cup baby kale)
2 cups cherries, stemmed, pitted, and sliced in half
1/2 cup cashews (raw or roasted)
olive oil for drizzling
balsamic glaze for drizzling
coarse black pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Cover baking sheet with parchment paper (to keep cherries from sticking) and add cherry halves.  Roast for 15 - 20 minutes, turning once, until cherries are mostly dried and intensely sweet.

Divide salad greens among plates.  Top with roasted cherries and cashews. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic glaze.  Top with fresh pepper.

Southwest Salad with Jalapeno Avocado Lime Dressing

It's time to kick off summer.  It's time to put your hair in a ponytail, pull out the beach towels, and get out in the sun.  It's time for watermelon slices, corn on the cob, and picnics.  I think this also means it's time for picnic foods... easy dishes that you can share with friends and family and quick go-to meals that you can pack for yourself regardless of where you are headed.  No matter what you are up to this summer, this salad fits the bill.  

We start with a hearty bed of fresh greens and top it with corn, ripe tomatoes, black beans, bell peppers, and a spicy-sweet jalapeno avocado lime dressing.  Flax seed crackers are completely optional, but they add a fun crunch and are perfect for easy and healthy snacks (goodbye tortilla chips!).  What are you waiting for?  Make this salad and get out there!

This dressing is super simple: water, agave nectar, avocado, lime juice, jalapeno, garlic and salt. Ingredients get combined in a blender and in less than one minute you have an incredibly tasty dressing that is free of added oils!

This salad is gluten-free and can be made completely raw by substituting the cooked black beans for sprouted beans or lentils. Feel free to top it with other goodies like fresh salsa, pico de gallo, or avocado slices.

Southwest Salad
Serves 4

6 cups fresh salad greens
1 bell pepper, diced
2 1/2 cups cooked black beans
1 cup corn kernels (raw or cooked)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced

Divide ingredients among four plates.  Drizzle salad with dressing and serve with flax chips, if desired.

Jalapeno Avocado Lime Dressing:
Makes 1 1/4 cups

1 avocado, pitted and skinned
1 cup water
juice from 1/2 lime
1 garlic clove
1 jalapeno pepper, de-seeded
1 tablespoon agave nectar
1 pinch salt

Add ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.

Flax Chips
Adapted from Raw Food by Erica Palmcrantz
Makes 20 - 30 chips

1 1/2 cups flaxseed
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup water
juice from 1/2 lime
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon paprika
small pinch chile powder
1 teaspoon sea salt

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flaxseed, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds to the water.  Add more water if needed to achieve an oatmeal-like consistency.

Add the lime juice, cumin, paprika, chile powder and salt and thoroughly mix by hand.

Spread flax mixture flat onto a dehydrator tray lined with a Teflex/ParraFlex sheet. (It will take 3 - 4 trays total).  Dehydrate at 115 degrees F for about 8 - 12 hours, until crispy. Crackers are done with they are crispy and easy to break apart into pieces.  Store in a well-sealed container and they will last for several weeks, if not longer. 

(Note: some readers have asked about the dehydrator I use. I have a 9-tray Excalibur dehydrator that I bought three years ago and absolutely love. It's the perfect size for making several batches of raw goodies at once.)

Kale and Spelt Berry Salad

If you did not spend your Friday evening making kimchi and rocking out to Cher... then you really missed out on a good time.  If you did not spend your Saturday morning spilling a green smoothie on yourself while doing the Minion Mambo and rocking out to the Despicable Me soundtrack... then you really missed out this weekend.  And if you did not spend your Sunday evening making a kale salad and writing an embarrassing post about yourself ... then what did you do this weekend? 

For me, Sunday evenings are lazy evenings.  I am just starting to come down from my weekend-high and am about to crash right into reality.  This reality usually hits about 5 pm when I realize that a) dinner time is quickly approaching and I have nothing that's easy to prepare b) I haven't made Monday's lunch and c) I don't feel like making dinner for tonight or lunch for tomorrow.  These things are usually enough to make me a tad cranky, at least for the moment.  Luckily kale usually steps in to save the day.

I consider Sunday dinners to be successful only if they fulfill a few key requirements.  They must be satisfying, easy, quick, and tasty as lunch leftovers.  I'm happy to say that this one always fits the bill.

I love the chewy texture of the spelt berries with the kale and bell pepper in this salad.  The fresh basil adds a lot of flavor and is a wonderful reminder that summer is on its way.  This dish is perfect to serve as a light dinner, but it also makes a great side salad for a picnic or potluck.  It could also be topped with some french lentils to make it an even heartier entree.

Kale and Spelt Berry Salad
Serves 2 - 4

1/2 cup spelt berries
1.5 cups water
1 bunch kale, de-stemmed and shredded
juice from 1 lemon
1 bell pepper, chopped
small handful fresh basil leaves (about 12), chopped
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons sherry vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tablespoon maple syrup

Add spelt berries and water to a medium pot.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce heat to low and simmer until tender, about 45 minutes.  If there is excess water, drain the berries and set aside to cool. 


Add kale to a large bowl with lemon juice.  Then "massage" kale by hand for several minutes (this will help to soften the kale and make it less tough in the salad).  Add the bell pepper, basil leaves, and cooked spelt berries.  


Mix the olive oil, sherry vinegar, garlic, and maple syrup together.  Drizzle over salad, toss, and serve.  

Kale Caesar Salad

I think my apartment is haunted. Some of my things have been showing up in really weird places lately and last night my bathroom light turned on by itself.  I'm not kidding.  I know that you will try and talk me into thinking that I just left the light on accidentally or that maybe my cat somehow learned to flip the switch.  No way Jose.  I'm not convinced.

In my ghost-paranoid sleep I got exactly 2.3 hours of sleep.  It was a bit of a rough night.  In order to keep myself from completely freaking out I decided to stay up the rest of the night and hide out in my kitchen.  Naturally, this led to me trying to figure out what to do with a loaf of day-old bread from the local bakery that was too amazing to toss out. What else can you do with day-old bread at 4 am than make warm, toasty croutons fresh from the oven?  These disappeared a little too quickly for my comfort, but luckily that was my fault and nothing paranormal.

So, my apartment is haunted.  And I learned to make croutons.  What is new in your world?

I've been on a big raw kick lately.  Lots of raw vegetables, raw salads, and raw salad dressings.  I was  excited this week at the prospect of making a raw kale caesar salad.  But then I decided that nothing could make a kale caesar salad better than fresh croutons.  Of course these croutons entirely defeated the purpose of making the salad dressing raw, but who am I to say what's what.  So, have your raw kale salad and eat your croutons too. 

Raw Caesar Dressing
Yield: 1 cup of dressing
Adapted from Choosing Raw

3/4 cup raw cashews, soaked several hours or overnight
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
juice from 2 lemons
1 pitted Medjool date
2 large stalks celery

2 - 3 raw garlic cloves
1 teaspoon kelp granules (optional)
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup water
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Soak the raw cashews in plain water for several hours or overnight.  Drain water.  Add cashews to a food process or blender.  Add the additional ingredients and process/blend until smooth.  Add more water if necessary depending on desired consistency. 

Croutons

Inspired by Good Life Eats

2 cups bread cubes from day-old bread

2 teaspoons olive oil 

1/4 teaspoon dried or fresh thyme

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spread bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Brush with olive oil.  Sprinkle with thyme and garlic powder.  Toast bread for 5 minutes.  Flip croutons and toast for an additional 3 minutes.  

Note: your bread may require more or less cooking time depending on how old it is.  

Kale Caesar Salad

Serves 4

1 bunch of green curly kale, stems removed, torn into pieces

Raw Caesar dressing 

Croutons

Coarse black pepper to taste

Add 1/4 cup of dressing onto kale.  Massage dressing onto kale with your hands.  (This will help to soften the kale and keep it from being tough.) Add more dressing if desired.  (Note: there will be extra dressing left over.  Reserve this for additional salads.)  Top with croutons and serve. 

My Top 5 Tips for Quick, Healthy & Incredibly Easy Meals

I have received a couple of emails from readers asking for tips on how to start cooking more meals from scratch in their kitchen.  I think one of the most intimdating factors for most folks is thinking that cooking from scratch is going to be a huge amount of time.  I won't lie, you will have to devote some time to meal planning, grocery shopping, and basic kitchen prep work.  But, once you stock your kitchen up with some basics and learn a few quick go-to meals for easy breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, cooking from scratch will hardly seem intimidating!  Here are my top tips for making quick, healthy, and easy meals at home.  Whether you are a kitchen newbie or an experienced home chef, hopefully this will inspire and enlighten you!

1. Keep a well-stocked pantry of grains

If you are new to cooking or are hoping to start preparing more meals at home, then cooking your own grains is an easy place to start.  Go to the bulk bins at your local health foods store and stock up on some basics.  I always keep brown rice, red and white quinoa, spelt berries, millet, rolled oats, and brown rice pasta on hand.  Some grains take longer to cook than others (e.g. brown rice), which is why it is important to have a variety so that you can easily prepare something in 15 - 20 minutes (e.g. quinoa) if you don't have much time. 

Grains are great for quick dinner items like thai quinoa salad, kimchi fried rice, millet and aduki bean salad, spicy tofu and spelt berries salad, pineapple fried quinoa, or simple rice and beans.  Every Sunday evening I make a batch of brown rice and/or quinoa for the week.  Having grains already prepared for the week makes weeknight dinner assembly a snap!

2. Have pre-cooked (or canned) beans handy

Beans and lentils are a wonderful protein-source for plant-based diets and I think they are an important staple in any kitchen.  I prefer to cook my own beans rather than using canned beans because they taste fresher, have less sodium, and are more cost-efficient. I also like to cook my beans with kombu (edible kelp) because it helps to soften the beans while cooking, is a great source of trace minerals, and aids in digestion. 

To help save time, I will cook several big batches of beans once or twice a month and then keep the leftovers in the freezer. Canned beans are also a convientient option if you don't want to cook your own.  (If using canned beans, I recommend Eden Organic brand because they cook the beans with kombu and use cans that do not have BPA in the lining.)   If you have ready-made beans available, then it is incredibly easy to add beans to any dish.  

I recommend keeping your pantry stocked with at least some black beans (for burritos, tacos, or with a simple grain like rice), garbanzo beans (for pureed soups, salads, or a healthy hummus dip),  black eyed peas (for salads and soups), red lentils (for dahl), and grey-green lentils (for lentil loaf or curry).   Black-eyed peas and lentils cook up quickly so you don't have to worry about prepping them ahead of time.  

  

3. Use herbs for flavor

Herbs are one the best ways to add extra flavor to your meals and take your cooking to the next level.  Herbs are incredibly easy to grow indoors and make a great addition to any kitchen window.  My favorites include cilantro, Italian parsley, mint, rosemary, sage, basil, and thyme.  Once cut, I like to store my herbs in a small jar of water in the fridge to keep them perky and fresh for as long as possible. 

If you don't have access to fresh herbs, then keep a variety of dried herbs on hand.  Herbs will help you to add flavor and variety to dishes without resorting to using extra salt.  Herbs also allow you to get more creative with your cooking and feel rewarded (and not punished) for eating healthy!

4. Freeze leftover bananas

Do you ever feel guilty while watching a pile of bananas brown on your counter?  Well, say good-bye to your guilt!  I always keep a well-stocked freezer of peeled, chopped, frozen bananas to use in smoothies or oatmeal for breakfast.  Wait until your bananas are fully ripe (preferably starting to brown) before freezing them because that is when they are the sweetest and have the best flavor.  Once you have a freezer stash of bananas, you are ready to embark on many green smoothie adventures and you will always have an easy and filling breakfast or snack at your fingertips.   

5. Fall in love with salads

Salads are one of my favorite items to make because you can customize them in so many different ways and add your favorite toppings.  If you constantly change up your ingredients then salads never feel boring.  Plus, salads can be assembled fast! 

Start with a base of fresh greens like baby kale, arugula, romaine, spinach, or leaf lettuce.  Then add heartier vegetables like roasted squash, baked beets, roasted potatoes, or green beans. Then add your protein source: baked tofu, beans, lentils, you name it!  Don't forget fun additions like nuts, seeds, avocado, or fresh fruit.  And finally, finish it off with your favorite dressing.  Some of my favorites salads are this hearty winter squash salad, fresh greens with green goddess dressing, spinach and kale salad with pear vinaigrette, green bean and potato salad with miso dressing, and this winter citrus salad.

What are your favorite tips for quick, healthy, and easy meals at home?

Winter Citrus Salad

Consider this salad your reward.  Your reward for surviving a hard week filled with a late-night trip to the animal hospital, three sleepless nights in a row, some not-so-great medical news about your cat, and lots of worrying. This salad is for you, stressed-out mama.  So put your feet up.  It's the weekend and you deserve this.

This salad is uber-simple to prepare, but the results are worth it!  Start off with some roasted citrus fruit (inspired by Joy) drizzled with olive oil.  Add in some freshly-ground rosemary and black pepper with just a touch of salt. Serve this over a bed of dressed baby kale or arugula. Sprinkle some pumpkin seeds and chopped almonds over the top.  And you have yourself a salad.

This recipe is loose and can be adapted in many different ways.  I happened to have some fresh pineapple, an orange, and a pomelo (Asian citrus fruit) on hand, but this would be absolutely gorgeous with blood oranges.  I tossed my greens with just a little olive oil, salt, and pepper, but if you are using a tart fruit like grapefruit, a little pure maple syrup mixed in with the olive oil would be simply divine.

Winter Citrus Salad
Serves: you

2 - 3 types of citrus fruits (or a tropical fruit like pineapple)
Olive oil
A sprinkle of dried rosemary
Freshly-ground black pepper
Sea salt
1 - 2 cups of salad greens
A handful of almonds
A handful of pumpkin seeds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Segment the citrus by cutting off the top and bottom of the fruit then cutting away the peel and pith of the fruit.  Slice in-between the segments to remove any of the white skin in the middle of the fruit.  Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with rosemary, black pepper, and sea salt.  Roast for about 20 minutes.

Toss salad with a little olive oil and additional pepper, if desired.  Top greens with roasted fruit, nuts, and seeds.  Enjoy.

Gingered Sea Vegetable Salad

Let's be honest. I know that you didn't wake up this morning thinking to yourself, "I can't wait to eat a giant bowl of seaweed." (And if you did think that, you have my undying admiration.) Let's just say that I didn't wake up this morning thinking that either.

But, I know that sea vegetables are really important for my health. Seaweed is chock full of good stuff like B Vitamins, folic acid, and Vitamins C and E. It is also incredibly rich in minerals like magnesium and calcium and a good source of iodine, iron, and chlorophyll. This is especially important because over the past few years our soil has lost minerals so we aren't getting as many from our food as we used to.  As much as I hate the smell of the ocean, and especially seaweed, I'm gonna eat my sea vegetables.

Over time I have learned to enjoy nori in sushi, wakame (a dried brown seaweed used in cooking) in soups, and kombu (edible kelp) added to beans while cooking. But I never thought I would be able to enjoy arame.  Until now.

Arame grows off the coast of Japan and has a delicate texture.  Since it is typically eaten in salads, I wasn't sure if I would be able to stomach the "oceany" taste, but this salad left me pleasantly surprised.  This recipe begins with soaking the arame in water and since it grows in size, a little under two ounces will give you more than enough to feed four to six people. 

I think this salad will surprise you.  Since the arame is cooked in apple juice, it ends up tasting pleasantly sweet rather than oceany.  Combined with greens, veggies, and other herbs, this salad just ends up tasting really fresh and healthy - in a good way. 

If you are saving this recipe to serve later, keep the arame separate from the other ingredients so that the greens stay fresh.  Black-eyed peas are optional here, but they definitely add a little protein and make this more satisfying as a meal.  This salad is perfect as a light lunch or dinner.  Not only will it leave you satisfied and full of important vitamins and minerals, but it will give you full bragging rights that you not only ate seaweed and survived... but you actually enjoyed it!

Gingered Sea Vegetable Salad

Slightly adapted from Birgitte Antonsen

Serves 4 to 6

Sea Vegetable Mixture

About 2 ounces (1 bag) arame sea vegetable, soaked in cold water for 15 - 20 minutes

1 Tablespoon coconut oil 

1 1/2 cups fresh apple juice

3 Tablespoons raw agave syrup

3 Tablespoons tamari

3 Tablespoons minced garlic

2 Tablespoons minced ginger

Salad Ingredients

1 bunch of collard greens, stems removed, finely shredded

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Juice from 1 lemon

2 carrots, shredded

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 cup cooked black-eyed peas (optional)

3 green onions, diagonally sliced

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Soak arame in cold water for 15 - 20 minutes.  Rinse and strain.

In a skillet, sauté the arame with the coconut oil for about 5 minutes.  Add the apple juice and let it simmer, covered, for about 10 minutes.  Remove lid and sauté until liquid has evaporated.  Add the agave, tamari, garlic, and ginger.  Saute until liquid has evaporated.  Remove from the heat and let it cool.  

Massage collard greens with olive oil and lemon juice.  Mix salad ingredients together in a large bowl.  

Mix sea vegetables and salad mixture together just before serving.  

Warm Winter Squash Salad

It's been a snowy weekend here in Seattle.  I started my weekend with a trip to the grocery store to stock up on goods in case the weather got worse.  And besides heading out to the gym a few times, we've pretty much stayed indoors.  Between Dance Central on kinect, cleaning projects, photo and writing projects, and being entranced with season 2 of Lost, I've kept myself pretty occupied.  The cats enjoyed watching the falling snow and Bilbo decided that sitting at my photography station (where I photograph all of my food photos) was the coziest place to watch the weather.  And fulfill his dream of being a kitty model.

It is usually hard for me to eat salads during the winter because cold food doesn't sound as appealing, but I happily munched on this one all weekend.  This salad starts with a bed of peppery arugula topped off with warm delicata squash and french lentils.  It's finished with sweet pomegranate seeds and a tangy lemon dressing.  This salad was just what I needed to power our kinect marathon and keep me warm during the snowstorm. 

Warm Winter Squash Salad
Serves 4
1 cup french lentils, cooked
2 cups water
2 medium delicata squash
1 Tablespoon coconut oil
Seeds from 1 pomegranate
6 cups of baby arugula

Add lentils and water to a pot over high heat.  Bring to a boil, and then simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes, or until tender.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut squash into equal bite-size pieces.  Toss with coconut oil and lay flat on sheet pan.  Roast for 20 minutes, until tender, turning at least once.

Divide the arugula amongst four plates.  Top with warm lentils, squash, and pomegranate seeds.

Dressing:

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 Tablespoons maple syrup

juice from 1 lemon

1 Tablespoon brown mustard

salt and pepper to taste

Mix ingredients until combined.  Drizzle over salad and serve. 

Spinach and Kale Salad with Pear Vinaigrette

Here's a little writing tip for you... If you should ever find yourself racking your brain for writing topics and coming up short, write about cats.  Everyone has an opinion on cats.  Hopefully your readers' opinions are favorable, but even if they are not maybe they'll stick around long enough to tell you that your cats look creepy.  It's okay... 'cause mine totally do.

This week we had a new addition to the family, and like any good mother, I have to share photos and brag.  If you've been hanging around this blog for awhile you've probably met Bilbo by now.  Frodo is the new little brother.  10 pounds, 5 ounces, and energetic as heck.  Try and stop that guy from climbing your curtains.  Just try.  

And just to set the record straight: neither of their names were my idea.  But once the vet starts referring to you as the "Lord of The Rings Mom," you just kinda have to go with it.  If Lord of The Rings is not the natural transition to talking about spinach and kale salad with pear vinaigrette then I don't know what is.

This is the perfect salad for fall because it's hearty and goes well with the warm, comforting dishes that we love this time of year.  The pear dressing adds a nice bit of sweetness that livens up the kale and spinach.  You can use red kale like I did for color contrast, but any type of kale will do.  I liked adding pecans, dried cranberries, lemon zest, and white pepper for extra flavor, but you can easily leave these items out or add in your favorites.  

Pear Vinaigrette

Makes 1/2 cup

1/2 pear, diced

1 Tablespoon water

1 Tablespoon sherry vinegar

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Add pear, water, and sherry vinegar to food processor.  Add olive oil in a thin stream with the blade running.  Process until smooth, scraping down the sides and re-processing as necessary.

Spinach and Kale Salad

Serves 4

4 large kale leaves, destemmed, and chopped

4 cups spinach leaves, chopped

1/2 pear, sliced

1/3 cup pecans, optional

1/4 cup (fresh or dried) cranberries, optional

zest from 1 lemon, optional

ground white pepper, optional

Add dressing to kale in large bowl.  Massage dressing onto kale with your hands, thoroughly rubbing the leaves.  (This will help to break down the kale and make it less tough.) Toss with the spinach.  Divide the salad among four plates and top with pears, pecans, cranberries, lemon zest, and white pepper if desired. 

Asian Soba Noodle Salad with Fresh Peaches

Cool: Listening to the Inception soundtrack.

Super cool: Listening to the Inception soundtrack at your office. It will make your life seem epic, promise.

Cool: Watching the sun rise.

Super cool: Watching the sun rise while running along your favorite trail and listening to the Inception soundtrack. Even more epic.

Cool: Eating soba noodles.

Super cool: Eating soba noodles topped with edamame, sesame seeds, fresh veggies, and sliced peaches. Incredible.

Soba noodles are one of my favorite things at the moment.  They are made from buckwheat flour and can be found at your local Asian or natural foods market.  One cup of cooked noodles only contains 113 calories, but has 6 grams of protein!  They don't have any fiber (unlike whole wheat pasta), but when paired with fresh vegetables and beans they make the perfect hearty meal.

One of the perks of soba noodles is that they don't go mushy overnight.  I made a batch of this salad and have been pleasantly surprised to find that it still retains its texture over a couple of days.  I love using fresh, sliced peaches while they're in season, but you could substitute mango or mandarin oranges, or leave it out altogether.  This is the perfect weekday lunch and the only thing that could possibly make it better (yep, you guessed it) is eating it while listening to the Inception soundtrack.  Totally cool.

Asian Soba Noodle Salad with Fresh Peaches
Serves 4

1/2 pound soba noodles
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
1 Tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon hot chili oil
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tablespoon minced ginger

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/4 cup  cilantro, chopped
1/2 cucumber, shredded
1 cup spinach, chopped
1 cup purple cabbage, shredded

1 carrot, shredded

3 scallions, chopped

1 cup edamame
1/4 cup peanuts
1 peach, pitted and sliced
sprinkle of sesame seeds

In a medium pot, fill with water and bring to a boil.  Add noodles and cook about 7 - 9 minutes, until they are fully cooked but not mushy. Once cooked, cool noodles down quickly in an ice bath (or run under cold water).  Drain.

Mix sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, hot chili oil, soy sauce, and sea salt.

Add olive oil to a small pan over low heat.  Sauce garlic and ginger for about 1 minute, or until fragrant. Add garlic and ginger to oil mixture and toss with noodles.  Mix in cilantro, cucumber, spinach, cabbage, carrot, and scallions.

Top with edamame, peanuts, peach slices, and sesame seeds.  Refrigerate until serving.

Asian Sesame Salad For One

Have you ever found yourself in a funk where you don't want to do... anything?

Where you just want to blow off all of your responsibilities and watch TV?  That's totally the adult thing to do anyway, right?

I've been avoiding my cycling training, paying my bills, doing my laundry, and weeding my garden for far too long now.  I've even been avoiding my runs for my Couch-To-5k program.  And I'm only in week one. How pathetic is that?

I finally kicked my butt off the couch yesterday and did a 33 mile bike ride.  I'd like to say that it made me feel better, but it actually made me want to avoid everything more.  I'm officially on strike.

However, I might have found the cure:  I can be bribed with food.  If I am promised food, and great food at that, then I can be bribed to pay my bills, do my laundry, and complete my first 30-minute run.  It's a start.

Maybe not everyone wants to be bribed with a salad, but I do.  Especially when that salad contains cashews, green onions, edamame, and a creamy Asian dressing.  Count me in.  If I had avocado and cucumber on hand you can bet those would have made it in here too.

The key to bribing yourself with food is that you have to make it all about you.  I fixed my dinner, poured myself some sparkling water with fresh lemon, and sat down with a nice plate and a cloth napkin.  Even though it was just a salad and just for me, it was a fancy pants dinner.  And apparently that's what it takes to get me through the day.  Lesson learned:  when the going gets tough, the tough gets bribed with food.

Asian Sesame Salad For One

2.5 cups mixed greens

1 carrot, grated

1 green onion, chopped

small handful of cilantro, chopped

1/4 cup cashews

1/2 cup edamame

1/2 cucumber, grated (optional)

1/4 avocado, sliced (optional)

sprinkle of sesame seeds

freshly grated black pepper to taste

Dressing:

1 teaspoon rice vinegar

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon agave syrup

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon tahini

Mix ingredients together.  Toss with your greens. 

Perfect Protein Salad

If it wasn't for the PCC Deli, sometimes I wouldn't eat.  And if it wasn't for the PCC Deli, sometimes I wouldn't eat so much.... Yesterday's lunch and dinner came from their deli case and I am always grateful to know that I can walk into any one of their stores and find something vegan, delicious, and healthy in a snap.  

If it's possible to request food now for the afterlife I'd like to place my order.  In fact, it would be great if it could look just the PCC Deli, but be more of a buffet situation if possible.  Please let there be vegan pesto pizza, Emerald City Salad, and Spicy Tofu and Spelt Berries. Oh, and some fresh marinated beets please?  Glad we settled that. 

This delicious little salad originally came from the PCC Deli and is loaded with hearty chickpeas, chewy spelt berries, and fresh veggies.  They use a vegan mayo in their dressing, but I opted for using cashews instead.  Blending soaked cashews creates a creamy, rich dressing and since I only blended them for a few seconds, there's still a bit of texture.  I also added in some fresh basil since I happen to have a ton of it growing at the moment, but you could also leave it out and add in some extra parsley if desired. 

Perfect Protein Salad

Adapted from PCC Natural Markets

Serves 6 - 8

1 cup spelt berries, raw

3 cups water

2 cups garbanzo beans, cooked

1 English cucumber, seeded and diced (I didn't peel mine)

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

3 stalks celery, diced

2 carrots, diced

1/4 red onion, diced

3 green onions, diced

1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped

1/4 cup fresh basil, chiffonade

Dressing:

3/4 cup raw cashews, soaked in water overnight

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon dried dill

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon minced garlic

Boil spelt berries in water until tender, about 45 minutes.  Drain and cool.

In a medium bowl, mix together the cooked spelt, garbanzo beans, diced cucumber, bell pepper, celery, carrots, red onion, green onion, parsley and basil.  

For the dressing: drain the cashews and add to a food processor with the lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, dill, salt, and garlic.  Process until creamy, but with a bit of texture (the consistency should be similar to ricotta cheese). 

Mix the dressing with the salad and let sit in the refrigerator until serving.