Eat Your Greens!

These are a couple of my go-to salads lately.  They are fairly simple to put together and have quite a bit of flavor, crunch and texture.

Super Green Salad

Ingredients

• 1 stalk romaine
• 1-2 cups kale
• 1/2 cup roasted corn (I like Trader Joes frozen)
• 1/2 cup grape tomatoes
• 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes
• 1 avocado
• olive oil

For the Dressing:

• salt, pepper, cayenne
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (optional)
• 1 lemon
• olive oil

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F.  Drizzle kale with olive oil, salt and pepper and place in oven for 7-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop all ingredients in place into a bowl.  When kale is crispy, add to the salad.

For the dressing: Mix olive oil, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, salt, pepper and cayenne until blended.  Pour over salad and give it a shake so the salad is coated with all the dressing.

Sweet Asian Salad with Soy-Lime Dressing

Ingredients

• 1/4 head red cabbage
• 1-2 cups crispy kale (roasted as explained above)
• 1 stalk romaine
• 1 cup strawberries
• 1-2 pears
• 1 avocado
• fresh parsley

For the Dressing:

• 1 lime
• Soy Sauce
• Olive Oil
• Rice Vinegar
• Honey
• Salt, pepper, cayenne

For the salad: Prepare the kale as explained above, and chop the remaining ingredients.  Add the kale to the salad.

For the Dressing: Blend all ingredients together and then pour the dressing over the salad. Shake and coat and enjoy!

mangia!

Minted Blueberry Lemon Sauce

Im making brunch for a friend this morning.  A friend who just got her dream job and so its time to celebrate!  A sweet occasion calls for a sweet summer brunch, so on the menu includes Berry Pancakes, a virgin-attempt at a vegan French Toast (recipe not ready for a post, but stay tuned!), Apple Pie Muffins and a side of fresh, local berries.  I concocted this sauce to serve with the pancakes.  It started as a Lemon-Mint Sauce, but I didn’t like its chalky white color, so to offer a more aestectically-pleasing sauce I add some blueberries, which ended up being a good move because now its pretty and tastes better too.

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp sugar
• 2-3 tbsp cornstarch or gravy-thickener
• 3-4 tbsp lemon juice
• 2-3 sprigs of mint
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup water, as needed
• a handful of frozen blueberries

Instructions

In a small sauce pan over medium heat, combine the sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and mint.  Slowly add the water until a creamy, semi-thick sauce forms.  Turn heat to low and stir until blended.  Be careful not to have the heat too high, as it will bubble and evaporate.  Add the blueberries and stir until blended.  Remove from heat and serve with pancakes, as an ice cream sauce or over fresh bread with butter.

mangia!

Cucumber and Peanut Salad

Ingredients

• 1 large cucumber, chopped
• 1 small, green serrano chile, chopped
• 1/2 cup raw or dry-roasted peanuts
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut, lightly toasted
• 5-10 sprigs of cilantro, chopped
• ghee
• olive oil
• lemon juice
• raw cane sugar
• sea salt, cayenne and cumin, to taste

Instructions

In a small skillet, heat the ghee on medium heat and lightly saute (toast) the peanuts.  Set aside and repeat with the coconut.

In a medium bowl, combine the chopped cucumber, chile, cilantro and add toasted coconut and peanuts.  Just before serving, toss with lemon juice, oil, sugar and spices to taste.  Salad is best served cold, so place in fridge for 1-2 hrs if you have the time!

mangia!