Apple, Chicken, and Kale Salad

This recipe is inspired by the salad from Cubbys.  It uses the classic balsamic dijon vinaigrette salad dressing (that I use for several other salad recipes).  The wild rice makes this salad extra hearty.  While this may not be a favorite salad of many, this is sure to be a winner with adventurous eaters! 

Image from here.

Cooked Wild Rice

Chopped grilled chicken

feta or goat cheese

crisp apples, diced

kale

raisins

toasted almonds

Creamy Balsamic Vinaigrette

-Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.  This is best if you let it sit for an hour before serving.  It gives the dressing time to soften the kale.  Season with additional salt/pepper as desire.

Creamy Balsamic Dressing

-This dressing doesn't actually have mayonnaise, but when you blend it in a blender to emulsify the oil and vinegar it takes on a beautiful creamy look!

1/2 c. light olive oil

1/4 c. balsamic vinegar

1/4 c. honey or maple syrup

1 clove garlic

1 TBS dijon mustard

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp salt

-Blend all ingredients in a blender on high for 2 minutes until emulsified (keeps dressing from separating).  

THE BEST Grilled Cheese Sandwich

THANK YOU Chef John from food wishes.blogspot.com for this AMAZING grilled Cheese sandwich (picture credit to him).  Click on the link to watch his video.  Chef John calls it the St. Patty's melt.  We've decided that his St. Patty's melt (with some added cartelized Vidalia onions) just about makes you feel like you've died and gone to heaven!  This may look a little intimidating, but it isn't.  It does require a little extra time, but I always make a lot of the greens mixture and then there are leftovers for another day of the week to whip up the same thing really fast.

A few things I've learned in perfecting this...THE CHEESE MATTERS!  Regular sliced cheddar you throw on your turkey sandwich is not as good with this.  You'll be glad you bought some high quality cheddar cheese.  Secondly, THE BREAD MATTERS!  You can use any bread, but if you really want the Gourmet, SUPER tasty version, use some artisan sourdough bread :)

INGREDIENTS

1 bunch kale

1 bunch mustard greens (or spinach)

10 TBS butter, divided

2 cloves garlic

3/4 c chopped green onions

1 pinch salt

ground pepper

1 pinch cayenne pepper (or smoked chipotle pepper)

2 TBS seasoned rice vinegar

Sliced Artisan Sourdough bread

1 8 oz package Irish White Cheddar Cheese, sliced

STEP 1: Remove tender, leafy parts of kale and mustard greens from their tough stems and place in a large bowl. Cover with cold water and wash greens, allowing dirt to sink to the bottom. Transfer greens into a colander or strainer to drain thoroughly.

STEP 2:  Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a rolling boil over high heat. Add drained kale and mustard greens, using a spatula to make sure they are immersed. Bring back to a boil; cook until barely tender and not soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let cool until easily handled.

STEP 3: While greens are cooling, heat 3 tablespoons butter in a pan over medium heat. Saute garlic, green onions, and salt until they soften and turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in black pepper and cayenne.

STEP 4: Squeeze water from cooled greens and chop. Add greens to the pan and continue to cook and stir until just heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Taste and adjust for seasoning. Remove from heat and stir in rice vinegar.

STEP 5: Heat about 2 tablespoons butter in a pan over medium-low heat. Add 2 slices French bread; place 1/4 of the Irish Cheddar cheese on top. Place about 1/2 cup of braised greens on 1 slice of bread; top with remaining bread slice, cheese side-down. Cook, flipping as needed, until surface is golden brown and crisp, cheese is melted, and greens are heated through, 2 to 3 minutes.

STEP 6: Repeat with remaining bread, cheese, and greens. Remove to a cutting board, slice in half at a slight angle, and serve.

Kale Pesto Pizza Sauce

This recipe comes from a friend that has an abundance of Kale in her garden each year :)  Thanks Carrie for this tasty recipe! I added a few "optional" ingredients if you feel so inclined...

(pictures from simplyrecipes.com and ohmyveggies.com)

3 cups packed kale (stems removed)
3/4 cup walnuts
2 TBS lemon juice
3 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 olive oil
1/2 c. parmesan or pecorino romano (optional)
1/8 tsp black pepper (optional)
red pepper flakes (optional)
-Blend using a food processor or blender all ingredients together.  

• You can use 1/3 c. pine nuts in place of walnuts
• Also is fun to make garlic bread with this!

Salt and Vinegar Kale Chips

This recipe is from Divas Can Cook.  I came across this recipe while searching for salt and vinegar kale chips.  My first attempt at regular salt/pepper kale chips turned out ok, but these are really good!  It is kale, so there is a strong "green" vegetable taste that many may dislike, but if you are daring, give these a try!  My one year old daughter loved these.  I think the chips make a fun popping noise when you eat them and the texture kind of melts in your mouth.  Note in the picture mine are slightly burned.  They still tasted ok, but they are better not burned!

Kale-Blueberry Smoothie

• 1 ripe banana, peeled and frozen
• ½ cup frozen blueberries
• 2 teaspoons ginger, peeled and finely grated
• 2 cups kale leaves, loosely packed
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds (optional)
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon raw honey

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until completely smooth. If necessary, add more almond milk to help your blender process the frozen fruit.

Roasted Vegetables

This is a DELICIOUS vegetarian main dish, or you can use it as a side dish.  We eat a big bowl of this with a spinach smoothie.  My neighbor brought this meal over to me, and I'm going to make it ALL the time now!  The purple potatoes really make the dish look colorful and gourmet.  Note, the smaller you cut the vegetables the faster they will roast.  This recipe is flexible when it comes to proportions and feel free to experiment with your spices!

Cut a medley of the following:
Carrots
Purple potatoes
Mini-creamer fingerling potatoes
Zucchini
Bell peppers
onion
Cauliflower
Cherry Tomatoes
Kale
Parsnips

-Pre-heat oven to 425
-Chop the veggies you are using into bite size pieces and place on 11x 17 cookie sheet.
-Drizzle on some olive oil, season with salt/pepper, and other desired spices & mix thoroughly
-Spice ideas: Season with Tones Spicy Spaghetti Seasoning (from Sam's Club) or Italian Seasoning or whatever seasoning you want!  You can add a bit of cayenne or red pepper flakes, fresh garlic, garlic powder, etc.
- Roast for 15-25 minutes until veggies begin to brown around edges.
-Sprinkle with some grated parmesan and toasted pine nuts and serve.