Tag Archives: salad

Bright Orange Kale Carrot Ribbon Salad

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My father likes to say that when things are touted as “health” food it’s because “it tastes so bad that people will only eat it if you tell them it’s good for them.” And while I laugh a bit about that – I think that’s pretty fair because in a race between kale and brownies, you bet your butt I’ll be choosing brownies nearly every time. Well, that is until now since I’ve discovered that this bright citrusy kale carrot salad is amazingly easy to prep and eat and it’s all kinds of yummy.

I read a while back that there is a divide amongst the kale aficionados about how kale should be consumed… whether it should be eaten raw or cooked. Personally, I find that raw kale is a a bit difficult on my stomach, so I blanch it quickly here. However, if you feel strongly for raw kale, please feel free to skip the blanching step. I also included a giant pile of ribboned carrots, because my father loves (I mean… LOVES) carrots. And since I had to convince him to partake in a kale salad, when he is a solidly “anti-kale” camper… I knew I had to include carrots. Which brings me to my next little story (before I get into the recipe).  I have read and followed David Lebovitz’s namesake blog about food for as long as I can remember… so when it came to thinking about dressing carrots for a salad, I immediately referred myself to his post on how the French enjoy carrot salad and dressed my entire carroty kale salad in a likewise light and fresh way.

So… without any further asides, here is how I prepared my salad.

Bright Orange Kale Carrot Ribbon Salad (Kaprise Kitchen’s take on kale salad, with a little influence from David Lebovitz)

  • One bunch of dinosaur kale, thoroughly washed
  • 4 large carrots
  • 2 cara cara oranges (or whatever other sweet citrus you can get your hands on)
  • 1/4 cup of roasted almonds, coarsely chopped
  • 1 ripe avocado, sliced
  • 1/2 of a fuji apple, chopped
  • salt/pepper to taste
  • 1 tablespoon of good quality olive oil (less if you like)
  • 1 tablespoon of hemp seed
  • 1 tablespoon of chia seed
  1. After thoroughly scrubbing the debris out of your kale, cut it into thin ribbons, discarding the fibrous stalks where they are too tough (My sister loves the crunchiness, so if you do as well, please feel free to keep them!)
  2. In a pot of boiling water, gently toss the kale in and stir until the kale is just cooked. About 20-30 seconds. Immediately drain the kale and let it cool while you prepare the rest of the ingredients (Again, if you like raw kale, feel free to skip the first two steps)
  3. Ribbon the carrots – you can use a julienne slicer, box grater, or any method you prefer. I use a vegetable peeler to get thin, long ribbons of carrots – which I prefer to other methods… but again – please choose a method you like most. Set aside the ribbons
  4. Over a large bowl, supreme the cara cara oranges and squeeze the membrane and peel to extract the remaining juice into the large bowl. Set the orange segments aside. Alternatively you can use clementine segments instead of going through the mildly tedious process of segmenting your citrus… and to have enough citrus flavor, squeeze one fruit into the bowl (or a splash of juice will do)
  5. Peel and slice the apple and avocado into chunks/slices, tossing with the orange juices to prevent browning.
  6. Toss the drained kale and ribboned carrots with the orange juice dressed apple and avocado.
  7. Drizzle a little olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste.
  8. Top your salad with a healthy sprinkle of hemp and chia seed, and of course, my favorite, roasted almonds.
  9. ENJOY! (I’ve nestled a little cheese turnover in the salad here, and I’ll post a recipe on that soon!)

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How do YOU eat your vegetables? Do you eat your kale raw or cooked????

 

Crisp Salad with Feta, Olives, and Basil

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After eating soup and soft hot foods to help kill my cold, I was really craving something fresh, crispy, and refreshing. This salad satisfied my craving, and the remaining leaves of lettuce have been quickly gobbled up with zesty dressing. Since this isn’t much of a recipe, I’ll leave you with a list of the ingredients and a couple pretty pictures of my salad

Crisp Salad with Feta, Olives, and Basil

  • Iceberg lettuce
  • Feta cheese, crumbled
  • Sliced black olives
  • Shredded basil
  • Thinly sliced fennel
  • Sliced carrots
  • Coins of roasted sweet potato
  • Avocado
  • Cherry tomatos
  • Italian dressing

SONY DSC

SONY DSC

Endive Salad

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The first time I read the word “endive” was out of a fancy cookbook that my mother had bought me as a gift. I was 13, maybe 14. It was Thanksgiving, and I wanted to make all of those fancy dishes. I wanted an elegant dinner filled with bubbly champagne and crystal and fancy food. It took a few trips before I found those little endives, and I proudly assembled my fancy salad. Then… I tasted a leaf and declared it “sour” and “gross” before proceeding to bake the stinkiest gruyere potato gratin (which I also deemed “gross”). My 14 year old self felt that the fancy food was a flop, but it’s been a decade since I cooked my first Thanksgiving, and I think my palate has matured with me too.

This year, I went for some last minute Thanksgiving bits with my mother and I spotted the tightly leafed buds once more. I purchased two of them and fixed a simple but beautiful salad. It was simple and elegant – the kind of pretty salad that my 14 year old self would have loved. This time, I garnished the salad with a bit of homemade pomegranate dressing (easy peasy recipe below)

Endive and Grapefruit Salad 

  • 2 Belgian Endives, thinly sliced
  • 1 bunch of mint, leaves removed and thinly sliced
  • 2 ruby red grapefruits, peeled and membrane removed (alternatively, you could supreme the citrus)
  1. After thinly slicing the endive and mint, toss gently together with the grapefruit. I chose to peel the fruit out of the membrane and crumble the slices so the grapefruit was distributed. Alternatively, for the presentation conscious, you could supreme the grapefruit and place the slices in an endive leaf with mint garnish.
  2. Keep chilled until ready to serve. Toss gently with dressing just before serving.

Pomegranate Dressing (Kaprise Kitchen)

  • 1/2 cup of pomegranate seeds
  • 2 spray free limes
  • 1/2 teaspoon of dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon of good olive oil
  1. In a small bowl, crush the pomegranate seeds until the juice is released.
  2. In the same bowl, squeeze the limes until all of the juice is released (you may also zest a little of the limes into the dressing if you want a punchier lime taste)
  3. Strain the liquid (to remove the pomegranate seeds and lime seeds) into a small jar
  4. Add the mustard and oil, and shake until the dressing is well combined. Add more mustard if you like.

Things That Fade

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I’ve been thinking a lot about the things that I love most, the things that never fail to delight, amuse and enchant me. The things that always put a smile on my face… what are they?

As a notoriously picky eater as a child, I was completely disinterested in food. I never understood the concept of “hungry” or “crave” because I simply was not interested in eating anything. But, as I got older and out-grew my finickiness, I found that summer corn on the cob always tastes good. My mother’s Korean pancakes are always good. I always love peeling and eating pomegranate. And, every time I taste fresh cilantro, I love it.

Food, unlike anything else, never fails to enchant me. I never tire of the new flavors and the smell of produce. Food isn’t something that fades. The only two things that I will change my schedule for are good meals and running… everything else can wait.

My sister once told me that as a baby my mother would put me in my baby chair and hand me half an avocado. Apparently, I would take handfuls of the avocado and stuff them into my chubby baby cheeks. I’d be covered in creamy green avocado, but I would relish the creamy avocado. I don’t remember smearing myself with avocado, but I do still love avocado. It’s one of those things that never fades, even when I get those disappointing avocados that are brown inside but look just delicious outside!!!

Since it is summer, and I am training for a marathon (trying to keep my spirits high!) I am eating healthier. I was pressed for time this morning, but I didn’t want to buy another (ANOTHER) sandwich for lunch – I quickly sliced some avocado and tossed it with tomatoes and cucumbers. A dash of balsamic vinegar and I was running out the door for work. It’s not complicated, and you could add some peppers or chicken to make this more hearty. I often use avocado instead of mayo in chicken salad, and the result is delicious!

Avocado Lunch (Kaprise Kitchen, summer lunch!)

  • 1 ripe avocado, sliced
  • 3 ripe Campari tomatoes, cubed
  • 1 cucumber
  • 1 tablespoon of fruity balsamic vinegar
  1. In a bowl, toss the ingredients together and refrigerate until ready to eat

The end product isn’t attractive, but the flavor of the creamy avocado, tart tomatoes, and cool cucumber is phenomenal on a hot summer day!