Massaged Kale Salad

Massaged Kale Salad

 

I read a review of a restaurant's Massaged Kale Salad online and wondered what in the world this is.  I had never heard of a "massaged salad" so Googled it.  I read several recipes on various websites, combined them all and made my own this week.

 

The various online recipes called for different versions of kale like dinosaur kale and black kale.  I used Kroger Kale - what was available to me without much research! 

 

I understand from Mary that Russian Kale is delicious fresh.  I don't normally think of kale as something I would eat raw.

 

But a massaged kale salad is raw, and is very tasty.

This will be a staple recipe in my house.

 

You start by washing and trimming the stems off of a large bunch of kale.  Then cut the kale into 2 inch pieces (bite-sized pieces).

 

Place them in a large bowl and sprinkle on Kosher salt and the juice of an entire lemon.

 

 

 

Then massage the kale with your hands vigorously for 3 minutes.

The salt and lemon juice will start to wilt the kale.

 

Then add in olive oil and massage for another 2 minutes.

(I think this is a great job for a junior chef who might be hanging around the kitchen wanting to help mom).

 

Then toss in fruit and raw seeds or nuts.

Diced apple and mango were the most recommended fruits.

Raw sunflower seeds and pepitas were recommended as well.

 

I went with apple and pepitas for this salad.

After the photo I decided to mix in the apple so that it wouldn't turn brown on me.  I wanted to save the leftovers in the fridge because it will apparently keep for several days.

The kale is very lemony, but I like it a lot.  A chunk of apple with a piece of kale cuts the lemon flavor down.  I think this is a great way to serve this super nutritious veggie!

 



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Enjoy!

 

 

Cranberry-Apple Delight

Cranberry-Apple Delight

 

This recipe comes from the November/December 2012 Mississippi Magazine and I would have called it a "Crisp" instead of a "Delight", but I'll stay true to the original title!

 

My mom has a wonderful Apple Crisp recipe, but I was intrigued by this one because it mixes apple and cranberry, which I thought would be great for a winter baby shower/wine club gathering.

 

You'll notice there are no cranberries.  Epic fail!  I couldn't find raw cranberries anywhere in January!

So I replaced them with more apples - I vow to try this recipe with the cranberries next Fall.

 

This is a quick recipe and great for a crowd.

 

I cut up 10 cups of tart green apples (normally would be 6 c apples and 4 c raw cranberries), tossed them with lemon juice and sugar and place them in a sprayed 9x13 baking dish.

 

 

Then I mixed up the topping by combining melted butter, uncooked oats, all-purpose flour, brown sugar, and chopped pecans.

I crumbled this on top of the apples, and baked for 50 minutes at 350*.

 

It was delicious and didn't last long served hot out of the oven with vanilla ice cream!

 

Double click to print as a 5x7 recipe card.

 

Enjoy!

 

Cinnamon Apples

Cinnamon Apples

 

My friend Kami, who makes the best whole-foods dishes for her kids, sent me this recipe from Taste of Home for a sweet treat.  It's a quick dish that can be made ahead of time and pulled out after dinner.

 

There are only 4 ingredients, all of which I have on hand, except for the red hot candies.

I couldn't find them anywhere!  Do they only sell red hots at Valentine's Day? 

Well, honestly, I only looked in 3 stores, but still.

 

So I went with hot cinnamon Jolly Ranchers, and I think they worked just as well.

 

 

I boiled water, sugar, and Jolly Ranchers in a saucepan until the candies fully dissolved.

 

Then I carefully added in my peeled & quartered apples, and let them cook until they were tender - about 15 minutes.  You could go longer, as long as the apples stay intact.

 

Here they are after 10 minutes. 

 

When they're tender, you place the apples in a serving dish and pour the syrup over the top.

Let them cool for a couple of minutes, then cover them and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

 

I wish I had a plated photo of this dish, but they disappeared so quickly! 

They were good and cinnamony, and a nice after dinner treat.

 

Double click to print as a 5x7 recipe card.

 

Enjoy!

 

Tunisia Meets Provence Salad

Tunisia Meets Provence Salad

 

I found this wonderful grain salad recipe in Vegetarian Times and tried it out last week with cooked barley I had in the fridge.  You could use any cooked grain though - brown rice, quinoa, couscous (I know, not a grain, but still...).

I really liked the sweetness that comes from the apple and the saltiness with the olives.

Everyone in the family liked this recipe.

 

I'll certainly make it again.

 

The recipe calls for 12 Kalamata olives.  I'd use the whole jar next time.

And I didn't peel the green apple as the recipe suggests, but you certainly could.

 

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Bon Apetit!

 

Baked Apples with Raisin Compote

Baked Apples with Raisin Compote

This super easy, 4 ingredient dessert comes from the You Are What You Eat cookbook that I reference so often!

You could easily customize this dish in many ways.

You core your apples and slice them in half, stuffing the center with a mix of regular and golden raisins.  Then you drizzle the apples with 100% maple syrup and bake at 400* for 20 minutes.

The apples are soft and the raisins and maple syrup taste great!

Really delicious!

Double click to print as a 5x7 recipe card.

Enjoy!

Cucumber, Basil, and Lime Juice

Cucumber, Basil, and Lime Juice

Do you follow goop.com?  Goop was founded by Gwyneth Paltrow. 

It has everything from food, to travel, to clothing. 

This juice recipe is from goop.com, and is shown doubled below.

Most of us in this house like a good homemade juice. 

Brennan is the exception.  He hasn't found one that he has loved just yet.  We're going to keep looking though.  And in the meantime, Thomas will finish his. 

This is a super easy one that calls for 2 cucumbers, 2 apples, 1 cup of fresh basil, and a peeled lime.

I juiced everything together in the juicer.

If you want it super cold, you can then transfer the juice to the blender with a handful of ice.

I don't think the fresh basil added much to this juice.  It barely dribbled out of the juicer - it felt like such a waste of good, fresh basil! 

I would hold onto your precious fresh basil for a better recipe where you can truly enjoy it.

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Enjoy!

Apple Dumplings

Or So She Say's

Apple Dumplings

I enjoy a recipe with a surprise ingredient.  Usually the kids guess what all is in the recipe.

This time they knew because it was a real treat when I told Brennan to get a small bottle at the checkout line the other day. 

We never, ever get Mountain Dew.  So this alone was a reason to love this recipe.

It was really delicious and is one we'll definitely make again and again.

I found this recipe on Pinterest - what a great source for recipes, as well as other great ideas.

Are you on Pinterest?  If so - please look me up at the link.

This recipes come from the "Or So She Says" blog and has lots of pins.

You start by peeling and slicing a large apple and then wrapping a crescent roll around each one.

Place in a baking dish.

In a bowl, melt butter and stir in sugar and vanilla.

Pour over the top of the crescent rolls and pour the Mt. Dew all around.

According to the original recipe, if it looks like a big mess, you know you're on the right track.

Mine did!

Then bake for 25-30 minutes at 350*.

It would be delicious with vanilla bean ice cream, but I felt like it was going to be sweet enough on its own.  Everyone LOVED this recipe.

I've modified the recipe to cut back on the sugar and calories.

I also used reduced fat crescent rolls as well and you wouldn't know the difference.

You can also use Diet Mt. Dew, but David's not a big fan of artificial sweeteners so there I went with the real deal.

Double click to print as a 5x7 recipe card.

 

Enjoy!