Lemon Kale Salad with Spiced Salmon

While I was making my grocery list the other day, I typed "salad" into the Pinterest search bar. For a second there, I thought I broke it. I could almost hear the website go, "bzrrp" as it tried to calculate the billions of well-intentioned salad recipes pinned in the database. But then I was flooded with responses and I saved lots of great salads and ideas to develop new recipes. One recipe that inspired me was Simple Kale Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette. I don't eat nearly enough veggies and when I find one that I can tolerate, like kale, I tend to use it a lot.

I had plans for a friend to come to lunch and I decided I'd use her as a guinea pig for my new salad idea. I think it turned out beautifully! There are a few elements that come together to make this dish, but every one is definitely worth it. The good news is that the vinaigrette doubles as a dressing and a marinade, plus you can make this ahead of time and keep it in the fridge.

(Salmon not shown.)

Lemon Kale Salad w/ Spiced Salmon

1 bunch kale
2 lemons, zest one and juice both
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (I used aleppo pepper flakes.)
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
1 clove garlic
1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper

1-1/2 cups asparagus, cut into bite-size lengths

8 ounce salmon fillet
1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika

1 teaspoon butter
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
salt
pepper
cayenne

2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

To assemble: 

Blanch the asparagus pieces (boil in salted water 2-3 minutes, cool in ice water, drain) and set aside.

Rinse the kale leaves well and strip them from the stems. Dry well. Massage the leaves gently for a few minutes. This breaks down the cellulose, making the leaves more tender and less bitter. Chop the kale and place in a large bowl with the asparagus. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon, olive oil, red pepper flakes, mustard, salt and pepper. On your cutting board, smash the garlic clove, coarsely chop and sprinkle with salt. Using the flat of your knife, smush the garlic and salt into a paste. Add it to your dressing ingredients and whisk well. Pour about half of the dressing onto the kale and toss to coat. Place in refrigerator to chill. Whisk the cayenne pepper and paprika into the remaining dressing and pour over the salmon fillet. Bake at 325° for 18-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Toss in the walnuts and seasonings. Cook, continuing to toss frequently 3-5 minutes, until the nuts are fragrant and toasted.

When ready to serve, toss the salad with the walnuts and goat cheese; top with the salmon.

Italian Pasta Salad

Over the summer I set out to develop a pasta salad recipe that included some of my oldest daughter's and my favorite flavors. I wanted it to be cold, fairly light, and filling enough to be a meal on its own. I ended up serving this alongside a rotisserie chicken for the family. It was really convenient having the leftovers ready and waiting in the fridge over the next couple of days!

Italian Pasta Salad

8 ounces pasta (macaroni, penne or rotini would work well), cooked al dente and  set aside to cool
1 lemon, zested and juiced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
3 cups fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
4 ounces fresh mozzarella, cubed into bite-sized pieces

In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, ricotta, lemon juice and zest, salt and pepper. Stir in the herbs and spinach. Fold in the cooled pasta, then the tomatoes and mozzarella. Allow to chill in the fridge for about 4 hours before serving.

Homemade Croutons

I personally don't love croutons, because I'm not a fan of crunchy bread in any form. I remember that during my childhood time in Germany I would poke a hole in my kaiser roll and dig out the soft center, leaving the shell, which was totally not worth eating, in my opinion. Anyway, I do actually like homemade croutons, because I keep them a little chewy. I eat two or three and I'm good for the next six months.

Handsome, of course, loves them and will steal them off the tray or out of the pan! Fortunately, they're easy to make, and it's a method rather than a recipe.

Homemade Croutons

Start with "day-old" bread. That just means you don't want really fresh bread, because it's too soft to cut easily, and it won't crisp up into croutons as well. You can use any kind of bakery whole bread loaves, though I like Italian or French baguettes. Multigrain, wheat, pumpernickel, sourdough or white all work well.

Seasonings - I like a mixture of garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. The amounts will vary according to your taste and how many croutons you're making.

Olive oil - you'll want to moisten the bread, but not soak it.

Cut your bread into bite-size pieces.

If you're making a lot of croutons, line a baking sheet with foil. Spread out the bread cubes and drizzle with olive oil, tossing to coat. Sprinkle with seasonings, and continue to toss until evenly coated. Bake at 375° for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Watch them carefully, and remember that they'll firm up a bit while cooling.

If you just need a small batch, heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet. Add a small amount of seasonings. Add the bread cubes and toss to coat. Drizzle in more olive oil and seasonings if needed. Stir occasionally until the croutons are golden brown. This should only take 5-6 minutes.

Mediterranean Salmon Salad

 This dish combines many of my favorite flavors. It was inspired by a friend who had eaten a Turkish dish with salmon and couscous. I'm not sure what else her meal involved, and I didn't have any couscous, so I experimented using what I had on-hand. I love that it's such a filling lunch - I didn't even crave an afternoon snack that day! I served mine warm, but I imagine this would be good as a cold salad, too, using leftover salmon.

Mediterranean Salmon Salad

1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon olive oil

6 ounce salmon fillet
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Greek seasoning
2 cups chopped spinach
1 tablespoon each chopped fresh parsley and oregano
3 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
1/8 teaspoon coarse-ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice

 Place the salmon fillet skin-side down on a foil-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with lemon juice and Greek seasoning; bake at 375° for 15-18 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan combine the quinoa, broth and olive oil. Bring to a boil and cook for 10-12 minutes, until the quinoa is tender and the grain is beginning to separate. Remove from heat.

Using a fork, break off chunks of salmon and add them to the cooked quinoa. Stir in the spinach, parsley, oregano, feta and pepper. Toss with the olive oil and lemon juice. Serve warm or cold.

Apple-Spinach Salad

I really wish I liked vegetables  more than I do. The idea of a lovely salad with all kinds of veggies is really visually appealing to me, but ... I don't like veggies. So I just eat what I like and if I'm not as thin as I could be at least I get to eat bacon any time I want. It's a comforting thought.

I think of salad in the category of "non-recipes". You pretty much just throw together what looks good and then eat it! That's what I did with this salad. Here's the ingredient list:

Spinach
Chopped apple (Honeycrisp)
Toasted pecans
Crumbled bacon
Goat cheese crumbles
Poppy seed dressing

I made my own dressing by combining olive oil, red wine vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, poppy seeds, salt and pepper in a tiny plastic container and shaking it up. Once when I made this I forgot the honey and man, was the dressing tart! I won't forget again, that's for sure.

One thing I like about this salad is that I could eat it for lunch and it was hearty enough to keep me satisfied. I don't like salads that make me feel like I didn't even eat anything!

I'll leave you with this profound thought for the day:

Those who say that nothing tastes as good as thin feels have never had bacon.

Summer's Bounty

Ah, summer ... the time of year when all manner of veggies and fruits are in season! Of course, in today's world our diet can be more varied than ever before, with nearly every type of produce imaginable being available year-round. But, there's nothing like being able to get fresh, local fruits and vegetables in the summer.  The problem I find is that we can't eat it all fast enough! Often I find myself scrambling to use up that lone zucchini or the handful of grapes or the solitary kiwi before it's too late. There are lots of ways to make your produce last, though, so be proactive and plan ahead not only what recipes you'll use the produce in, but what you'll do with the leftovers.

Canning - I'm not a "canner" myself (too lazy!), but I know lots of people who are, and it's a great way to preserve summer's bounty.

Freezer Jam - A delicious, simple way to use berries and other fruits. My favorite is Strawberry Freezer Jam.

Creative Salads - "Lettuce, tomato, cucumbers and Ranch" doesn't have to be where your salad ideas end! Think outside the box with different combinations of veggies, fruits and dressings.

Smoothies - A great way to use up not only fruits, but vegetables, too!

Freezing -  The link I've provided leads to a really comprehensive site on freezing all kinds of produce! It's a good site, overall, too, and is the same one I recommended for canning.

I hope these suggestions help you make the most of the beautiful, delicious abundance of summer!

Monday Tradition?

I'm thinking that on Mondays I'll do a post about what I served our college/singles crew the night before. I've mentioned before some of the restrictions I work around, like making sure it's something somewhat universally liked, fairly cheap, and easy to do either quickly or ahead of time. Last night I served hotdogs, coleslaw, macaroni and cheese, chips, and strawberry shortcake. I think that marks the first time I've served them hotdogs, but they were on sale and I couldn't resist!

So, for the hotdogs, I boiled them to heat them through, then crisped them up on my grill pan before serving. Still not as good as grilling them out, but since we don't have a grill ...

I used my standard Coleslaw recipe. I used a head of cabbage and a handful of baby carrots and made it up in the afternoon.

I love Slow-Cooked Mac 'n' Cheese for occasions like this, when oven-baked just isn't practical.

This was my first experience making Strawberry Shortcake, and it turned out really well. I doubled the cake recipe and baked it a little too long, so it was a touch dry. Next time I'll be more careful! I also used fresh whipped cream. I've given the basic method in my Cinnamon Cream Fruit Dip. Just use powdered sugar instead of brown, and omit the cinnamon.

Don't forget to enter your comment on my Giveaway! post for a chance to win a custom apron or one of my new cookbooks!

Coleslaw

Everyone has their own favorite coleslaw recipe. It's just one of those things! I don't care for the stuff myself, but Handsome likes it and I've developed this recipe to suit his taste. I usually cut my own cabbage and shred my own carrots, but the bagged mix works well.

Coleslaw
1 bag (14 ounces) coleslaw mix (cabbage and carrots)
1 cup olive oil mayonnaise
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Place coleslaw mix in a large bowl. Combine mayo, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Pour over coleslaw mix and stir well to coat.

Chicken Salad

Chicken salad is one of those dishes that's really a non-recipe. Everyone has a method for chicken salad in their repertoire, and everyone always thinks their own is the best! I've made it lots of ways, but have really hit on this "recipe" that my Sweetie and I love.

1 lemon-pepper rotisserie chicken, deboned and shredded/chopped
1 celery rib, finely chopped
1/2 Granny Smith apple, finely chopped
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1 green onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt-free lemon-pepper seasoning
1/2 cup olive oil mayonnaise

Combine all ingredients and serve immediately or chill in the fridge until ready to use.

Cheddar Broccoli Salad

This salad takes raw broccoli to a whole new level! When I make it for get-togethers, people fall into one of three categories -- 1) They ask for the recipe 2) They say, "Oh, I love this salad but I make mine with ______" (fill in the blank with raisins, sunflower kernels, pecans, dried cranberries, etc,) or 3) "Broccoli? Gross!"  Well, you can't win 'em all!

6 cups fresh broccoli florets
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 cup chopped red onion
1-1/2 cups mayonnaise ( I use Olive Oil Mayo)
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
12 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled


In a large bowl, combine the broccoli, cheese and onion. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sugar, pepper and vinegar. Pour over broccoli mixture; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Just before serving, stir in the bacon.

Oriental Edamame Salad

"Edamame" (etta - MA - may) is Japanese for "branched bean" or "beans on branches": literally, "twig bean". Basically, they're young soybeans. Incredibly rich in protein and fiber as well as vitamins A, B, and C, they're also very adaptable. They are sold in the pod or shelled. You can find them shelled in the freezer section of the grocery store. My 8 month old likes them simply steamed and laid out on the tray of her highchair for easy snacking. I prefer them in this amazing salad.

In a large salad bowl, toss together:
1 cup (shelled) edamame, cooked according to package directions
1 6 oz. package fresh baby spinach
1 cup baby carrots, quartered, then cut in half
1 green onion, chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1/4 cup sunflower kernels

In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, shake together:
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
pepper

Toss the dressing with the salad; serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

Confession: I cut the recipe in half and made it for myself for lunch! Perfect.

You could also add cooked shredded or diced chicken to this, but it's certainly hearty enough on its own! I hope you'll give edamame a try soon.