Raw Kale Slaw with Barbeque Walnut Topping

Hey, more kale! I tell ya, nothing beats it. My friend shared a bunch of kale and Nappa cabbage with me yesterday, which was perfect for this raw slaw. The walnut topping is not raw because I added Tofurky. Oops. Tastes great though!

Ingredients

Kale Slaw

• 3 c shredded cabbage
• 2 1/2 c shredded kale
• few sprigs of chopped chives

Mayo

• 1/3 c raw cashews, soaked for 1 hour
• 1/3 c raw sunflower seeds, soaked for 4 hours
• 1/4 c water (more if needed for desired consistency)
• 2 Tbls apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tbls olive oil
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• 3/4 tsp salt

Barbeque Walnut Topping

• 1 sun-dried tomato Tofurky sausage (cooked and chopped)
• 1 Tbls olive oil
• 1 Tbls water
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp chipotle powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 c raw walnuts
• 1 Tbls minced onion

1. Assemble slaw in a large bowl, set aside
2. Process mayo until everything is nice and creamy
3. Process walnut topping by pulsing in a blender, a few pulses will do

Kale Salad with Spicy Peanut Dressing

I was just telling a co-worker that if I ever get a tattoo of a vegetable, it will be of kale. I love the stuff so stinking much. And my spicy peanut salad is out of this world. If you aren’t a fan of spice, just omit the red pepper flakes. If you aren’t a fan of kale…well…I’m sorry

Ingredients

• 1 bunch of kale
• 3 Tbls peanut butter
• 3 Tbls rice wine vinegar
• 1 Tbls agave
• 1 Tbls amino acids
• 1 tsp garlic, minced
• 1 tsp ginger, minced
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp red chili flakes

1. Wash, de-stem, and tear kale into bite sized pieces. I like to soften my kale by giving it a nice 5 minute massage, a teaspoon or so of oil and dash of salt will help break things down even more
2. In a processor, combine dressing ingredients. Pour over kale. Enjoy!

Memorial Day Feast

When it comes to a meal, I love variety in color, flavor and texture. This feast met all those criteria. I made a simple holiday spread of BBQ cauliflower bites, warm tahini kale salad and smoky sweet potato fries.

First, I prepped all of my veggies…

I started working on the kale first by steaming it for about 15 minutes. After it was bright green and tender, I sautéed some garlic and added the kale to the pan.

While the kale was cooking, I preheated the oven to 400 F. I tossed the cauliflower (1 head) in 2 tsp oil. I also tossed the sweet potato fries (2 potatoes, sliced) in 2 tsp oil and sprinkled it with a cayenne spice mix from Penzy’s. Both pans went in for 10 minutes. I removed the cauliflower and tossed it in barbecue sauce. Once you have a good coating, return to the oven. Be sure to stir the fries around at this time too. Cook for another 10-15 minutes.

To finish the kale off, I added a drizzle of Trader Joe’s Goddess dressing along with a handful of sunflower seeds and raisins. Enjoy!

Italian Style Soup with Kale, Quinoa, Chickpeas and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

I threw together a simple soup with just a few ingredients: a carton of veggie broth, a can of chickpeas, a few sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, kale, quinoa, garlic and Italian seasoning. I sautéed a tablespoon of garlic in a little oil and then added some veggie stock and about a cup of quinoa. Once the quinoa was cooked, I added a bunch of kale which I had sautéed in a separate pan with the sun-dried tomatoes and garlic.

I simmered everything together for about 15 minutes.

 

 

 

Kale with Sweet Mustard Dressing

My dad knows how much I love kale and does a good job at spotting delicious recipes. The kale salad I made last night was fantastic. Next time I would make it with a more tangy mustard, as the original recipe calls for. It was a bit on the sweet side.

Both of my parents enjoyed this dish. The only downside was we only had one bunch of kale and it wasn’t enough for all three of us!

Ingredients

• 1 bunch of kale, destemmed and torn into bite sized pieces
• 2 Tbls coconut oil
• 1 Tbls honey dijon mustard
• 2 tsp maple syrup
• 1 Tbls coconut creamer

1. Heat coconut oil in a skillet. Once oil is melted, add chunks of kale. Cook until tender and bright green. Remove from heat
2. Whisk together dijon, maple syrup and creamer. Drizzle over kale (I used about half of the dressing)

Greens Galore

Tonight I cooked with my two favorite greens: Lacinato kale and broccoli. For the broccoli, I made my beloved roasted broccoli.

For the kale, I made a raw kale salad and a stir fry with the kale stems. The raw kale salad was simple, I massaged 1 Tbls of oil, 1 Tbls apple cider vinegar and a pinch of salt for a few minutes. To the salad I added a marinade of lemon juice from 1/2 a lemon, cayenne and 1 clove minced garlic. I topped the salad with marinated tofu.

I normally avoid cooking with the kale stems, but I thought I’d try sauteing them with some oil, onion, nutritional yeast and Bragg’s amino acids. They were absolutely delicious. I wish I had more!

Garlicky Kale with Roast Beeflike Strips

I kept it simple tonight by sauteing a ton of garlic and half an onion. While this was cooking away, I boiled a beautiful bunch of kale. When the kale was bright green and tender, I added it to the garlic/onion saute. After 15 minutes, I cut up a few slices of Tofurky Roast Beef deli meats. Serve with bread.

Roasted Squash Soup with Kale and White Beans

I will forewarn you now, this isn’t the best soup recipe. I think I over did it with the rosemary and I am not sure how I feel about Trader Joe’s frozen kale…Regardless, I will share and maybe you’ll have some insight on how to make this dish even better.

Ingredients

• butternut squash, roasted
• 1/2 large onion, rough chop
• 2 stalks of celery, rough chop
• 1 tsp of rosemary (*use 1/4-1/2 tsp!)
• 1 carton of veggie broth
• 1 c frozen kale
• 1 can of cannelini beans

1. Saute onion and celery until fragrant. Add the rosemary. Continue to stir until soft
2. Add the squash and broth. Bring to a boil
3. Once everything is tender, blend with an emersion blender
4. Bring to a simmer and add the kale and beans
5. Salt and pepper to taste

Pasta with Sautéed Kale and Onion

Keeping it simple tonight. I came home with kale and onion in hand. To my delight, my roommate had just made pasta and had a serving leftover, offering the rest to me.

I sautéed a small onion in a little oil and added water as it began sticking to the pan a bit. When this was soft, I added some beautifully fresh lacinto kale. As that became tender, I sprinkled nutritional yeast and Bragg’s amino acids. I stirred a small amount of Earth Balance butter in with the noodles, added the kale/onion mixture, and dinner was ready! Simple and delicious!

Lentil and Squash Curry

Squash are such a wonderfully rich and hearty vegetable. I think I’ve had a buttercup squash sitting on my counter for at least a month now. I prefer buttercup because the skin is edible, whereas with most other squashes you need to peel the skin off – such a hassle! I found a recipe from Oh She Glows and modified it a little. This is honestly one of the best main dishes I have made yet. I’m pretty sure I said, “wow!” after tasting it…

Ingredients

• 1 buttercup squash, cut into cubes
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 tbls ginger, minced
• oil
• Martha’s curry mixture (2 tsp coriander, 2 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 3/4 tsp turmeric, 1/2-1 tsp cayenne)
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 cup vegetable stock + 3 cups water (do all vegetable stock if you want, this was all I had left)
• 12 oz dried lentils
• 1 bunch of kale

1. Prep your veggies. Then heat up the curry and salt mixture in some oil. After about a minute, when the spices are fragrant, add the onion, garlic and ginger
2. Saute until the onion is soft, then add in the squash. When the squash starts to get tender, add the remaining ingredients
3. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes or until everything is nice and soft