Tag Archives: Lemon

A Kale & Sweet Potato Salad

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It’s a typical Saturday night in our house.  After I destroyed the kitchen making yet a very simple Quiche, I left it to eat and play with Calla.  Then continued to watch her pull every toy, book and stuffed animal out into the living room and then moved back into the kitchen the create another mess of the floor.  We had some bedtime snacks then got Calla ready for bed. The house is now quiet with a sleeping dog, sleeping baby and even a sleeping husband, and still a mess surrounds me.

Yesterday I found a pretty great article on How to Stay Organized in the Kitchen while baking and Cooking, which I vowed I would follow. Very easy tasks that would make a world of different at the end of the night, however, I seemed to have forgotten to put them into play tonight… oops.

With the goal being how long I can forget about my kitchen, living room, laundry and mess of a house.  I’ve decide to take a little internet break and turned to Pinterest (It’s just a small obsession).  The problem is there’s so many great things to look at and check out I feel I might miss something if I don’t check it at least once a day.  After that I managed to send some photos to my mom, look up ideas for Mason Jars, watch a couple Jenna Marbles videos (have you seen any, they are pretty funny), drool over all the beautiful items on Anthropologie, kitchen wear being my cup of tea, go back to Pinterest, then finally decide to write this little blog post.  Have I mentioned I’m great at Procrastinating?  You may have picked up on that.

Do you think maybe if I wait long enough, or think about it hard enough it will learn to self-clean?  My oven knows how, maybe it can teach the whole kitchen??

Or, maybe not.

Alright, the salad.  This is a pretty great salad.  So great I had it for lunch, dinner, then removed a few ingredients, threw an egg on top and had it for breakfast the next day.  To eat Kale, I feel like you really have to know what to do with it. That being said I think it’s all in how you prepare it.  First, cut the tough large ribs out, even slice it into smaller pieces so it’s more manageable.  Season it with lemon juice, olive oil, some spices and some salt and pepper and that’s a good start.  Otherwise, despite the fact that it’s so good for you, it will still taste bitter, chewy and unenjoyable to eat. So far I’ve tried Kale chips, in this burger, in this soup, in smoothies and I think the next might just be a ceaser salad, in lieu of Romaine.  Could be a winner.  Hmmm… I wonder how that self-cleaning kitchen is doing…

Alright, to the kitchen…

Kale & Sweet Potato Salad
1 Cup cubed Sweet Potato (or more if you like)
2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
1 Bunch Kale, ribs removed and finely sliced (about 2 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup raw almonds, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1 tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice

Heat oven to 425F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Toss the sweet potato in olive oil, just enough to coat.  Season with Salt and Pepper.  Spread onto prepared baking sheet and place in heated oven.  Roast until tender and caramelized, about 40 minutes, tossing every 10 minutes or so. Toast almonds in the same oven for about 10 minutes, tossing once or twice. Remove from oven and let cool.

In a large mixing bowl, toss together the kale, almonds, parmesan cheese and sweet potato.  Add lemon juice and olive oil.  Mix together then taste for seasoning. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, if needed.  Serve with lemon wedge and extra parmesan cheese.

If there’s any salad leftover, remove almonds and bake an egg on top (recipe below).

Kale, Sweet Potato & Eggs
1 – 2 Eggs
Kale and Sweet Potato salad (recipe above), minus the almonds.
1 tbsp Olive Oil

Heat olive oil in a medium size skillet over medium heat.  Add about 1-2 cups of salad to pan and allow to cook a few minutes until Kale starts to soften.

Bring salad together and crack 1-2 eggs over top.  Reduce heat to low, cover and let cook 5-7 minutes.  Or until eggs are cooked, but still soft on the inside.  Allow to cook longer if you like harder eggs.

Remove from heat, transfer to plate and enjoy with multigrain toast.

(The Initial Salad adapted from Food 52)

Walking! (Oh, and Watermelon Salad)

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It didn’t take long for Calla to venture on her own after walking along furniture and using mom and dad’s hands for support.  For a month and a half Calla practiced. Pulling herself up and working on her balance and coordination. Building and strengthening her legs and core muscles. She would surprise us by walking a step or two away from the couch, or turn to see her standing on her own. We practiced a few times letting her try taking steps between us and made it to about 5.  Now at 10 1/2 months she walks freely, with arms in the air, sometimes pausing to clap and smile. Her balance improves in leaps and bounds everyday.  A small step she had trouble with one day, is conquered the next.  Her speed gets swifter, and fearlessness more defined.

She’s a tough little girl, always climbing or pulling herself onto something.  Figuring out how to get where she wants to go.  It shocks me sometimes how she’s figured out something so quickly and with such ease.  The faster she moves and more determined and independent she gets only means the tumbles may happen more frequently, and more hurtful. What lays ahead of us is something I’m not looking forward to, the bumps and bruises.  The first cuts and wounds.  The tears.

Many of those tears shed I’m sure will be my own.  As Calla gets more independent, it will be hard for me to let go and let her figure things out on her own, even if that means there will be a few stumbles along the way.  This I’m learning is one of the hard parts of being a mom. However, one of the very best parts of being a mom, is watching those first steps, the attempts to run and skip, and even being there when the tears come to kiss the bumps, bruises and wounds and make it all better.

Watermelon, Quinoa, Feta & Mint Salad
(Adapted from Tartelette)

1.5 Cups Quinoa, rinsed
3 Cups Water
1 Cup Watermelon, cut into small cubes
1/2 Cup Feta, crumbled
2 Green Onions, chopped thin
1/3 Cup loosely packed mint, thinly chopped
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
Juice of 1 Lemon
Salt and Pepper, to taste

In a large saucepan, add rinsed quinoa and water and bring to boil over high heat.  Once boiling, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 15-20 or until water is absorbed. Remove from heat and let cool completely.

Once the quinoa has cooled, add chopped watermelon, feta, green onions, olive oil and mint and fold together gently, keeping watermelon pieces intact. Season with salt and pepper and chill until ready to serve.

Lemon Poppyseed Coleslaw

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Switching it up a bit here, because we can’t always talk about food all the time.. ok well I can, but here’s a new story for you.

Out on a dirbike ride with Scotty a few days ago, I did something a tad embarrassing.  Coming down a hill, not an extremely steep hill by any means, but a bit gravely, and loose I was fixed on an object in front of me.

Something big and ugly, not something that should be or belongs in the middle of nowhere.

Something that I was so confused by, and taken aback trying to figure out what it was, that I actually ran into it.  I wish I could say there wasn’t anywhere else I could go, but I would be lying, the trail was wide, with at least 10 feet on either side of it.

I hope you will be as dumbfounded as I was, when I tell you, it was a hot tub.

I ran into a stranded hot tub, on a dirtbike, in the middle of no where.

Luckily, I was going quite slow that only my pride got hurt.

Even being a new dirtbike rider, I am still ashamed this happened, obviously not that ashamed though, or I would not be telling all of you.

And definitely not as ashamed as the person who dumped their old used hot tub in a forested area should feel. Whoever you are, seriously, have you any respect for yourself or the environment??

This is the second coleslaw we made to use up our abundance of cabbage, and it was really really good!

The dressing seemed like more of a vinaigrette, and the addition of apples, walnuts and raisins added just the right touch.

For Dressing
3/4 cup Plain Yogurt
2 tbsp Mayo
3 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 tsp dried drill
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp poppyseeds
For Salad
1/2 Purple Cabbage, thinly shredded
1/2 Green Cabbage, thinly shredded
1 Apple
1 Carrot, peeled
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup raisins
In a small jar, with a lid, add all dressing ingredients and shake well.  Taste for seasoning and set aside.
Shred the purple and green cabbage as thinly as possible, add to a medium size bowl. Cut the apple in quarters and remove core.  Slice into strips and add to bowl.  Peel carrot, cut in diagonal slices, then again into strips, add to bowl. Add raisins and walnuts.  Mix together, then add dressing and mix again until salad is coated.

Salsa Verde with Cajun Parmesan Chicken Strips

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I couldn’t decide if I wanted to separate these two delicious dishes into two posts.  But decided while they taste pretty amazing on their own, together, they taste kind of magical. I know, I said it, super cheesy but true, magical!

Once you’ve tried these you will think very differently towards store bought or restaurant chicken fingers.  And once you’ve tasted the green goodness that is salsa verde, you will always have watercress on your grocery list and will probably make this on a weekly basis. I feel like it could pair very well with white fish..

This is my first time cooking with watercress. I can’t believe I never noticed it next to the cilantro and parsley before. For something that looks like a simple garnish, it’s surprisingly good for you. It’s a hard working little vegetable, it breaks up kidney or bladder stones, purifies the blood and stimulates thyroid. Also contains calcium, vitamin C and beta-carotene.

I usually pick the parsley off my dish if its a garnish, but I think I should start eating it. Another busy vegetable, this one has vitamin c, iron, and sodium.  Can you believe it’s a breath freshener, cleanses the blood and also clears kidney stones. Wow!

(Adapted from What Katie Ate)

Salsa Verde
Handful of fresh parsley leaves
Small handful of fresh basil leaves
Handful of Watercress
1 tbsp capers
1 Green Pepper, seeded and chopped
1 Jalapeno, chopped. Remove membrane and seeds if you do not want it very spicy
Zest & Juice of 1 Small Lime
1 tsp Dijon Mustard
1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
1/3 Cup Olive Oil
1/4 Cup Pine Nuts

In a blender or food processor, combine all ingredients and pulse. After a few minutes, scrape down sides and taste for seasoning. Blend for another minute or two until smooth, or until desired consistency.

Transfer salsa to another bowl and set aside.

Cajun Parmesan Chicken Strips
3 Chicken Breasts
1 Cup buttermilk
2 Eggs

5 Slices of Ancient Grains Bread
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
Zest of 1 Lemon
1-2 tbsp Cajun Seasoning
Pepper

Pulse slices of bread in a food processor or blender into a fine grain. Add lemon, parmesan cheese and cajun spice.  Add freshly ground pepper. Pulse a few more time to combine.

In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk and eggs.  If you do not have buttermilk, you can add 1 tbsp of lemon to 1 cup of milk as an alternative.

Slice chicken breasts into strips, say 2cm x 10 cm or so. Place chicken strips in egg mixture and coat well.  Roll chicken strips in bread mixture until completely coated. Place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake in oven at 360F for 20-30 minutes or until chicken is completely cooked and coating is golden and crunchy.

Serve warm with salsa verde.