Tag Archives: Kale

New Style Caprese Summer Kale Salad with Nectarines and Fresh Mozzarella

Gluten Free, Recipes, Salads, sauces and dressings, Side dishes August 22, 2016 Comments: 5
Summer Kale Salad with nectarines and fresh mozzarella

Summer Kale Salad with nectarines and fresh mozzarella

This salad is the latest addition to my growing list of kale salads.  Perfect this time of year with sweet summer nectarines and fresh mozzarella with a light and refreshing lemony white balsamic vinaigrette. 

Summer Kale Salad

Summer Kale Salad

You may be saying to yourself when will this trend of kale salads and kale everything ever end, but if you ask me the answer would be NEVER because I really do LOVE kale, I don’t just eat it ’cause it’s good for me, I truly enjoy it.  Kale salads show up weekly at my dinner table and then again for lunch when I have leftovers (and I always hope for leftovers!).  I hope you’ll find as much joy in this simple and delicious salad as we do. small bowl summer kale salad

This version was inspired by a pizza I recently enjoyed on a day trip to Princeton, NJ, where we were touring the university with Skyler (she’s a brilliant and very hard working student with high aspirations, fingers crossed!), honestly I hope she gets accepted just so we can go back for more pizza 🙂. 

Skyler & I with one of the many Princeton tigers on campus

Skyler & I with one of the many Princeton tigers on campus

 

Colin at his namesake Jones Hall

Colin at his namesake Jones Hall

an example of the beautiful Princeton architecture

an example of the beautiful Princeton architecture

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Kale Salad with Creamy Avocado & Herb Dressing

Entrees, Gluten Free, Recipes, Salads, Side dishes, Veggies August 3, 2015 Comments: 2
Avocado and Fresh Herb Dressing
Avocado and Fresh Herb Dressing
Kale Salad with Avocado Dressing
Kale Salad topped with a fried egg, yum!

Kale Salad topped with a fried egg, yum!

We recently spent a fantastic week in beautiful Vermont for a much needed family vacation.  We spent the first few days at the Smuggler’s Notch resort where we enjoyed an exhilarating/slightly terrifying day at the Arbor Trek Treetops Obstacle Course, swimming in the numerous pools, Evan’s first BIG waterslide, Evan bouncing and Skyler flipping on the Euro Bungy, Skyler flying through trees on the giant swing, and some time finally learning to paddle board on a thankfully smooth and calm lake – I don’t think I’m ready for the ocean waves yet, although I did try a few brief seconds in tree pose while barely balancing on the board!
tree climbing Skyler
tree climbing Skyler
Skyler challenging the treetops obstacle course
Skyler challenging the treetops obstacle course
Survived the treetops obstacle course!
Survived the treetops obstacle course!
We didn’t even let the way too many rainy moments get us down…we watched family movies and ate our way through the offerings at Ben & Jerry’s, and ate decent meals.  While our bellies never went empty and we were nourished well enough, we were left more than a little uninspired by the menu options at the fun family resort…Why is it that so many restaurants think if kids will be there the food needs to be ordinary and, dare I say it..boring?

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Beans & Greens Soup – White & Pinto with Kale & Wheat Berries

Beans, Grains, Soup, Veggies April 12, 2015 Leave a comment
white beans, pinto beans with veggies in soup
We were hoodwinked, tricked, fooled!  For a few days, the sun was shining, the temp warmed up, the crocuses were in bloom…I even convinced Evan, who’s 5 and very attached to things staying the same, that it was time to switch from the winter jacket to a nice springy fleece (not an easy task!). Then everything changed. Overnight it became damp, dreary, dark and SO cold again, and to top it all off, Skyler had her first track meet of the Spring season, outside, sitting on metal bleachers for hours! What else could I do, but make soup.  Of course, it’s warmed up a bit in the last day or two, but this soup is yummy no matter what the weather outside is. 
 Beans and Greens Soup with white and pinto beans, wheat berries and kale
Here’s another version of one of our family favorites…beans and greens soup, warming and delicious.  In this version, I’ve used a combination of white beans and pinto beans and a big pile of fresh chopped kale.  I also add in some wheat berries, which I adore in soups like this. The wheat berries cook up nice and al dente, holding up well as leftovers, unlike pasta which continues to absorb broth and turn to mush after a day or two in the fridge. The wheat berries do take a bit of time to cook though. When I have the time or for thought, I like to soak the wheat berries in a bowl of water for a few hours before draining and adding to the soup.  Soaking the wheat berries, will speed up the cooking time and is said to aid in digestibility.  

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Super Simple Kale Salad

Recipes, Salads, Vegan, Veggies March 30, 2015 Comments: 3
Simply dressed kale with olive oil and flaky sea salt, topped with orange segments and almonds

Simply dressed kale with olive oil and flaky sea salt, topped with orange segments and almonds

Super Simple Kale Salad
Author: Sweet Green Kitchen’s Jen Jones
 Ingredients:
1 bunch Kale – cut or torn into bite size pieces
A drizzle of Olive Oil – Use your most flavorful Extra Virgin / or even a nice lemon infused
A sprinkle of Flaked Sea Salt
Directions:
This is the simplest salad you’ll ever make, just 3 ingredients and you’re done.  For the kale, I really like a nice curly or Red Russian variety of kale here.  Pull out the center rib and then just tear off the leaves into bite size pieces, it’s that easy.  Next, drizzle with your most flavorful olive oil, not too little and not too much, just a drizzle.  Now here’s the fun part and perhaps the most time consuming of this super simple recipe, massage the olive oil into the kale leaves until every leaf is glistening.  Top with a sprinkling of flaky sea salt and you’re done!Kale
Oranges and Flaky Sea Salt
Orange segments and slivered almondsNote:  For the most part, I am a big believer in adding acid to my salads, I tend to like most dressings with a higher ratio of acid to oil, but in this case the olive oil and salt speak for themselves, no acid needed.
I like topping this easy salad with some roasted squash or sweet potatoes and maybe some chick peas too if I’m in the mood for a great vegan main dish.  This would also be delicious topped with your favorite protein whether it be, grilled salmon, shrimp or chicken or my simple pan fried tofu or even a dollop of goat cheese or shaved pecorino, or as I’ve done here with my Maple Orange Tempeh, topped with a few clementines and almonds.  Enjoy! 

 

Super Simple Kale Salad with Maple Orange Tempeh

Super Simple Kale Salad with Maple Orange Tempeh

Maple Orange Tempeh

Entrees, Main Dish, Recipes, Salads, Tofu, Vegan, Veggies March 30, 2015 Comments: 8
Maple Orange Tempeh over Kale Salad
 Hands down, this is my new favorite way to prepare and eat tempeh, and lime is now my new favorite citrus (I know, shocking, since lemon seems to star in so many of my other recipes!). maple orange tempeh marinade
Cubes of tempeh are marinated in a mix of orange juice, maple syrup, soy sauce and sriracha, with a little squeeze of lime for acidity.  tempeh in maple orange marinademarinating tempeh
After marinating, the tempeh is then cooked to a golden brown and then glazed in the sticky, sweet and slightly spicy marinade, making it both the marinade and sauce. cooking tempeh
caramelized tempeh cooking in marinade
Quick, easy, and delicious!  If tempeh is not your thing, don’t despair, I imagine the marinade/glaze would be equally delicious on your protein of choice; tofu, shrimp, chicken, etc. 
I serve this tempeh with a side of greens and black rice or aside spicy peanut noodles, or as I have it here as a topping for Super Simple Kale Salad with Orange & Almonds. Also delicious with my Kale Salad with Creamy Cashew Dressing or Raw Root Asian Slaw. It’s delicious any way you choose!

 

Maple Orange Tempeh
Author: Sweet Green Kitchen’s Jen Jones
Adapted from “Salad Samurai” by Terry Hope Romero
Ingredients:
1 pound Tempeh – 2 packages
¾ cup Orange Juice
3 Tablespoons lite Soy Sauce (Organic or non GMO)
2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 ½ teaspoons Sriracha Sauce
Zest & Juice of ½ Lime
Plus Coconut Oil for cooking

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