breaking the silence

Life has been BUSY. Busy but so so so so so so good. I'm breaking the long silence with one of my favorite recipes lately. A good friend of mine in Chicago made this salad for me in May and I've been doing a version of it ever since. She's an amazing person. The kind of person that you meet and instantly feel like you've known forever. She's got such a warm and inviting energy and she's weird. Weird in the best possible way. This salad is such a great expression of how I see her because it mixes some usual suspects with some things I wouldn't think to put into a salad. She's the kind of person that just makes you happy to be around and is always surprising you with her endearing quirks. 

When she first made it for me I was nervous. She combined some of my favorite ingredients with some things I thought I didn't like/wouldn't like together. The salad didn't really make sense in my brain but I went with it. Because I was her guest and because I'm always open to new food combos. I'm so glad I was too because it made me a believer that raw kale can be tasty. This is a kale salad but before I lose some of you, I want to warn you that this is a great intro to kale salad recipe. It's health food light thanks to some awesome ingredients. 

I'm not going to lie, unless kale is blended into my morning smoothie it's usually too aggressive a veggie for my pallet. It's so earthy and fibrous. BUT, this salad does such a great job of distracting you from all of that AND I have three tricks up my sleeve that really makes all the difference for any kale salad. 

Trick 1, chop that kale into thin, small shreds! It makes eating the salad a lot more enjoyable and it's so much easier to chew. 

Trick 2, dress your salad a few hours before you're going to eat it and up to 3 days before! Kale is an incredibly fibrous veggie and unlike lettuce, it won't wilt and get soggy once you put the dressing on it. In fact, the dressing helps break down the kale a bit. 

Trick 3, remove that thick vein that goes down the middle of the leaf. it's super fibrous and not very palatable. 

Now that I've set you up with the basics, lets get into it.

kale salad for beginners

yields 4 servings

6 c. chopped dinosaur or curly leaf kale

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 c. green beans, chopped

2 carrots, choped

½ c. cooked tortellini 

1 TBSP red pepper flakes (to taste)

¼ c. lime cilantro vinaigrette (to taste)

2 TBSP tahini (sesame seed paste)

⅛ c. parmesan shavings

salt + pepper

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and give it a few good stirs. Don't be afraid of the red pepper flakes. I thought for sure that one would get stuck in the back of my throat and have me coughing up a storm. Turns out they somehow melt and just add a nice depth of flavor, not crazy spiciness. Let sit in the refrigerator at least 2 hours or overnight. This will keep 3-4 days in the fridge.

improv style:

use seasonal veggies and veggies that you like. i love green beans cooked but the raw green beans in this salad really works. i'm telling you, my friend is magical - every ingredient just works.

if you don't want to make your own dressing, you can use store bought. trader joes makes an awesome lime cilantro vinaigrette. green goddess dressing would be a good option too. whatever your favorite store bought dressing is should work. 

if you don't have tahini, don't go out buying it (unless you want to of course). i like the subtle creaminess it adds to the dish. it's easily left out. 

you can keep this dairy or gluten free by leaving out the pasta and cheese. the tortellini adds a nice texture - little bit creamy, little bit of that awesome pasta chew. the cheese adds a bit of a salty bite and helps tone down the earthy kale. if you're into kale salads, you can definitely leave these two out and go on with your bad self!

get creative!

last bits of summer

I strive to live a balanced life. I'm the first to admit that food is my biggest weakness and there are times in life where I get a bit too carried away with the not-so-healthy-eating *cough - this weekend - cough*. But I'm going to be honest with you, most of the time health food just isn't that filling or satisfying! I'm constantly on the lookout for new and healthy recipes that leave me satiated AND satisfied! 

This dish was made for me by my amazing Aunt Aynne. She's had a lot of awesome produce come out of her garden this year. I went by for lunch a few weeks back and I definitely benefitted from it. While this by itself was more of a hearty snack for me, add a grilled chicken breast and a small slice of whole wheat bread and you've got a healthy and satisfying dinner that's quick and easy! Plus the leftovers are great for lunch.

The photos don't really do this dish justice. Sweet summer corn mixed with warm, earthy and tough leaves of swiss chard accented by crisp salty pancetta topped with fresh bursts of tomato and creamy feta cheese make this a huge win in my book! It's great as a side dish or if you have a normal to small appetite as your main entrée. Take advantage of the last few weeks of summer produce and make this, now! 

Warm Summer Corn + Chard Salad

adapted from Penzyes spices

yields 4 servings

ingredients:

1 large bunch of swiss chard (about 6 leaves)

4 oz diced pancetta

4 garlic cloves. diced

2 shallots, thinly sliced 

4 ears of corn (about 2 cups kernels)

1 t. dried oregano

3 T. red wine vinegar

2 medium sized tomatoes (about 1 heaping cup diced)

feta cheese crumbles, to taste

salt + pepper

Remove the chard leaves from stems. Cut the ends off the stems and then dice stems and set aside. Cut leaves into large chunks and also set aside. 

In a large pan over medium heat cook and brown pancetta. Once golden brown, remove and drain on a paper towel. Add thinly sliced shallots and chopped swiss chard stems and cook until shallots are slightly transparent. Add garlic. corn kernels and oregano and cook for about 2 minutes. Add Chard leaves and vinegar and cook for another 5 minutes until wilted. Add in pancetta bits and salt + pepper to taste.

Place warm mixture into bowls and top with fresh diced tomatoes and feta cheese. Enjoy!

improv style:

there's lots of ways to switch this dish up. you can make it vegetarian by leaving out the pancetta or substitute it for bacon (turkey bacon is another option), prosciutto or even canadian bacon. no shallots? use onions instead. corn out of season? you can do this in the winter or fall with frozen corn - note that fresh is always better and more flavorful!

red wine vinegar can be substituted for white wine vinegar, rice wine vinegar, or even a little splash of dry white wine. feta cheese can be subbed for your favorite cheese crumbles. just make sure it's a dryer crumbly cheese, not something like melty brie.

you can also make this more hearty by adding cooked quinoa, wheat berries, bulgar, brown rice... you get the idea.  

kick up the heat

Summer is in full effect and it's almost July. Seriously, where did June go?! Time is FLYING by. For me, nothing says summer like fresh corn, berries, chilled wines, and perfectly tart homemade lemonade. For a lot of people, watermelon is on that list.

Can I be honest with you? Watermelon is not my favorite. In fact, 10 times out of 10 I'll give you my slice if it comes as a garnish on a plate. I gaze over it at BBQ's, and it's the only thing left at the bottom of my fruit cocktail bowl. I'm aware that this probably makes me un-american and not human… what can I say?! Something about the overly sweet mush that I'm not a huge fan of. Well, until I played around with it a bit. 

I got a big ole hunk of watermelon in my CSA last week. Talk about a disappointment. I decided to make it my mission to create a watermelon dish that I could enjoy (part of the reason why I joined a CSA in the first place - to be more adventurous/experimental in the kitchen). I'm happy to announce I was successful not once, but twice! Last Summer I remembered seeing an article from Tasting Table about a Chicago restaurant serving up a watermelon salad in a fun way. I rememberd thinking - that makes me want to try watermelon and I'm not even a fan of the fruit. THAT is how powerful presentation can be in the world of food. No matter what kind of food I'm making, I always try my best to make it look fun/interesting/appetizing. So today I give you my play on Francesca's Forno watermelon salad presentation.

I think watermelon salads can be done well or terribly. A few weeks ago I had a watermelon cube served as an appetizer with a whipped feta. It was disgusting. It was an appetizer that tried to be friends with the savory crowd when it only knew how to play with the sweets. 

I used some of my favorite ingredients, basil and goat cheese for this version. I think the tang of the goat cheese plays nicely with the fruit (instead of trying to compete). Basil adds a nice herbal burst to cut through the sweetness as well. I added a drizzle of aged balsamic vinegar to further counter the sweet watermelon. But the real secret to this salad?! Salt and a light sprinkle of cayenne pepper. The salt helps with the sweet savory balance but that cayenne, it's the real star of the dish. I used just enough to leave a little tingle on the lips. It's definitely an unexpected and welcome kick to something you expect to just be sweet and juicy. If you're not a fan of spicy, you can totally leave it out. There's something really fun about watermelon salad with cayenne though… it's sweet heat!

Lots of improv suggestions below. Swap out the ingredients for your favorites… it's a salad after all!

kickin' watermelon salad

ingredients

watermelon slices

crumbled goat cheese

torn fresh basil leaves

drizzle of aged balsamic vinegar

sprinkle of salt

light sprinkle of cayenne pepper (seriously just a small pinch dusted over the slice)

No measurements here, use as much as you like. Just like making a salad, you can't really go wrong (unless you dump TOO much cayenne pepper or salt). Use a light hand, you can always add more.

improv style:

i think the traditional watermelon salad involves feta cheese, olives, thinly shaved onions, and fresh mint leaves. i like 2 of the above ingredients so i improv'd it to my taste. use your favorite flavors. here's some suggestions:

combine any of the following:

• semi-hard crumbly cheese - like feta, goat, blue cheese
• fresh herb of sorts (in this case, fresh is a must) - mint, basil, cilantro, parsley
• toppings - olives, onions, slivered nuts, sesame seeds, cucumber, tomato, wonton strips
• dressings - your favorite type of vinegar, a honey dressing, your favorite salad dressing, maybe an asian toasted sesame?! - get creative or go naked!

you can serve it as a pizza slice but you could also just dice the watermelon and serve it up traditionally. if you don't have cayenne but still want to add heat you could try using hot sauce or siracha. just watch how much you put on… a little goes a long way! Also, don't have aged balsamic? just pour some in a pan and reduce it until it becomes a thick syrup. boom, now you've got your own thick syrupy balsamic without the huge price tag! 

BACONFEST!!

This weekend I officially had my mind blown by Chicago. They have a festival called Baconfest, yes, BACONFEST! How could I not love my new city when it has a festival devoted entirely to bacon?! To say I love bacon would be an understatement. And while I try not to eat it too often, Baconfest was definitely a great reason to splurge! 


Funny story about bacon... when I was about 8 years old I ate an entire package of bacon with breakfast. My mom joked with me that I was going to die an early death from clogged arteries. Me being stubborn as I am replied "Fine, I'm never eating bacon again!". And I didn't, for about 8 years. I don't know what I was thinking... bacon is too delicious to not eat and life is too short to live without bacon! 


On to the main event, Baconfest details! TONS of famous chefs and restaurants from around Chicago came to share their hog inspired dishes. The most innovative and my personal favorite from the event was the bacon cannoli. It BLEW my mind! Some other highlights were the crispy polenta cake with cheese fondue and bacon ragu, creole bacon sauce over cheesy grits with jalapeno bacon cornbread, maple bourbon ice cream root beer float with bacon jimmies, and bacon soup. I even got to meet Girl and the Goat's Stephanie Izard, Top Chef Season 4 winner - she ROCKS! Her bacon soup for the event was complex and bursting with flavor! Nom nom nom!

In honor of Baconfest, I thought I'd share one of my favorite but simple bacon dishes, enjoy!


Arugula, Bacon + Date Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

ingredients:
for the dressing:
3 T. olive oil 
1 T. dijon mustard
½ T. aged balsamic vinegar 
½ lemon - about 1 T. juice
1 small clove garlic minced
salt + pepper


for the salad:
3 c. arugula
6 slices of crispy bacon
6 dates diced
¼ c. shaved parmesan


For the dressing mix ingredients together with a whisk until it emulsifies. That's a fancy way to say it becomes thick like a salad dressing. I use a 25 year aged balsamic vinegar because i find the flavor to be less harsh and the thickness adds great texture. If you don't have an aged balsamic you can make a reduction of regular balsamic vinegar to achieve similar flavor/consistency.


Throw your greens, bacon, and dates into a bowl and toss with the dressing. Be careful not to add too much dressing, you can always add more. Toss and top with shaved parmesan. Simple, quick, and so tasty! 


improv style:
if you don't have dates, candied pecans would be great as a substitution or in addition. you can do a reduction of regular balsamic vinegar if you don't have aged balsamic. try it with turkey bacon if you're trying to be healthy or leave it out to make it vegetarian. if you're not a fan of arugula i really encourage you to try it in this dish. I don't usually love it either but there's something about the pepperiness that works really well with the salty bacon and sweet dates. If you still aren't buying it, this salad would be great with mixed greens or an italian blend. 

lunchtime snoozfest

I try to be good and bring my lunch to work every day. Not only does it keep me healthy but it helps me save a TON of money every month. Ironically, I didn't bring my lunch today. The problem with packing a lunch most days is 1. I don't have a lot of time in the morning and 2. sandwiches, while easy, get boring day after day. My new mission is to come up with some tasty and easy lunches for work.

This recipe is my first solve for the boring sandwich blues. I love this pasta salad, it's easy and quick to make. It fits perfectly into a small tupperware container and I can get it ready the night before aka more time for me to sleep in the mornings! This recipe is packed with flavor and the whole grains fill me up!

Lime Cilantro Pasta Salad

ingredients:

for the dressing:

¼ c. red wine vinegar

¼ c. lime juice + zest

2 T. honey

1 small shallot minced

½ c. cilantro leaves packed

1 clove garlic

salt + pepper

for the salad:

1 c. whole wheat orzo pasta

2 chicken breasts (cooked and thinly sliced)

2 c. chicken broth

2 c. water

1 c. cherry tomatoes halved

cilantro leaves for garnish

yields 2 hearty servings

In a food processor, combine all the dressing ingredients and pulse until garlic, shallots, and cilantro leaves are pulverized (basically until you have your dressing at a consistency you like).

Meanwhile, heat chicken stock and water in a saucepan for the orzo. Cook orzo until al dente, drain pasta. Add lime cilantro dressing to the warm pasta. It will absorb more flavor this way. Combine chicken slices, tomatoes and cilantro leaves with the pasta. It's that easy! If you like, you can double the dressing recipe and marinade your chicken in it to add even more flavor.

improv style:

for the dressing you can substitute honey for agave nectar or a pinch of sugar instead. Also, you can make this with basil instead of cilantro and add mini mozzarella balls and tomatoes for an italian spin on the dish (think caprese salad)! the recipe isn't set in stone so substitute the herbs and veggies for ingredients you have on hand. don't have orzo? use a different pasta or even a quinoa or cous cous and make it gluten free! you can add some pine nuts or almonds for a bit of crunch too.