Tuesday’s Table – Kale Salad with Quinoa, Feta and Crasins

On Saturday night I had Jonathan Waxman’s excellent Kale Salad at Adele’s in Nashville. It reminded me that I haven’t made one of my favorite kale salads in a while, and I have never posted it on our blog before. One of my dear friends introduced me to this salad over a year ago, and I have made it many times. It is inexpensive, healthy, and keeps well! It will keep in Tupperware in your fridge from Mon-Th/Fri. And that’s usually exactly when I eat it – the work week. It is the perfect, easy lunch to take with you to work or to have all ready to eat in the fridge.

  

  

Kale Salad with Quinoa, Feta, and Crasins

Salad:

1 large bunch of kale, washed well, dried, and torn/chopped into small bits

1/2 c. cooked quinoa, prepared according to package

1/4. c. crumbled feta

1/4 c. crasins

1/4 c. toasted pepitas/pecans/pine nuts (pick your favorite or use whatever nut you have, just toast them first)

Dressing:

2 Tbs. olive oil

juice of one lemon

1 small clove of garlic, minced

1 tsp. dijon mustard

freshly cracked black pepper

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

Directions:

While you are preparing your quinoa according to its packaging (boiling water, letting it absorb said water, etc.), wash and dry your kale. Kale can be quite sandy so really rinse each leaf, then let dry. Once mostly dry pull leaves from their stems and tear or chop into small bits.

Prepare dressing.

  

Combine dressing with kale.

  

Add crasins, feta, nuts (that need to be toasted, do this on your stove top in a matter of 3-5 minutes – make more than you need and save them. You will use them!) and hot quinoa. I like adding the quinoa as soon as it’s finished cooking so it can help almost soften the kale.

  

Put in air tight container and in your fridge.

I make this on Sunday night and have it several days during the week. I love it! I also love that its a cold salad but tastes a bit like fall. Perfect for our in between weather!

Enjoy!!

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Whipped Feta

This is one of the easiest best appetizers I have discovered in a long while. Last week I hosted a girl’s night and needed to whip something together with ingredients from my fridge and minimal effort.

Whipped Feta was created. And devoured. Success. I served with some of my favorite crackers from Trader Joe’s but also could be served with torn pieces of naan, spread on a crostini and topped with tomato or prosciutto or a basil leaf and black pepper. The possibilities for this concoction are endless. Please make this and let us know how you use it! 

Whipped Feta

1/2 Package of Feta Cheese

1/2 Package of Cream Cheese

2 Tbs. Olive Oil

Juice and zest of 1/2 of a lemon

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Fresh Basil (optional, but suggested)

Combine two cheeses in food processor until they come together, add all remaining ingredients. Refrigerate until 15 minutes before serving, this needs time to get closer to room temperature but does not take long to do so.

Serve. Enjoy! Be prepared to give out this easy recipe – people will ask for it!

Watermelon, Feta, Arugula Salad with Pickled Red Onions

This is one of those dishes that I look forward to all year long. I have made many variations of the watermelon-feta combination and have now decided that this is my very favorite.

I never pickle things. I adore pickled items but I always think that they will take too much time or I will have to deal with boiling, canning, etc. For these pickled red onions that is not at all the case or I would not have made them.

   
 

Pickled Red Onions

1 Tbs Kosher Salt

1 Tbs Sugar

1/2 Cup Red Wine Vinegar (can substitute for white wine vinegar)

1 Cup Water

1 – Large Red Onion, thinly sliced (or improvise, with a small red onion and part of a sweet onion, as I did today)

In a small bowl, whisk top 4 ingredients until sugar and salt are disolved.

Make sure your onions are very thinly sliced. I cut my onions in half and sliced little half moons (I am sure there is a term for this)

Put onions in a jar, add the pickling mixture.

Let sit, room temperature, for at least one hour.

That. Is. It. So simple! They taste great, the pickling takes the bite out of the onion but leaves the best texture and flavor. I have a feeling that I will be using these on everything for the next couple of weeks. They keep in the fridge for up to a month.

   

 

Watermelon Feta Salad

Greens – I love the 50/50 spinach arugula mix

Olive Oil, Salt and Pepper

Watermelon

Pickled Onion

Feta

Balsamic Glaze*

First toss your greens in the smallest amount of olive oil, itty bitty pinch of salt and pepper (if using arugula may want to omit black pepper or if you want to bring the heat add a few red pepper flakes)

Next layer ingredients in order of above list.

Eat. The end. We will be having ours tonight with grilled chicken. This is the perfect healthy, summer side. Great for at home or to take for summer cookouts this weekend!

*Side note, you can make balsamic glaze fairly easily but since I knew I was making pickled onions I bought it. This brand is inexpensive and not loaded with sugar, win, win.

Cheers to May and summer months filled with watermelon!

Enjoy!

Tuesday’s Table – Spring Salad with Strawberries, Avocado and Feta

Often I need new ideas for good salads. Like salads that make me want to eat salads as meals. My friend Kate has made a salad similar to this several times while I have been around and lucky enough to have it, so I set out to make a version of hers. I loved it so much I made it as a side one night and again for dinner with grilled chicken the next.

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Spring Salad with Strawberries, Avocado, and Feta with Creamy Balsamic

**This is not a “real” recipe, but a great combination of flavors and textures, so you decide how much you want to make and add.**

Greens – Your choice, I used a combination of spinach and Spring Mix with Herbs (my favorite box salad ever from Kroger and I am sure other groceries too)

Chopped Red Onion

Chopped Strawberries

Chopped Avocado

Crumbled Feta Cheese

Fresh herbs – any that you have. Finely chop them and toss them with your greens. I have started doing this with almost all of my salads, and this adds brightness and flavor for no additional calories. For this salad I added flat leaf parsley and chives. Basil and dill would be great additions as well.

Chopped, Toasted Pecans (any nuts that you have on hand will be great – just toast them for about two minutes on the stove or in your oven, but be careful.  They burn so quickly! 5 minutes is max. When toasting nuts, I do a good bit at a time and then save them for later uses.)

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

 

 

“Creamy” Balsamic

1/4 c. honey

1/4 c. Dijon mustard

1/4 c. balsamic vinegar

3/4 c. extra virgin olive oil

For anyone paying attention or wanting to make more or less of this dressing, it is 1 part each of honey, Dijon, and balsamic with 3 parts olive oil. If I’m making a smaller batch of dressing I will do 1 tablespoon to 3 olive oil. But the dressing keeps well, so I usually make a bigger batch and save it for my next salad. I make this dressing often and use it for all sorts of salads. The recipe came from my friend Maggie, years ago and has been my go-to homemade dressing ever since. Bottled dressing is for the birds, and you will see that if you give this a try!

 

Thank goodness for dear friends who cook and inspire!

Enjoy!