FoodFixe

Krazy for Kale

For those of us who started the year trying to stay on the nutritional straight and narrow, the food universe doesn’t make it easy. In the span of six weeks, we’ve had to endure National Pie Day, National Chocolate Cake Day, National Carrot Cake Day, world Nutella Day and, of course, Valentine’s Day. Fortunately, I had recently joined a CSA—Farm Fresh To You —which at least ensured I had fresh fruit and veggies on hand as a way to counterbalance or bypass all together the sweet temptations.

Among my bounty of veggies was my first ever bunch of kale. I like greens of all kinds, but I’d never cooked with kale. When I mentioned my excitement about acquiring some kale on Facebook, I was astounded by the comments and conversation it inspired. People are crazy about kale! And, as coincidence would have it, at a team-building off-site for work that same week at Paulding & Co.,a delicious Butternut Squash and Kale and Chestnuts was among the dishes we were preparing.

Lemony Caesar Dressing

Rich foods, big meals, sugary treats. I ate more this holiday season than I have in a long, long time. By the time Christmas was over, I was suffering from some serious food fatigue. So it’s back on the nutritional straight and narrow for me.

Salads are one of the ways I get my eating back on track. And, coincidentally (or not!), leafy greens are what I crave most after the holidays. It’s probably my body’s way of telling me that I’m depriving it of a healthy, varied diet.

A good Caesar salad always hits the spot for me—fresh, crisp, and with a refreshing tangy bite. And, if you go light on the dressing, Parmesan, and croutons—or skip them all together—this salad can be satisfying and relatively healthy.

Farro Salad with Roast Chicken & Asparagus

There simply are not enough hours in the day. As much as I enjoy cooking, I often don’t have the time to make myself a decent meal during the week. Thank goodness for roast chicken—my favorite convenience food.

Yep, I’m talking about the ones you can buy ready to eat from just about any grocery store and big box store such as Costco. (My friend Elaine swears by the roast chicken from Costco. She says she doesn’t know what they season the chicken with, but it’s addicting. Hence, why it’s referred to as “crack chicken.”) When it comes to needing a QuickFixe for a meal, you can’t beat a hot, juicy, roast chicken.

Quinoa with Mango and Curried Yogurt Salad

Today’s post comes from Brenda Kinoshita, who is the sister of my friend Elaine. (You may remember Elaine, a.k.a. Mix Mistress Smartypants, from her Sparkletini and Ploutta cocktail contributions. While visiting Brenda in Portland in late July, she made a wonderful quinoa and mango salad as part of a picnic we were taking to an outdoor concert at a local sakery. I enjoyed the salad so much that I asked Brenda if she’d share the recipe for FoodFixe.

I finally made the Quinoa with Mango and Curried Yogurt over the weekend, and it was as delicious as I remember with really nice flavors and great textures -- crunchy, chewy, and fleshy. Although this dish holds up fine for a couple days, I found that the dressing dissipated over time. Next time, I’m going to make 1 1/2 times the dressing recipe and reserve some to freshen up the salad.

Thank you, Brenda, for sharing the recipe!

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

It’s summertime, and the livin’ is easy. Well, at least the cooking should be.

Here’s a recipe for a salad I adapted from a recent issue of Sunset, making some changes to suit my tastes. I’ve now made the Mediterranean Quinoa Salad twice and loved it both times. It’s a reminder that some of the best dishes are those that are simple with clean, fresh flavors.

Arugula Salad with Grapefruit and Smoked Almonds

Of all the salad greens, arugula is my favorite. I love its peppery-mustard bite. And, like spinach, I love that I can use it as an ingredient in hot dishes as well as in salads.

This recipe for Arugula Salad with Grapefruit and Smoked Almonds originally came from a cooking class my niece Katherine and I took at the Lake Tahoe Autumn Food & Wine Festival way back when. We were just starting the cheesecake business and this looked like a good opportunity for getting our foodie feet wet (read: boondoggle).

The class was taught by the then-executive chef at Plumpjack, who paired the arugula salad with a delicious Sugar Snap Pea and Saffron Risotto. (I’ll save that recipe for a springtime post.) I’ve always liked  this salad best during wintertime. It has a nice tanginess that cuts the richness of many heavier seasonal dishes, such as braised meats. Also, the salad combines all the taste senses – bitter, sweet, salty, etc. 

Salad of Black Beans, Hearts of Palm and Corn

In my recent post for Chilaquile Casserole, I mentioned that I often serve this dish with a black bean, corn, and hearts of palm salad. It’s a recipe I found ages ago in a freebie little cookbook that accompanied an issue of Bon Appetit. The Salad of Black Beans, Hearts of Palm and Corn has great texture, good color, and a nice tangy flavor. It’s a great summer salad that also goes well alongside grilled meats.

I received a request to share the recipe, so I’ve provided a link to the recipe on Epicurious. (Honestly, I was surprised that Bon Appetit had a recipe from 1992 on its web site.)

I hope you enjoy the salad!

Salad of Black Beans, Hearts of Palm and Corn