Warm Kale Salad

A salad made of red onions sauteed in oil and balsamic vinegar mixed with kale and topped with blue cheese, toasted pecans, and dried cranberries.

During the winter, when the weather is cold I don't always want a cold salad.  Yeah, yeah, I know I live in Hawaii and it doesn't really get cold here but I still get chilly (60s F is cold for me).  Many nights I just want something warm to eat.  This salad is warm, healthy, and comforting.

Don't eat cold #salad during winter have #WarmKaleSalad  [Tweet this]

Just a quick saute and this salad is ready to serve.  It's really no more work than a cold salad.  Just heat a pan, saute the onions in oil until soft, add vinegar and kale and toss until the kale turns bright green.  Serve the salad while it's still warm topped with your favorite toppings.  It's a great alternative to a traditional salad and it's hardy and delicious.

Instead of a cold #salad have Warm #KaleSalad  [Tweet this]

Warm Kale Salad

Servings:  4
Cook time:  under 10 minutes

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup sliced red onions
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 bunch of kale stemmed, torn, and washed
*Toasted pecans or candied pecans
Blue cheese crumbles
Dried cranberries

*To toast the pecans place about 1 cup of pecan halves in a dry non-stick frying pan.  Heat over medium heat, tossing and stirring frequently until darkened and fragrant.  Remove from pan immediately.

Have all the ingredients out and ready because this cooks quickly.

In a large skillet, saute the onion in oil until slightly soft (to your liking...I like mine with a little crunch still).

Add the vinegar and immediately add the kale.  Stir and toss well until kale is hot, bright green, and coated with the oil and vinegar.  The kale should shrink a little, be slightly wilted but not thoroughly cooked, and slightly tender yet still crisp (it doesn't take long).  Just experiment with cooking times worst case scenario if you cook it too long you will end up with Sauteed Kale and too short more like a kale salad both of which are still good.

Remove from the pan immediately, portion into bowls, and top with pecans, cheese, and cranberries.

Serve while it's still warm.

Makes about 4 salads.

Enjoy.

Recipes mentioned in this post:

Candied Pecans

Sauteed Kale

For more salads check out:

Avocado BLT Salad

Lamb Salad

Pork Tenderloin Salad

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Hoisin Baked Tofu Vermicelli

A vegetarian rice noodle salad with vegetables, herbs, and sweet and salty baked tofu.

Tofu is a simple and inexpensive meat alternative.  For most cooking, my favorite is Aloha Tofu firm tofu (it's local).  Firm tofu holds its shape through many types of cooking and it absorbs sauce and marinade flavors well.  Baking tofu is a simple preparation that dries it out slightly giving it a chewy more meaty texture (texture is very important to me...I don't want it to be mushy and this way it's not).  It is a great way to replace meat and still be satisfied.

Hoisin Baked Tofu is simple & inexpensive meat alternative  [Tweet this]

I just mixed up a simple sauce of equal parts hoisin and soy sauces.  The two sauces give the tofu a dark color and a sweet, salty, and bold flavor.  It has an almost meaty flavor with less than half the calories of most meats.

Great taste w/ #halfthecalories of chicken  [Tweet this]

Hoisin Baked Tofu

Prep time: about 45 min (30 are inactive)
Cook time:  30 min
Servings:  6

Ingredients:

20 ounces firm tofu (I use Aloha brand)
2 Tbsp hoisin sauce
2 Tbsp soy sauce

Remove the tofu from the pack and drain the water.  (If needed)Cut it in half crosswise so you have 2 pieces of about 1 inch thick (approximate 4x4 inch squares).

Place the halves side by side on an absorbent towel (or a couple layers of paper towel) lined sheet pan.  Cover the tofu with another towel and pan or plate and place a little weight on top (a cast iron skillet works well, or a jug of juice).

Allow the tofu to press (this squeezes out excess moisture) for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400F

Then cut the tofu squares in half and then into 1x2 inch slices that are about 1/4 inch thick (none of this is exact I just guestimate).  If this doesn't make sense to you, just cut it whatever way you like I find that 1/4 inch thick pieces work best.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Mix the hoisin and soy sauces together until well combined and brush/spread on both sides of the tofu slices.

Lay the tofu slices out side by side on the baking sheet.

Bake at 400F for 15 minutes then flip each slice over and bake for 10-15 minutes longer.

Makes about 6 servings.

Serve immediately or leftovers are great cold (great addition to spring rolls)

Ingredients continued:

Bean Sprouts
Lettuce
Mint
Thai basil
Cilantro
Vermicelli rice noodles, cooked
Carrots, julienned or shredded
Green onion
Jalapenos, sliced
Hoisin Baked Tofu
Nuoc Cham

Place all the vegetables, herbs, noodles, and chicken in a big salad bowl (use as much of each as you like).  Then pour the nuoc cham over everything (I usually use a few tablespoons but use as much as you like).

Enjoy.

Other recipes mentioned in this post:

Spring Rolls

Nuoc Cham

For more vermicelli recipes check out:

Lemongrass Chicken Vermicelli

Char Siu (BBQ Pork) Vermicelli

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Cucumber and Tomato Dill Salad with Smoked Salmon & Feta

A light and fresh salad with cucumbers and tomatoes tossed in a lemon dill vinaigrette then topped with smoked salmon and feta.

Lemon and dill pair well with salmon.   I often cook salmon with lemon and dill so I decided to put together a salad that would combine these flavors with smoked salmon.  I love the different textures of crisp cucumbers and juicy tomatoes in a Tomato and Cumber Salad and dill pairs well with cucumbers too.  So I thought this salad would be a perfect way to compliment the flavors I associate with salmon.  It turned out great. This salad is light and fresh with bright flavor and a perfect saltiness.  It's great as a side salad or light lunch, but you don't have to add smoked salmon if you don't have any.  It is great on its own or even served alongside grilled salmon for a Labor Day cookout.

Cucumber Tomato Dill Salad is great for a Labor Day cookout  [Tweet this]  

Cucumber and Tomato Dill Salad

Prep time:  15-20 minutes
Servings:  4-6

Ingredients:

1 pound grape tomatoes halved
2 cucumbers seeded peeled and chopped
2 Tbsp minced red onions
1 lemon, juiced
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp dry dill
Salt & pepper to taste
Smoked salmon
Feta

Toss together the tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions until well mixed.

Then, mix the lemon juice, oil, and dill and pour over the vegetables.  Add just a little salt and pepper to your taste.  Toss well to combine and let set in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Serve cold or at room temperature with smoked salmon and feta.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Enjoy.

For more fresh light salads check out:

Simple Carrot and Cucumber Salad

Greek Salad              -

Tomato and Cucumber Salad

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Lamb Salad

A green salad topped with leftover Herb Roasted Leg of Lamb, olives, tomatoes, and feta.

With all of my leftover lamb from my Herb Roasted Leg of Lamb, I got creative.  The Herb Roasted Leg of Lamb was delicious on its own, but I don't like always eating the same thing.  I couldn't let those leftovers go to waste so I made new meals from the lamb.  I already made Greek Nachos and had some leftover toppings from those too (well...I made sure to have leftover toppings) so I made this salad.  It's kind of a different take on Greek Salad.  I added some pistachios for crunch, dried cherries for chewy, tart, sweetness, and Honey Lemon Oregano Dressing to tie it all together.  What a great combination.  It was fresh, delicious, and filling.

Lamb Salad

Ingredients:

Lettuce
*Honey Lemon Oregano Dressing
Pistachios
Red onion, sliced
Olives, sliced
Tomatoes, diced
Herb Roasted Leg of Lamb, chopped
Feta, crumbled

*First prepare the Honey Lemon Oregano Dressing:  add 1 tsp honey to about 2 Tbsp Lemon Oregano Dressing.

Toss enough lettuce for 2 salads with the dressing until coated.

Separate lettuce onto plates or bowls and top with the rest of the ingredients (use as much or as little of whatever you prefer).

Alternatively just toss everything together and separate into bowls but when you do it this way all the toppings tend to sink to the bottom and you don't end up with as pretty of a salad.  (I like to have just the right amount of everything and it to be picture worthy so I use the former method)

Enjoy.

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Simple Carrot and Cucumber Salad

A 3 ingredient salad of carrots, cucumbers and lemon juice.  So simple yet so tasty.

I was looking for salad ideas to accompany my Spiced Lamb and Hummus.  Since I wanted to keep to the same Mediterranean theme I searched for ideas in a Greek cookbook that I have.  I knew I could make the usual Greek Salad but I wanted something different and simpler.  When I came across this salad I knew instantly that I had my salad.  What could be easier than only 3 ingredients (I guess only 1 or two, but...)?  I love carrot not to mention they add terrific color to any meal.  I was a little skeptical because the carrots are just tossed in lemon juice and I thought it would be too sour but the sweetness of the carrots blends with the tartness of the lemon juice to make one amazing flavor.  The cucumbers may seem like a random addition but they also taste great with lemon juice and add a different type of crispness to the salad.  I actually used the cucumbers to scoop up hummus and lamb.  Now my new favorite way to eat hummus is on a cucumber.

Simple Carrot and Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:

2 carrots, coarsely shredded
1 cucumber, sliced
1 lemon, juiced
salt to taste

I used my food processor to shred the carrots and I shredded them long ways to have longer strips of carrot (this adds to the texture of the salad).

Place shredded carrots, cucumber slices, and lemon juice in a large bowl and toss to combine.  Add some salt if desired (I think I forgot to add salt and it was still delicious).

Cover salad and refrigerate for about 1 hour to allow flavors to meld.  Serve cold or at room temperature.

Makes 4-6 servings

Enjoy.

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Avocado B.L.T Salad

Crisp green lettuce tossed in a balsamic vinaigrette and topped with crispy bacon, juicy tomatoes, and creamy avocado.

Avocados 3 for a dollar.  How could I pass those up? They were a bit over-ripe but still tasty...and cheap. One I used for this salad and the other two will make a delicious guacamole. My husband loves avocado so he was very pleased with this filling salad.

Avocado B.L.T Salad

Ingredients:

Lettuce (enough for 2 salads, 3-4 handfuls)
Grape tomatoes,  split
4-5 strips extra crispy bacon, crumbled
1 avocado, cubed
2-3 Tbsp olive oil
2-3 tsp balsamic vinegar

Mix the oil and vinegar in the bottom of a large salad bowl.  Toss the lettuce, until thoroughly coated, in the vinaigrette and separate into two serving bowls or plates.

Top the lettuce with about a handful of tomatoes then sprinkle on half of the bacon per salad. Lastly top with the avocado (half for each salad).

Serve and enjoy.

Linked to:  Random Recipe Roundup, Much Ado About Monday, Two Cup Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Brag About it, Whimsy Wednesday, Freedom Fridays, Eat Create Party, Best of the Weekend, Show Stopper, Shine a Spotlight, Saturday Night Fever

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