Summer Salad: Kale, Avocado & Grapefruit with Ginger Dressing

Well, I think it's safe to say that although summer is still officially a day away, the dog days have arrived. When temperatures are flirting with 100 degrees there isn't much that comes to mind besides frozen yogurt (fro-yo), which since moving to NYC has earned a special place in my heart. I am especially fond of the serve yourself venues where it is perfectly OK to mix 3 flavors in my dish so I can try them all! Despite the love affair, a certain level of practicality sets when when I also realize that I still need to get some nutrients. (Don't tell my mom, but I actually crave greens and veggies these days).

Summer is a great time to take advantage of using light and fresh ingredients in dishes that leave you feeling satisfied. So when the flavor combination of kale, grapefruit and avocado dawned on me, I was actually pleasantly surprised to discover that another food blogger was one step ahead of me. I was especially fond of the ginger dressing idea, which offers a wonderful contrast, especially with its citrusy notes.

I used to hesitate when it came to the lemonhead-face-inducing fruit better known as grapefruit, but I have actually come to enjoy it and when paired with the kale, avocado and ginger dressing, the potentially overpowering flavor is somewhat toned down. Still not convinced? Go for a sweeter variety of grapefruit.

I did slightly tweak some of the proportions, but of course, feel free to try the original recipe as well.

The recipe:

3 C. Raw Chopped Kale, stems removed

1 Grapefruit

1 Small Avocado

Ginger Dressing:

1 tsp. Freshly Grated Ginger

1/2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 tbsp. low sodium soy sauce

Juice of 1/2 Lemon

1/2 tbsp. Agave 

Salt and pepper to taste

Place the chopped kale in a large bowl and set aside. Combine the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and mix with a whisk.

Add the kale to a large bowl and mix in the dressing for 1-2 minutes until the kale is tender and the dressing has absorbed. Set the kale aside.

Prepare the grapefruit by removing the skin. (Depending how clean of a look you are going for, you can either just peel the skin off or cut away all the skin and whites). Next, cut the grapefruit segments apart (these are called supremes) and cut each supreme in half. Slice the avocado into small, bite-sized pieces and then add the grapefruit and avocado to the large bowl of kale.

Mix it all together and serve. Season with pepper and (some) salt as desired. Side note: feta cheese makes for a nice garnish.

Quick Caramel Popcorn

 

What happens when Orville Redenbacher and Mrs. Richardon get together? Instant gratification. For some reason it never occurred to me that caramel corn would be so easy to make at home...this could prove to be a very dangerous discovery. I guess the good news is that for now I am out of both popcorn and caramel sauce.

  Shockingly this recipe weighs in at less than 250 calories. Stop drooling and go make some!

The recipe:

100 calorie size bag of popcorn
2 tbsp caramel sauce (I used Mrs. Richardson's Butterscotch Caramel)

Preheat toaster oven to 250 degrees. Prepare popcorn as you normally would in the microwave. Transfer popcorn to a foil lined try and drizzle half of the caramel sauce on top, mix up with a wooden spoon, drizzle remaining sauce over the popcorn and mix again. Place the tray in the toaster oven for 10-15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for as long as you can stand (1-2 minutes) and enjoy!

Zucchini & Carrot Ribbon Salad with Heirlooms and Thyme Oil

Well the good news is that I'm back to the blog. The bad news...battling chronic writers block...

When I think of zucchini, the first thing that comes to mind is my grandmother's garden in the summertime. Inevitably there would come a point when the overgrowth of zucchini caused my aunts and uncles to compare notes on who had received more and who could still stand to have a few pounds pawned off on them. 

The good news about the excess is that there are a multitude of zuchinni recipes worth trying. On the deceptively unhealthy, but delicious end of the spectrum we have zucchini bread (myth busters here). On the other hand we have raw salads, which although lower in calories, require a bit of a flavor boost. I was pleasantly surprised by the savory touch provided by the thyme oil. In just 20 minutes, everyday olive oil was transformed into an herb infused delicacy!

On the road to exploring new cooking techniques, I decided to purchase a mandolin to help with the ribbon creation. An everyday vegetable peeler proved to be easiest for the carrots, but after a few practice runs with the zucchini, I was able to get the rhythm of cutting on the mandolin. Mission accomplished! With that said, a vegetable peeler will work just fine for the zucchini too.

Thyme sprig carcasses (I decided to work some of the remaining leaves off the sprigs and keep in the oil).

The recipe:
(Adapted from Martha)
1 generous handful fresh thyme sprigs (about 1/2 ounce)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, plus 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 baby zucchini (or 1 large), thinly shaved
3 carrots, thinly shaved
1 cup mixed heirloom tomatoes, cut in half crosswise (1 cup)

1/4 c spinach, roughly chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn if large, plus more for sprinkling (optional)
Pinch of red-pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
Coarsely ground pepper
3 ounces fresh ricotta (1/3 cup)
Balsamic Glaze (now sold at Trader Joes!, also found at whole foods)

Place thyme on a cutting board, and bruise with the dull edge of a knife. Place thyme and oil in a small saucepan. Cover, and heat over medium heat until small bubbles appear. Turn off heat, and steep thyme, covered, 20 minutes.  

Meanwhile, slice the remaining ingredients and add into a separate bowl. 

After the 20 minutes, discard thyme sprigs, leaving loose thyme leaves in oil. Whisk together lemon zest and juice and 3 tablespoons thyme oil (reserve remaining oil for another use; it can be refrigerated up to 2 weeks).

Combine the dressing with the zucchini, carrot, tomatoes, spinach, basil, red-pepper flakes, and salt. Season with pepper, and toss. Divide half the salad between 2 plates, and dot with half the ricotta. Top with remaining salad and remaining ricotta. Drizzle with balsamic glaze.

Poached Egg Over Spinach-Basil-Walnut Pesto

Ok, YUM. Honestly, I don't even know where to start because this was just such a delightful culinary experience. If there were some miraculous way to rewind and re-savor those first bites I totally would, but instead I just had to settle for using the pesto remains to recreate the dish for my next two meals! The idea for this recipe came to me while getting lost in thought about ways to get creative with my overzealous egg consumption. I've always wanted to make my own pesto...and perfect the art of egg poaching (after minimal success with poach pods). Finally, an outlet for both!

Starting from the base, Whole Foods comes through again for me with their bakery fresh Quinoa Flax bread. If you have a WF nearby I highly recommend - otherwise any loaf of bread will work (I have to do my part to put in a plug for whole grain/ whole wheat varieties).

There are so many different varieties of pesto out there that are incredibly quick and easy to whip up. I was intrigued by using spinach and walnut, hence spinach-walnut-basil pesto, but feel free to get creative and of course dial the amounts of various ingredients up and down to your liking. Mine was strong in the garlic department, not complaining, but of course that's not for everyone. With that said, consider yourself warned.

Now onto the egg poaching portion. Don't be intimidated - you too can create a masterpiece of a poached egg. No need to reinvent the wheel on how to go about the task because Smitten Kitchen has a fantastic explanation. Check out the helpful tutorial.

The recipe:

1 c spinach
1/2 c basil
1 clove of garlic, sliced

1 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp chopped walnuts, lightly toasted
1 tbsp parmigiano reggiano cheese
4 tsp EVOO (add more as necessary)
Salt and pepper

1 egg
(Vinegar for poaching)
Sliced tomato
Slice of your favorite bread, toasted

Put on water for the egg. Then roughly chop spinach, basil and garlic - add to blender/chopper along with lemon juice, chopped walnuts and parmesan cheese.  Pulse until blended. Add in olive oil until desired consistency is achieved (for me this was ~4 tsp). Then season with salt and pepper. 

Drop egg into simmering water and poach for 3-4 minutes. Meanwhile toast your bread and slice the tomato. Remove egg from water with a slotted spoon and allow it to drain over the pot or set on a paper towel. 

Spread desired amount of pesto on toast and top with poached egg and a sprinkling of black pepper. Mangia!