Southwestern Chopped Kale Salad

This summer my friend Melissa and I met up with our families at the pool for an evening swim and were swapping summer salad recipes, because that is what we do when we get together.  We are always looking for yummy, fresh, new recipes that can be simply done and made ahead.  This one is a winner.  She was inspired by a recipe from a blog but then she tweaked it so much, I think it is absolutely fair to call it her creation!

I have made it multiple times this summer and wanted to post it but haven't had/taken the time to get it written. But before the fresh corn is gone for the year, I knew I must post it.

The first time I made it, I was meeting my friend Jennifer and her kids at their community pool and I wanted to make a yummy salad that my kids and I could eat and that would be a treat for Jennifer too. So, I made it that morning instead of packing up sandwiches. When it was lunch break and we pulled out our food, I opened my container of salad and started chopping up an avocado to mix in.  Two other mommas near us peered over and one said, "YUM! What is that? That looks good!"  I told her what was in it and that it was my friend's creation that I was trying out for the first time.

I scooped up some on a little plate and handed it to this unknown pool lady for her to try.  She gratefully accepted it.  She gobbled it up and said she would try making it at home.

From --> friends swapping recipes at the pool --> to -->  friends sharing salad at another pool --> to --> salad and recipe sharing with strangers --> and so it goes!

I loved that she was outgoing enough to inquire about the salad- it was fun to share a recipe and a taste test with pool strangers.  (If you are reading this, kind lady at the Nolensville pool, I'm finally posting the recipe!)

This salad is versatile and one of the benefits of kale is that it is a sturdy green, and therefore can be made ahead of time! (Just stir in the avocado right before serving.)

it just takes some chopping 

the corn makes it nutty and hearty

Southwestern Chopped Kale Salad
   from Melissa Broadwell

8 cups chopped fresh kale

1/2 bunch of chopped cilantro

2 chopped green onions
(red would be good too)

1 container of chopped grape tomatoes quartered (or 2 diced larger tomatoes)

1 finely chopped jalepeno pepper (with seeds removed)

2-3 cobs of corn (depending on how big they are)- steamed or microwaved and cut off the cob

1 cup cooked quinoa

1-2 avocados (depending on size and how much you love it)

Crumbled tortilla chips for crunchy topping

Simple Lemon Dressing:
The juice of one lemon and 1/4 cup olive oil, kosher salt and pepper swirled together.

Stir together all ingredients (besides the dressing and crumbled tortilla chips)

the quinoa can be made ahead and kept in the refrigerator

Add dressing drizzle by drizzle until fully incorporated and the right amount of wet.  Add avocado just before serving.  Stir in well and then top with the crumbled chips.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

As always, tweak as you like, and add some meat or beans in the salad or make this a side and serve with a piece of meat. We served it once with Italian sausage and once with sautéed shrimp.

The pools are closed now in our community for the most part, as Labor Day has passed, but the Southwestern Kale Salad is still going strong.  Hope you find it as tasty and satisfying as we have!

Sunshine Kale Salad

I have a new recipe! It's like a Broccoli Raisin Salad/Kale Salad mash up. It was inspired by a salad we had at a restaurant recently. This is my attempt to recreate it. Dave and I went to Chattanooga several weeks ago for an overnight getaway! (A very rare occurance!) I haven't been there in years. What a great city! We loved it.

We went to Urban Stack, a local, cool, burger place our friends the Joneses recommended. We of course wanted to get a burger and fries, but this Sunshine Kale Salad on the menu looked really good. Dave suggested we split both...which is my favorite.  We got an incredible burger (with bacon, gruyère/ bleu cheese, and an onion compote) and fries.  

The salad was also so good and unique.  I tried to memorize it. I took a picture and when we got home I started looking up dressing recipes and merging a few to create this one.

Sunshine Kale Salad
(4-6 servings)
inspired by Urban Stack in Chattanooga, TN

the dressing (sweet onion vinaigrette)
makes more than enough- but you can save and use on another salad

1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup water (just to lighten in up)
1 1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 cup sugar (or honey or agave nectar)
1/2 tsp. coarse salt
1/2 small onion (chopped)

Finely chop onion in the blender.  Add all other ingredients EXCEPT oil.  Blend together until well incorporated and onion fully blended.  While blending, slowly add in oil until all well blended.

the salad
4 cups fresh broccoli -finely chopped
4 to 6 stalks of Kale washed, removed from the stalk and coarsely torn
3/4 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup sweetened flake coconut
1 mango- chopped
1/2 cup (or more) crumbled feta

Grilled chicken, optional (see HERE or HERE for recipes/instructions for that)

Prep salad ingredients (washing, chopping, etc.) Add diced chicken if including it.
Drizzle some of the dressing on top.  Toss it in and add more dressing as needed to reach desired taste.
You can make it ahead of time or serve immediately.  If serving it later, you might want to stir, taste, and add a touch more dressing before serving. Tweak as you wish- add, delete or alter portions to your liking.

Summer is upon us! Summer feels like salad season to me! I love to have salad as a main dish for dinner and my favorite lunches are prepared salads that can be made and kept in the refrigerator to be pulled out at lunchtime.  It's also Summer Reading time and I have made my annual Summer Reading Stack.  It's a little too ambitious- and some are from last year that I never read, or at best never finished, and there are many more that have been added to the stack.  In fact, I keep adding more books to the stack.  It's about to topple over.  If you are interested in meeting to talk about any of these books (if you too have read them or want to read them), let me know!   

Summer Eats Post #1: Greek Potato Salad & Tangy Grilled Chicken

I have been scattered this summer- feeling pretty foggy in the brain when it comes to trying to write a creative, inspiring, cohesive blog post.   The lack of posting certainly isn't because of a lack of cooking. There has been much action in our kitchen… perpetual, and I have taken photos along the way, in case I had some inspiration and time for sharing them with you.

Perhaps this foggy-headedness is because my three very zesty, energetic, creative children have been swirling about nonstop.  Or perhaps it is because I have taken on an added role in my home as nurse, to my healing son, after a broken leg and a nose surgery in the past few weeks.  Or it might be that I am just plum tuckered out.  I’m feeling old and tired, if truth be told.

But we have had some yummy eats so far this summer. 

So, rather than waiting until my foggy brain clears, I have decided to just write some brief, simple posts for the next few weeks to fling some of these recipes your way!

Greek Potato Salad

For the 4th of July I wanted to make potato salad that was vinegar and oil based rather than mayonnaise-based.  I looked and looked for a recipe that was what I had in mind.  I just couldn't put my finger on it.  In looking in my huge How to Cook Everything cookbook by Mark Bittman I found one recipe for a Potato Salad with a Mustard Sauce.  As I made it, I thought,  "this looks tasty, but it's not what I had in mind".  I kept looking through cookbooks.  I went to Ina Garten- surely she has what I'm looking for! She usually does.  I found her Provencal Potato Salad which was on the right track, but before I started making batch #2, I texted my friend Gretchen to ask if she had a recipe.  She replied with the magic words that sparked it for me, "Hmm I haven't. Makes me think about the Zoe's Kitchen one- like that?" YES!! That was exactly what I was trying to remember …from some back file in my brain that I had not been able to reach. 

I then had the clarity I needed: Red New Potatoes, Green Onion, Feta and a Greek Vinaigrette with chopped fresh herbs.  I used Ina's advice about cooking the potatoes and then letting them steam to finish cooking, and I used herbs out of my garden.  It was just what I was hoping for: zippy, fresh, and flavorful.

Greek Potato Salad
2 1/2 pounds Red New Potatoes

1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
Juice of one lemon
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 tsp. oregano
handful of fresh parsley, chopped
handful of fresh basil, chopped
3 green onions, chopped (green and white parts)
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
fresh ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (or more)

Wash potatoes and chop them into large bite sized pieces.
Boil a pot of water.  Sprinkle in some salt.
Drop potatoes into the boiling water.
Let cook for 15 minutes or until tender but not mushy.
Remove from heat, drain water and place in bowl with a tea towel over it for 10 more minutes to steam and finish cooking.

In a bowl or glass measuring cup, combine vinegar, oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, chopped green onion, basil, parsley and oregano together. Add salt and pepper.  Pour over cooked potatoes and toss well until fully coated.  Add feta cheese.  Stir.  Add salt as needed.  (This is a very loose recipe.  You can add/delete/substitute/change amounts as you desire.)

Serve warm, at room temperature or cold.

It was even better the day after (FYI).  And it is reminiscent of Zoe's Kitchen tasty potato salad that they sneak in the bottom of their Greek Salad (my favorite thing on their menu)…the Greek Salad with a buried treasure.

Tangy Grilled Chicken (Brower's BBQ)

Dave's dad was in town a couple of weeks ago and we were grilling chicken but didn't have much time to marinade it like we typically do.  I said, "maybe we could baste it with something while we are grilling".  As we were brainstorming, somehow the word "baste" sparked the thought of this great vinegar based BBQ sauce that we had all of the time growing up but I haven't made in a decade.  
(I'm telling you, my brain is foggy.)

I found the recipe card in my box, had all the ingredients on hand, and stirred it up.  Dave brushed it on the chicken as he grilled.  It was a hit.  It is salty and tangy and is made with ingredients you most likely already have in your kitchen.   

We call it Brower's BBQ Chicken, named after Mr. Brower, the man at our church, who gave my mom the recipe.  He had a long portable grill he would use to serve large groups.  He grilled for a church-wide dinner one time and my mom requested the marinade recipe.  My parents made it regularly after that.

For several years of my childhood my family owned a lake house, and my food memories of dinner there involve this chicken.  From the dock we could smell it as dad was grilling. We ate it with Rice-A-Roni: summer childhood comfort food.

It is such a great marinade.  I'm glad it has resurfaced from my recipe archives.

Brower's BBQ Chicken
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 stick butter (the original recipe calls for "Oleo" but I used butter)
3 Tbsp. salt
2 tsp. cayenne red pepper (or more or less depending on your desired spiciness)

Pour all ingredients into a small pan on the stove.  Stir and heat, but not to a boil.
Pour over raw chicken.  Place chicken on hot grill. Baste frequently on chicken with brush as it grills.

I hope your summer is full of beautiful produce and the flavors of summer. 

Other  installments of our summer eats are soon to come: Homemade Ice Cream, Pizza, Chocolate Pound Cake and more! 

Frozen Fruit Salad and Pumpkin Seed Roasting: Childhood Memories

Aside from a few seasonal fruits, including apples (which I adore and eat daily) the upcoming months of fresh fruit options do not compare with the BOUNTIFUL VARIETY of summer fruits!  That's when it's time to get creative.

this Jell-O ad is reminiscent of our
grandmother's creations

Growing up,  my grandmother made the most creative and interesting frozen and congealed salads. Some were delicious.  Others were frightening.  My sister and I were often a tad fearful of some of her frozen and gelatin creations.

However, my mom made this Frozen Fruit Salad as a staple in our house and we loved it.  She froze it in various sized and shaped molds and kept it on-hand in the freezer.  It is great for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  It is made from all canned ingredients (aside from the bananas) so, it's a good fruit salad to keep in mind for the months when there are not many good fresh fruits to choose from.

We called it "F.F" for short and requested it frequently.  I even had a friend in High School who would ask my mom, when he came over with youth group pals, if we had any F.F.  It was famous.

Frozen Fruit Salad

1 large can frozen orange juice concentrate (12 oz) 
1 (orange juice) can of water
1 large can apricots
1 large can crushed pineapple
1/4 cup lemon juice
6 ripe (but not overly ripe) bananas

Mash bananas and put lemon juice over them. 
Mash apricots and add all over ingredients. 
Pour into muffin tins or individual molds. Freeze until solid.
Pop them out of the pans and place in large ziploc bags or plastic containers.
(If they don't easily come out, run a table knife around the edge and/or pour room temperature water over the back side of the pans. I flip muffin pans over on top of a baking sheet and pour water over, so that if one falls, it falls on the pan.) You can also use paper cupcake liners. 

Makes 30-32 cup cake sized cups. 

It's so simple and easy and is tangy and delicious.  I love that it has apricots in it- a fruit that is so delicious. (You can certainly alter the recipe anyway you would like.)
Here is the original recipe:

And speaking of foods from my childhood, we roasted pumpkin seeds this weekend. It's a childhood tradition that I have continued. When we carved a pumpkin at a neighborhood party last weekend, we scooped out the seeds and brought them home.  My kids were anxious to roast them and snack on them immediately. We decided to do 1/2 salty and 1/2 sweet.  (We all voted that we liked the salty best.)
I love that my kids know that if it's pumpkin carving time, then seed roasting is part of the fun.

Salty Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

1 1/2 cups pumpkin seeds

2 tablespoons melted butter (or olive oil)

2 teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350°F.





Scoop out the inside of your pumpkin, and separate seeds from pulp. Don't worry if there's a little pulp left on the seeds when you roast them—it only adds flavor. Just remove the biggest pieces so that the seeds are easy to toss.





In a bowl, toss the seeds with the melted butter, coating thoroughly.  Add salt and seasonings.





Spread seeds in one even layer across a greased baking sheet (or you can use a cookie sheet covered in aluminum foil).





Bake for 30 minutes, or until the seeds are golden brown. Stir the seeds every so often while

they're baking, so that they toast evenly.

(For the sweet ones, we substituted cinnamon/sugar mixture for the salt.  It might have been better to put a little salt with the sweet ingredients). 

These next few months are a great chance to carry on a family tradition or try a new recipe!  It adds zest to life and gives us fun things to break up the sometimes mundane grind of life.

Soup, Salad, & Snowflakes

Several friends told me about this recently published book, Bread and Wine, by Shauna Niequist, thinking I would enjoy it.  It is filled with stories of community, food, faith and life around the table – as well as corresponding recipes.  Also, the book is endorsed by Anne Lamott and Brene Brown, two of my favorite authors, so I knew I would enjoy it.

I bought the book and had the chance to read it over the holidays.   It is inspiring!  It made me want to have a cooking club, try every recipe, and keep a record of the special occasion menus we have like Shauna does.  I have tried several of the recipes and so far have loved them all.

One that I wanted to write about is her
Super-Healthy Lentil Soup, because January seems to call for soup!  This is my adapted version of her recipe. It's really simple to put together, makes a big pot, and keeps well.  Shauna introduced this recipe in the book as the one she makes when she's had too much feasting and needs something healthy, nutritious, to have on hand.

I made it a week ago and shared it with two friends, who immediately asked for the recipe and later texted me that they kept thinking about the soup.  I laughed.  Lentil Soup was not the food that I thought would make such an impression.  However, it really is that satisfying.  It's not fancy and the texture of lentils takes a little getting used to.  But it is warm, savory, and hits the spot on a cold day.   And Lentils are a great source of protein, fiber, iron and are low in fat.  I added sweet potatoes to the recipe – because I love them in soup, they are a pretty amazing source of all-things-nutritious, and I had them in my pantry.  I made it again Thursday night so I could eat on it this weekend and share it with some more people in need of a container of soup.

Super-Healthy Lentil Soup (serves 8 ish)
(adapted from Bread and Wine)
3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cups onions, chopped (or 2 onions)
1 cup carrots, chopped
2 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
6-7 cups chicken (or vegetable) broth
1 1/2 cups lentils (dry)
2 (14.5 oz.) cans diced tomatoes in juice
Balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
sprinkle of chopped rosemary to taste

Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add onions, carrots, sweet potatoes, and garlic; sauté until vegetables begin to brown, about 15 minutes.  (I chopped my vegetables in the food processor for speed- it works great, though they are no cut semetrically.)
Add broth, lentils, and tomatoes with juice, and bring to boil.
Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until lentils are tender, about 35 minutes.
Season with salt, pepper, rosemary and a splash of vinegar.

And this Caesar Salad was one that I couldn't wait to try after reading her description in the book. It goes nicely with the soup too!

It's basically comprised of: homemade croutons (which are like the ones I made HERE but with parmesan added to them before baking); chopped romaine lettuce, parmesan cheese and this yummy zesty dressing.









Brannon's Caesar Salad Dressing
(from Bread and Wine)
1 garlic clove
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
A few dashes of Tabasco, to taste
Juice of half a lemon
1 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. sugar

Chop garlic clove in food processor, then add remaining ingredients and blend together.  Or chop a garlic clove, drop it into the bottom of an old jelly jar, add everything else, and shake like crazy.

Toss lettuce with croutons, parmesan, and dressing.

Also this month, we carried on our annual January tradition of making paper snowflakes to hang in our windows.  Everything is so grey and drab in our city, it seems to add some whimsy.

We usually look online for some patterns, like THESE, and then get inspired to make our own patterns.

This year the girls went a little berserk and added frost and icicles too.  So much for simple and sweet...it's more like a blizzard in our

living room.











I hope your January is going well – that tasty, healthy soup and zippy, crunchy salad are finding their way to your table and shared with friends. And that the only snowflakes inside your home are made of paper!