Kale Salad with Feta Pecans Cranberries and Pickled Onion Dressing Salad Betrayal

SN - I forgive you and take you back.

All lovers in love have heard that sappy saccharine quote, "If you love something set it free and if it comes back to you, it was meant to be." I recently had an experience that made me think of that quote over and over and I questioned the veracity of those words.

One of my good friends loves my many kale salads. Every opportunity I have, I try and give her a kale salad to satisfy all her cravings. She always eats it with such relish and such willingness that in my head I was sure I had her undying devotion to my kale salads.

However, a few weeks ago, I was stunned to receive this text from her. "I cheated on your kale salad." Turns out she went to a local grocery store and PURCHASED A KALE SALAD BEHIND MY BACK! I am a jealous woman so I did not respond well.  I was stunned. I was shocked. I was hurt and part of me died a little. How could she go so easily to another kale salad when she had mine almost as much as she wanted? 

I sent a series of texts back to her.

Youre disloyal.

You dont deserve my kale salad.

Its over.

You cant ever get my kale salad again.

Youll never see any piece of my salad again.

She kept on interjecting in between my rant with empty words.

I liked yours more.

Yours tastes better.

I cant eat any other kale salad except yours.

Ive learned my lesson. 

Ill never stray away from your salads again.

I shut off my phone and refused to hear anymore from her and her useless words about how she would never stray from my kale salad again.  But in the night, I discovered that separating her from my kale salad out of pure spite and stubborness hurt me more than it hurt her.  

The next morning I texted.

I forgive you.  My kale salads forgive you.

Im happy to say that she went away from my kale salads and came back to them, so it must be meant to be.  My head was sure that she wouldnt stray, but now my heart knows she wont.  This harsh test of our relationship proves that we have what it takes to make it all the way, as long as my kale salad is involved.

To celebrate our reunion over kale salad, I made this new one for her, which has the exciting addition of pickled onions in the dressing, which just adds the right sharp and sour bite to a wonderful salad.  It touches on the Greek salad with the feta, but the richness of pecans mixed with the hearty kale just makes a truly satisfying salad.  Im confident that this salad will also help you maintain loyal relationships with those around you.

Kale Salad with Feta, Pecans, Cranberries, and Pickled Onion Dressing
Serves 3 to 4

Ingredients
3 medium bunches Lacinato/dinosaur kale, washed and rinsed well, finely chopped (8 cups chopped)

½ cup finely chopped red onions
¼ red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
¼  cup extra virgin olive oil
¼  teaspoon fine grain sea salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 cup pecans (small pieces are fine, as you’ll be processing them anyways)

½ dried sweetened cranberries
¾  cup crumbled feta cheese

Method
If you’ve never dealt with dinosaur/lacinato kale, you’ll need to remove the stem before trying to eat it.  I’ve found the fastest way is to simply grab the stem with one hand, and with the other, start at the base of the leaf, and it a quick motion, strip the leaf upwards until the stem is left stripped.  I save the stem and chop it finely and put it in my vegetable soups.   I find it much easier to wash the kale after the stem has been removed.  Wash, dry very well in a salad spinner, and then shred.  The smaller the shred, the better the texture in the salad.

In a large jar, add chopped red onions.  Pour red wine vinegar and sugar over onions and shake vigorously so as to coat onions with vinegar sugar mixture.  Add olive oil, salt, and pepper and set aside until rest of the salad is done, so that onions have time to pickle.  It’s okay if the dressing separates and the vinegar stays around the onions because it aids in the pickling process.

Preheat oven to 300.  Lay pecans on a cookie sheet.  Cook until fragrant and lightly golden, 8 to 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and set aside to cool for 5 minutes.  Chop nuts finely, using a food processor.  Set aside.

In a large salad bowl add shredded kale, pecans, cranberries and feta cheese.  Pour dressing over salad and toss.  The salad should get enough of the pickled onions for the full flavor.

Serve.  Because of the sturdy nature of kale, you can actually dress this salad and serve even 30 minutes later and it’s still delicious, although my preference is to eat it immediately.

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This salad demands and commands loyalty.

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Barley and Kale Salad with Golden Beets and Feta The Blame Game

The month of October was spent at the dentists office.  We recently changed insurance and then had to change dentists and with that series of changes it meant that I crammed a bunch of appointments in a few weeks.  Daughter #1 and Daughter #2 and Son all had a date with their dentist.

I probably shouldnt complain because we are lucky to have insurance and we are lucky to have such nice dentists.  But I have to complain because although Daughter #1 and Daughter #2 got off relatively easy (minor grooves in the rear adult molars requiring some sealant), Son did NOT get off easy.

My life spent at the dentist for Son in a nutshell consists of 3 cavities requiring 3 root canals, leading to 1 abscess and 1 tooth extraction.  Hes FOUR YEARS OLD and he had three cavities which required 3 root canals and now one of the root canals didnt take so he developed an abscess and now he has to lose the tooth.  (All of these procedures were done without a cool video playing on the ceiling and no laughing gas.)

No one is more upset than I am.  In fact, up until this evening I was seemingly the only one upset, only Son heard me talking about a taking out a tooth and had a temper tantrum on the floor about it.  "I dont WANT to take my tooth out!" he screamed at the top of his lungs.  I couldnt help myself.  I said to him, "You are losing your tooth because you havent brushed carefully enough nor have you allowed me to brush your teeth well enough nor did you take your antibiotics regularly enough nor did you do the salt water rinse after every single MEAL!"  Yep. I laid that ALL at Sons  feet.  Because really, the person I blame is me.

Im not sure if I could have prevented the cavities.  Hes susceptible.  I struggle with brushing his teeth because he fights me on it.  When the abscess first developed he screamed and yelled about the antibiotics (something that I wasnt really all that keen on giving him in the first place) I had a hard time being consistent with the medicine only because he was a bear about it.  And the end result is at the age of 4, Son will be missing a back molar that doesnt grow back until he is 12 years old.  The dentist reassured me that this was incredibly common as I sat in a chair with my head between my legs.  I am nauseous from all of this because this is not common to me.

And I sit blaming myself wondering what more could I have done.  Brushed harder?  More often?  Yelled more about the medicine and flossing?  Been more diligent and vigilant about gummy and fruit consumption?  I know that casting blame around isnt the best use of my time nor is it productive but I cant help wondering what I did wrong.

Its times like this when I feel like a horrible mother that I have to do something to make myself feel like a good mother.  Kale.  Whole grains.  Nutritious foods.  These things make me feel better and its an area where I know I can always be better than I was yesterday. I found this recipe in my Bon Appetit magazine and knew I had to make it right away.  The yellow and green colors were appealing and the use of kale, which is sturdy so it holds up well made me feel healthy, just by its mere presence.  There is a bit of finickiness as the kale, beets, barley all require separate preparation before it is tossed together, but each separate preparation is so simple that this can be an easy weeknight meal (and it can be made ahead to boot.)

The recipe calls for Tuscan kale, also called black kale, dinosaur kale, Lacinato kale, or cavolo nero, which has long, narrow, very dark green bumpy leaves and is available at farmers markets and some supermarkets.  I find that the best way to separate the leaves from the stems is to grab the stem with one hand and with the other, pull down and basically pull the leave away from the stem.  (I prefer this from the more tedious method of cutting out the stem, but you can do this too.)

Barley and Kale Salad with Golden Beets and Feta
Adapted from Bon Appetit November 2012
Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; more for drizzling

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
1 bunch Tuscan kale, center ribs and stems removed, leaves cut into 1-inch squares
1/4 cup minced shallots
3 medium golden beets (about 1 bunch), trimmed
1 1/4 cups pearl barley
4 ounces feta, crumbled
2 tablespoons (or more) lemon juice

Method
Whisk 1/4 cup oil, red wine vinegar, honey, and lemon zest in a large bowl to blend; season with salt and pepper. Add kale and shallots; mix until completely coated. Cover and chill until kale is tender, at least 3 hours.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400°. Place beets on a piece of tin foil and drizzle with olive oil.  Completely wrap up and seal beets in foil.   Bake beets until tender when pierced with a thin knife, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool completely. Peel beets using your fingers.  They will peel easily.  Cut into 1/4-inch pieces (you should have about 2 cups).

Cook barley in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 30 to 45 minutes. Drain barley and spread out on a rimmed baking sheet; let cool completely.

Add beets, barley, and feta to kale. Drizzle salad with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and 2 tablespoons lemon juice.  Fold gently to combine. Season to taste with pepper and more lemon juice, if desired. Salad can be made two days ahead.  Cover and chill.

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Roasted Beet Walnut Feta and Kale Salad The harvest

We are headed into harvest time and I once heard Chef Michael Chiarello describe it as a time where one foot is in the summer and one foot in the fall.  I found it such a beautiful description - that split of the seasons, the moment that the year has a perfect balance.

Sometimes harvest is something different, which is what I experienced today.  For the past 4 years, Ive been cooking the teachers at Childrens elementary school a meal, twice a year, always on the Thursday that I set up for the semiannual book fair. Its at the Teachers preview luncheon, when teachers have an opportunity to choose books for their wishlist boxes and enjoy the book fair without 30 or more kids running around and asking a million questions.  Over the past 4 years, Ive cooked and served a light lunch to some fantastic teachers at our school, favoring simple wholesome food.  Ive cooked chili  most often, as it is always a huge hit with the teachers.  This year I decided to go with a different menu, kale salad with pecans and Parmesan cheese, turkey arugula meatballs on top of a small dinner roll with provolone cheese, and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.  I served freshly cut apples as well as an assortment of drinks.  

With my two loyal and regular assistants by my side, we began serving the teachers.  One helped keep the kale salad flowing, and one made sure that there was enough of a rationing system so that all the teachers would be able to have some meatballs.  (I had hand rolled exactly 124, which makes 62 mini-sandwiches, and I knew there would be some people who would want more.)  My favorite part of the day, was looking over to see that teachers had grabbed chairs and were sitting around in a circle together.  They laughed while eating, and I saw shoulders relax, jokes made, and overall a feeling of warmth and goodness.

That was my harvest today.  I think through the continual planting of consistent food and service, teachers have come to appreciate the moment of respite in their day in the food that they ate.  I saw the harvest of goodness, happiness and kindness today and it made me smile.

In honor of the harvest, both of the bounty of the earth and the bounty of human happiness, I made this wonderful beet salad.  I often roast two kinds of beets all at once, peel the skin off, slice and leave them chilled in the fridge so that I can add them to a salad whenever I wish.  I candy the walnuts all at once, and leave them in a tightly sealed container so that I can enjoy them whenever I want.  I make the dressing ahead of time, so that whenever I feel like it, I can have this salad at my beck and call.  Its the perfect combination of sweet, salty, and nutty all in a harvest-themed salad.  Ive served it multiple times at church functions, always to rave reviews.  You can enjoy it on your own, but I guarantee that if you share, youll also notice a harvest of good will and love.

Roasted Beet, Walnut, Feta and Kale Salad
Serves 5 to 6

Ingredients
3 medium bunches Lacinato/dinosaur kale, washed and rinsed well, roughly chopped (8 cups chopped) OR 8 cups of baby kale

1 or two colors of beets, roasted, sliced

½ cup finely chopped red onions
¼ red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
¼  cup extra virgin olive oil
¼  teaspoon fine grain sea salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 cups whole walnuts (You’ll need only 1 cup for this salad, but go ahead and make extra)
½ cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons butter

¾  cup crumbled feta cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Method
If youve never dealt with dinosaur/lacinato kale, you’ll need to remove the stem before trying to eat it.  Ive found the fastest way is to simply grab the stem with one hand, and with the other, start at the base of the leaf, and it a quick motion, strip the leaf upwards until the stem is left stripped.  Wash, dry very well in a salad spinner, and then roughly chop.

In a large jar, add chopped red onions.  Pour red wine vinegar and sugar over onions and shake vigorously so as to coat onions with vinegar sugar mixture.  Add olive oil, salt, and pepper and set aside until rest of the salad is done, so that onions have time to pickle.  It’s okay if the dressing separates and the vinegar stays around the onions because it aids in the pickling process.

In a large fry pan over medium heat, add walnuts, sugar and butter.  As butter and sugar begin to melt, continuously stir mixture.  Heat for 5 to 7 minutes, until sugar is melted and and butter coats nuts.  Immediately turn nuts out onto a piece of parchment paper, and begin separating the nuts into individual pieces.  Move quickly, otherwise nuts will clump together.

Once all the components are prepared, put together the salad.  If using dinosaur kale, toss kale with dressing and massage and let dressing help wilt the kale for about 6 minutes.  Then place kale on desired serving plate and add sliced beets, walnuts, feta and a nice bit of freshly ground black pepper.

If using baby kale, quickly toss kale with dressing, and then add beets, walnuts, feta, and a healthy grind of black pepper on top.  Serve immediately.  Both versions are really lovely, with the regular tuscan kale version being a sturdier salad, standing up to a bit of time delay while the baby kale does not.  If you can serve it immediately, baby kale is an excellent choice.  If it is going to sit for a while, then definitely use the tuscan kale.

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For the harvest.

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Spinach Feta Roasted Peppers Pasta Salad Back to school routines

Our summer is over.  Daughters school started and once again, Im in the throes of early wakeups, lunch packing, snack packing, school supply shopping, massive form filling, and general breathlessness as I try to keep up with the pace that always accompanies back to school.

But in the midst of it all, I remember my time as a classroom teacher; "Back-to-school" was a time filled with excitement, anxiety, stress, joy, trepidation, and more stress.  Its not an easy time to be a teacher; parents come up to you with a million questions, some students may burst out crying in your class (kindergarten issue), others still may announce in a stage whisper, "This is boring" while all the time you keep that smile plastered on your face.  I make no comparison - as hard as my life is as a parent with back to school, I know the life of a teacher is that much harder.  Im dealing with three children, theyre dealing with over 20.

I always go out of my way, at the beginning of the school year, to do small, quiet things to show teachers that I appreciate what they are going through.  I actually really DO appreciate it, and I dont like to make a lot of noise about it, but I like to do something small for them.  One thing Ive made it a tradition to do is to feed them.  I know that the last thing that a teacher wants to do during their first or second weeks of school is cook - its too harried, too stressful, and the push and shove of many children in and out of your space is hard.  I quietly try and give something nourishing to the teachers after school so that they can enjoy a bit of peace and have some peace of mind, if only for the 15 minutes they eat.

Usually I do the tomato orzo salad, mostly because it holds up well, can be eaten the day after, and I have yet to find a person who doesnt love it.  But I wanted to try something new this time as well, since I had it in my head, a pasta salad that used spinach, bell peppers and feta.  I recruited friend SH, who is usually my partner in crime for food related experiments, and together we set out to make a bunch of pasta salads for different teachers at our school.

The end result was lovely, a pasta salad that was bright, colorful, nutty, sweet, salty, all at the same time.  The teachers got two pasta salads, a few cookies, all packed with a few nice touches for them to enjoy.  Friend SH and I were a bit tired by the time we got to school, but no matter, the smiles on the teachers as well as the squeal of glee from one made it all worth it.  I even got a lovely handwritten note thanking me.  How that teacher managed to do that after her two days, is beyond me.

Spinach, Feta, Roasted Bell Peppers Pasta Salad
Serves 8

Ingredients
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 cup olive oil

1 pound penne, or your choice of pasta salad shape (Bear in mind that baby spinach takes up some space, so you want a shape that isn’t too small that will get overwhelmed)

6 oz bag, baby spinach
1 7-ounce package feta cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 medium red onion, sliced
1 cup chopped fresh basil
12 oz jar (drained about 7 to 8 ounces) roasted red pepper (Trader Joes has a very lovely one)
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted (or pine nuts if you prefer)

Method
Whisk vinegar, lemon juice, and honey in small bowl. Gradually whisk in oil. Season vinaigrette with salt and pepper. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.)

Bring water to boil in pot. Salt water and cook pasta according to package directions. Wash and drain pasta.

Mix together spinach, feta, red onion, basil, roasted red peppers, pasta. . Add vinaigrette; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.) Add almonds; toss. Serve at room temperature.

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packed up, almost ready to go

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