Toasted Kale & Pan Fried Chickpea Salad

If you haven't clued in that salads are more than just vegetables and dressing, then pull your head out of your rear and pay attention. Have I got your attention now? Good. 

We've added meats, cheeses, bread, removed the lettuce, swapped out trendy vegetables for hipster vegetables...what more can we do? A heck of a lot more! One of my favourite salads is a marinated vegetable salad, where the vegetables have been blanched just a teensy bit. The result is an entirely different combination of flavours and textures than one would get with a raw version of the salad. This is why this toasted kale salad sounded so appealing. Sadly the author that I nabbed this recipe from combined her kale with preserved Meyer lemons and I did not have the time nor the lemons to make that magic happen. Instead I used regular unpreserved lemons, which were scrumptious all the same. I really do want to try preserving lemons and using them in this recipe. It just isn't going to happen tonight. If you get a chance, check out the think below for the author's preserved lemon recipe.

Adapted from: http://www.ahouseinthehills.com

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1 large head of kale of your choice
• 2 cups cooked chickpeas
• 1 T canola oil
• 1 T tablespoon paprika
• 3 T chopped lemons
• 1 lemon
• Extra virgin olive oil

Method

Preheat oven to 225 degrees

Wash the kale, removing the stems and chop into bite size pieces. Toss with a little olive oil and sea salt and arrange onto a cookie sheet(s). Toast in the oven for approximately 25 minutes or until the kale is both wilted and crunchy (you'll know what I mean after 25 minutes).  In a pan, combine the chickpeas, canola oil, paprika and chopped lemons. Cook over medium-high heat until the chickpeas have browned. Remove from heat and combine the chickpea mixture in a bowl with the kale.  Add a little olive oil and sea salt, tossing it well. Serve with lemon slices on top as a garnish.

Lighter Fare Part 2

I thought this idea for a salad was magic: a California roll in salad form. I love sushi, but I get enough carbohydrates in my day as it is without adding the substantial amount of white rice that it provides. The sushi salad is a good alternative and also another quickie meal as any salad should be. If your salad is taking longer to prepare than your entree, you have a high maintenance salad. 

Sushi Salad

Adapted from: http://www.abeautifulmess.com

Serves 4-6

Salad

• Head of romaine lettuce, 
• Package of 6 crab sticks (real or fairy tale)
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 2 T toasted sesame seeds
• 4 sheets dried seaweed, torn into bit size pieces.

Dressing

• 2 T mayonnaise
• 2 T low fat yoghurt
• 2 t wasabi
• 2 t sriracha sauce
• Juice of a lemon
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

For the dressing, combine all ingredients, whisking well to ensure all elements blend together. Set the dressing aside.
Wash, dry and tear the lettuce into bite size pieces. Tear the seaweed into smaller pieces and add to the lettuce. Cut the crab sticks in half horizontally and shred the meat with your fingers. Add the crab, avocado and sesame seeds to the lettuce and seaweed.  Add about two thirds of the dressing to the salad and toss it well. Add more dressing if desired.

Ready for Some Lighter Fare?

Ho, ho, ho....hold on a second here. I'm stuck in the wrong season. Let's back up to the six week-long downward spiral of unhealthy eating. The egg nog, the turkey, gravy, wine, wine, wine, sweets and that was just one meal we're talking about here.  My indulgence has come to a grinding halt as of today. Maybe a meal that doesn't prompt an immediate nap afterwards. How about a dish that isn't paired with Alka-Seltzer? I'll miss the good food, but I need a little normal.

Enter the following quick, easy and healthy recipes to kick off resolution season. Our soup and salad combo took me forty-five minutes to prepare and I wasn't even moving at my usual speedy pace. I've found a few other recipes of a similar vain and will share them a little later this month.

Black Bean Soup

You'll notice the picture doesn't display a bowl of blackish soup, but rest assured, there are indeed black beans in there. If heat isn't your bag, remove the chilies from the recipe and add everything from diced tomatoes to potato to thicken or enrich this basic recipe.

Adapted from: http://www.abeautifulmess.com/

Serves 4 small portions

Ingredients

• 1 T olive oil
• 1/3 yellow onion, chopped
• red or yellow pepper, chopped
• 2 chilis in adobo
• 1/4 t cumin
• salt & pepper to taste
• 28 oz can black beans
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro for serving
• Sour cream for serving

Method

Heat the oil in a saucepan on medium heat. Add the pepper and onion, sautéing until the onions are translucent. Add the cumin, salt and pepper, incorporating the spices in with the vegetables. Stir in the chilies and as much adobo sauce as your taste buds can handle.

Pour in the vegetable stock and the black beans, bringing the soup to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for two minutes. Remove from heat and puree if desired. The original recipe leaves the soup as is, but I chose to blend it. Add handfuls of chopped cilantro and sour cream to individual servings.

Farro & Kale Salad

Farro can sometimes be tough to find, so alternatives such as quinoa or barley are also good options. I found farro at Bulk Barn, but it was pricier than expected. I enjoy the chewy texture of farro and the fact that it cooks quickly. Worth a try if you haven't had farro yet.







Adapted from: http://www.abeautifulmess.com/

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 2 cups uncooked farro
• 1 1/2 cups finely chopped kale
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 cup finely chopped cucumber
• 1 cup dates chopped
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
• 3 T balsamic vinegar
• 1 T honey
• salt & pepper to taste

Method

Bring the farro and four cups of water to a low boil for about twenty minutes. Once the farro is of a chewy consistency, remove it from the heat and rinse it in cold water.

Place the kale in a large bowl and drizzle half of the oil overtop. Mix in the oil to help soften the leaves a little. Combine the cucumber, dates, sunflower seeds, salt and pepper to the farro and kale mix. Add the remaining oil, mixing well and serve immediately.

Vietnamese Meatball Lollipops with Dipping Sauce

Tis the season for parties galore... and appetizers, don't forget the appetizers. I've been scrambling for some good recipes and some of my latest attempts have been bombs. Luckily, this one wasn't. If you're taking this to a party, I'd lighten up on the oven time, so when you reheat the meatballs on site, they aren't too dry. I'm keen to try this with ground pork next time, but the beef was delicious.















From: http://www.bettycrocker.com/

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

For the meatballs

• 1 1/4 lb of lean ground beef (turkey or pork will do too)
• 1/4 cup of chopped water chestnuts from an 8oz can
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 T cornstarch
• 2 T fish sauce
• 1/2 t ground pepper
• 3 cloves garlic, minced

For the sauce

• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup soya sauce
• 2 T packed brown sugar
• 2 T chopped fresh chives
• 2 T fresh lime juice
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 t crushed red pepper
• 
  

Method

Heat oven to 400F. Line cookie sheet with foil.

In a large bowl, combine all the meatball ingredients until well combined. Shape the meat into one inch balls and place about an inch apart on the cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, turning the balls over halfway through the cooking time. The meat should read 165F in its centre when done.

In a saucepan, combine all the ingredients for the sauce. Heat the pan on medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat.

Insert the bamboo skewers into the balls, place on a plate and serve with the warm dipping sauce. 

Pumpkin Cheesecake Trifles

There appears to be a pattern developing over my choice of desserts for this food blog. For one, I dig cream cheese and over the life of this Eat, Belch, Fart adventure, have been putting it into all variations of dessert. Second, I get a kick out of puddings and custards. I like their texture and simplicity and maybe the fact that I can fit it in a cup. Here is yet another pudding concoction that is worth a try. If you like sweetness in moderation, I would put in half to two thirds of the sugar into the pumpkin, cream cheese mix and add more to suit your taste. This a lazy man's pumpkin cheesecake, or depending on your perspective, a clever man's pumpkin cheesecake. 

Adapted from: http://kikicuisine.com/

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup of graham wafer crumbs
• 1 T, melted unsalted butter
• 1 8oz brick of cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup of canned pumpkin
• 750 ml of whipped cream
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 t vanilla
• 1/2 t nutmeg
• 1/4 ground cloves
• 1/2 t ground cinnamon
• 1/2 t ginger

Method

Combine the melted butter and graham wafer crumbs in a bowl. 

Whip the cream in another bowl until stiff peaks form. 

Using a standing mixer, blend the cream cheese until smooth. Add the pumpkin until well incorporated and follow with the vanilla and spices. When well blended, fold in half of the whipping cream.  

Assemble the dessert by adding a few spoonfuls of the graham wafer crumbs to the bottom of your serving cups or bowls. Next, add a few spoonfuls of the pumpkin mix and follow with a few dollops of whipped cream. Repeat and top with whipped cream.

Kale Salad with Bacon Vinaigrette

Had a memorable dinner at a nearby neighbourhood restaurant called Belgravia Hub last weekend and it inspired me to recreate a kale, bacon and egg salad I had as a starter. Bacon and eggs in a salad? Woohoo! In fact there was very little else in that salad, but perhaps its' simplicity is why I enjoyed it so much. A mustard infused vinaigrette and soft-yolked egg bring this dish to life. It also makes me wonder how I'll ever eat a salad without bacon and eggs in it again.

Adapted from: http://www.justataste.com

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

• 1 bunch of green kale
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 1/3 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
• Eggs (1 per serving if desired) 
• 6 slices of bacon and reserved bacon fat
• 2 T minced shallots
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 t packed brown sugar
• 2 t grainy Dijon mustard

Method

Wash and tear the kale from their spines. Gather the leaves on a chopping board and cut them into thin strips. Toss the kale with the pumpkin seeds and red onion and set aside.

Cook the bacon to your desired texture and reserve the bacon fat. Chop the bacon into bite-sized pieces and add it to the salad. Using the same pan on medium heat, add 3 tablespoons of the fat (supplement with olive oil if you do not have enough) with the shallots, caramelizing them over the course of about 8 minutes. Whisk in the vinegar, brown sugar and mustard until blended. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper. Toss the dressing in stages in with the salad to meet your desired dressing coverage.

Using the same pan with a little of the bacon fat to coat, crack as many eggs into the pan as servings intended for the salad, frying it to the consistency of your preference. I like my yolk soft, so when it breaks in the salad, it oozes into the kale, adding another dimension to the flavour. Serve individual portions of the salad, adding an egg on top of each serving.  Topping the salad with parmesan wouldn't be a bad idea either!

Beef Tenderloin with Cabernet Shallot Sauce

One way or another, I was having a nice piece of beef this weekend. The question was whether to make it myself or have someone make it for me. With a bottle of red waiting to be opened and the ingredients for a kale salad with bacon vinaigrette on hand, I shuffled out to find beef tenderloin. The results were divine. 

Like with pork tenderloin, the best advice I've seen with respect to cooking a lean piece of meat is to sear it first before roasting. This seals in the juices and keeps the meat moist. I boiled a few baby potatoes as a side, but if you're using fresh thyme in this recipe, as per the instructions, roasting the potatoes with the rest of your thyme and some other seasonings would be a better way to accompany the beef.  The kale salad recipe will follow shortly and is definitely worth pairing with this or another nice roast, if beef tenderloin isn't your thing or is out of your budget. 

Enjoy!

Adapted From: http://www.canadianliving.com

Makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients

For the beef

• 2 lbs beef tenderloin (try a roast format vs. a steak one)
• 1 T black peppercorns, roughly crushed (I used a mortar and pestle to get this effect)
• 1/2 sea salt
• 1 T olive oil

For the sauce

• 1/8 cup butter
• 1 cup chopped shallots
• 1/2 t sugar
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 t fresh thyme, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup beef stock
• 1/3 cup red wine
• 1/8 cup brandy
• 1 T corn starch

Method

Preheat the oven to 375F. Combine the salt and pepper and spread the seasoning on a flat surface. Roll the tenderloin in the salt and pepper mixture to cover it evenly. Heat the olive oil in a pan on medium-high heat. Sear the beef in the pan on all sides. 

Once seared, place the beef in a shallow roasting pan, uncovered. Roast for approximately 40 minutes, checking periodically to ensure you are not overcooking the roast. A rare piece of tenderloin should read 140F in the centre. 

For the sauce, sauté the shallots in half of the butter until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the sugar, thyme, bay leaf and garlic and continue to sauté until the shallots have caramelized, about 6 minutes.

Add the stock, wine and brandy and bring the sauce to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes in order to reduce the sauce by half. Whisk the cornstarch in a tablespoon of water and add it to the sauce, stirring it until completely incorporated. Add the roasting pan's juices. Bring the sauce to a boil and whisk in the remaining butter. Serve with the beef.