Tag Archives: kale

Goi Ga | Vietnamese Salad with Chicken

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The Huz and I went to Chicago last weekend, and had the most amazing time!  At some point, if I have time, I’ll do a blog post about what we did and where we ate.

One of the restaurants we went to was Le Colonial.  We got some of their Goi Ga, and it was perfection on a hot day!!!  I kept thinking about it for days afterwards, and was inspired to try and make something similar.

I got most of the ingredients at Trader Joe’s.  This isn’t an ad for them, just an fyi 🙂 . Minus the fish sauce…they recently discontinued it, so I went to another local store for that.  Good grief is it expensive?!!  It does make the dressing though…

The dressing typically has chili flakes in it, but I left that out for Maya’s sake.  I added plenty of hot sauce on mine though 🙂

Ingredients (feeds 4-6)

Dressing

  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/4 cup fish sauce 
  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar
  • 2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
  • 2 Tablespoons Raw Local Honey
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon crushed ginger
  • 1 teaspooon crushed lemongrass
  • You can add red chili flakes, but I left that out for Maya’s sake and added hot sauce after :))

I put all the ingredients in a mason jar and shook it up-done!

Salad

  • 9 oz bag of Trader Joe’s Organic Shredded Green & Red Cabbage with Shredded Carrots
  • 1 cup shredded carrots
  • 3/4’s of 10 oz bag of Trader Joe’s Cruciferous Crunch (Kale, Brussel Sprouts, Brocolli, and Cabbage.  (I was going to add the entire bag, but it was a bit much…)
  • 1.75 oz container of Trader Joe’s Organic Micro Greens
  • 1 rotisserie chicken shredded.
  • Optional diced peanuts (Maya is allergic, so I left these out.  If I’m being honest, I totally forgot haha.  I might add almonds next time!)

What to do

Combine all the salad ingredients, top with chicken, and salad dressing.  It’s best to let it sit for a few minutes and keep tossing it to make sure the dressing gets absorbed.

I topped mine with red chili garlic sauce and Sriracha, but it’s nice and refreshing all on it’s own!

Enjoy 🙂dit-elle-Lauren

Carrot, Beet & Sesame Salad

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This is a delicious raw salad – grated beets, carrots, and kale are tossed with some vinegar, maple syrup and sesame seeds. The results is a light, fresh and crispy salad. Make it a meal by serving with a side of avocado or fried eggs!

beet carrot kale salad blog

 

Ingredients

  • 2 medium red beets, peeled and grated
  • 3 medium carrots, peeled and grated
  • 1 cup baby kale
  • 3 Tbsp sesame seeds
  • 3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1-2 Tbsp maple syrup

Directions

  • Grate the beets and carrots. The easiest way I’ve found to grate vegetables is to use the grater blade in a food processor – takes <30 seconds!
  • Finely chop the kale
  • Toss with vinegar, syrup and sesame seeds
  • Season with salt
  • Enjoy!

dit-elle-Esther

Sweet Potato Hash with Spinach and Eggs

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Good morning! Sweet potatoes, sausage, egg and greens tossed in a skillet makes an excellent breakfast. There are a few steps, so this is a great weekend breakfast to make during that first cup or two of coffee. 😉 Paleo, gluten free, and wonderful served with fresh fruit or berries!

yam spinach egg hash blog (3) yam spinach egg hash blog (2) yam spinach egg hash blog (1)

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons high-heat oil, divided
  • 1 pound fresh sausage (optional)
  • 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 1/2 pounds garnet or jewel yams, or sweet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 1 bunch spinach or kale, tough stems removed and leaves chopped
  • Salt, black pepper, and/or red chili flakes to taste
  • 4 eggs

Directions

  • Heat 1 tablespoon oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage (if using); crumble and cook until no longer pink. Add onion, garlic and cook until onion is soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove mixture from pan.
  • Heat remaining oil in skillet and add yams. Cook until golden and tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Return sausage mixture to the skillet. Stir in spinach or kale and toss with potatoes and meat. Now, using a spoon, make 4 shallow indentations in the hash and crack 1 egg into each indentation. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until whites are set, 8 to 10 minutes. Serve immediately.
  • Enjoy!

Thanks PCC Natural Markets for the inspiration (modified and shortened recipe from the original and it was still great)!

dit-elle-Esther

Winter Greens Casserole Made Easy

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I LOVE winter greens and if you’re wondering what winter greens are think chard (rainbow or swiss) or kale or those types of leafy greens. So I read this recipe that took sausage, onions, winter greens and sautéed it all.. and then you put it in a casserole dish and poured cream all over it and topped it with cheese. While that was super delicious, but WAY too rich and a few steps too many, I simplified the recipe with the option (of course! :)) of adding cream and cheese or not!

winter greens and sausage blog (2) winter greens and sausage blog (1)

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon butter, plus extra for dish
  • 2 shallots, sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 pound bulk Italian sausage (or pre-cooked sausages like roasted red pepper turkey, feta and spinach, etc.. there’s a great selection out there and if you get something pre-cooked you are also saving some cooking time)
  • 3 pounds braising greens (kale, mustard, chard, collard, etc.), tough stems removed and leaves, cut into small pieces
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
  • Red chili flakes (optional)
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Additional optional steps for Baked Casserole version

  • 1/2 cup chicken stock (optional, see below)
  • 1 cup heavy cream (optional, see below)
  • 1 cup grated Gruyere cheese (I used Parmesan)

Preparation

  • In a skillet, melt butter and add shallots and garlic and cook for a few minutes until fragrant but not starting to brown
  • Stir in sausage and cook, breaking into small pieces, until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Drain off fat, if desired.
  • Add braising greens, in batches, stirring until cooked down. When all greens have been added, cook and stir for 5 minutes; season with nutmeg, salt and pepper and red chili flakes.
  • This is where I stop and serve with freshly grated Parmesan! Voila! Finished!
  • But if you want to get fancy, add chicken stock and cook 5 additional minutes. Transfer greens to the prepared dish. Drizzle with cream and sprinkle with cheese. Bake until cream is bubbling and cheese is golden, 20 to 30 minutes.

 

Thanks PCC Natural Markets for this one!

dit-elle-Esther

 

Kale Waldorf Salad

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This is a fantastic kale salad! You can make it in a few minutes with the right tools – I use a food processor and run the veggies through the slicer blade. And yes – you eat the kale raw and it is delicious! 🙂

kale waldorf salad blog (2) kale waldorf salad blog (1)

Salad ingredients

  • 1 large bunch curly green kale, rinsed
  • 1-2 apples
  • 2-3 stalks celery
  • 1/2 cup nuts or pumpkin seeds, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup raisins, dried appricots, figs, dates or cranberries, roughly chopped
  • 1 cup red grapes, halved (or whole, to save time!)

Dressing

  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • Juice from a small lemon
  • 1 tsp mustard
  • Salt/pepper to taste

Directions

  • Run the kale, apples and celery through the food processor on the slicer blade
  • Toss with nuts or seeds, raisins or grapes
  • Mix the dressing ingredients and toss with salad
  • Keeps very well covered in refrigerator for several days

Excellent with poached or fried eggs – paleo breakfast for champions!

dit-elle-Esther

Kale, Broccoli, Brussel Sprout Salad with Blueberries and Avocado topped with a Fried Egg

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If it sounds like I just threw a bunch of random stuff that was in my refridgerator, it sounds correct haha.  When the Huz is out of town, and we don’t have the boys I like to keep dinners pretty simple for Maya and me.  I love tossing a fried egg on salads.  The runny yolk acts as a dressing, and it’s a super easy quick healthy protein-WIN!Blog Paleo Kale Broccoli Brussel Sprout Salad with Blueberries Avocado topped with a Fried Egg-1 Blog Paleo Kale Broccoli Brussel Sprout Salad with Blueberries Avocado topped with a Fried Egg-2 Ingredients (for 2)

  • Large handful of Kale, broccoli, brussel sprout salad per person.  They carry it at Costco and Trader Joe’s.
  • 1/2 Medium avocado diced
  • Handful of blueberries per person
  • Drizzle olive oil over the top
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Top with fried eggs!

Dinner all done in under 15 minutes!  YESSSSS!  I’ll be posting another rendition of this soon!

Enjoy 🙂dit-elle-Lauren

Costco Hack- Grilled Chicken and Onion Salad with Kale, Broccoli, and Avocado

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As a working mother of 2 teenage stepsons and a toddler, dinners aren’t always what I imagine or want them to be.  If I can make them reasonably healthy, easy, and edible I count it as a major win!  So, you know who gets a lot of our grocery business?  Costco!  I don’t have the time, patience or wallet to go to all the various grocery stores, and if you have a bigger family-Costco is a home run.  So, I do a lot of what I like to call “Costco Hacks”.  The term “Ikea Hack” has become pretty well known as a term of making something inexpensive into something that doesn’t look inexpensive at all, and I think that the same can be made of food!

You can totally do that with Costco/Trader Joe’s too!  Especially if you have a family.  Gather a bunch of ingredients, and then make them into meals that are healthy, relatively easy, and enjoyable across the board!  And above all…share with the rest of us!!!

So…for my first official “Costco Hack” installment… Everything in this salad is from Costco.

And sadly, I know I could have made it look better, but I got the idea to take pictures after I had tossed it all together.  Which jumbled it all and made it look messy.  I guarantee it tasted a LOT better than it looked 🙂

There’s something about the grilled onion diced up into the salad.  It added such a yummy flavor, that I do it almost every time we grill for dinner!Blog Costco Grilled Chicken and Onion Kale Avocado Brussel Sprout Salad-3 Blog Costco Grilled Chicken and Onion Kale Avocado Brussel Sprout Salad-2 Blog Costco Grilled Chicken and Onion Kale Avocado Brussel Sprout Salad-1Ingredients

  • 4 Individual Chicken Breasts (frozen then defrosted)
  • 1 medium yellow onion
  • Olive oil and salt and pepper to coat both chicken and onions (to taste)
  • 1 Avocado
  • Handful of Cherry Tomatos
  • 2 Handfuls of Mixed Greens
  • 2 Handfuls of the “Sweet Kale Frise Chou Doux” Mix
  • One pouch of the Poppyseed Dressing.
  • Cheese of your choice.  I was going to do some goat cheese, but I had some Parmesan on hand and that was yummy too.  A little goes a long way with all the other flavors, so use sparingly and it will still be delicious!

Directions

  • Heat your grill to medium heat.
  • Marinate defrosted chicken in olive oil and salt and pepper
  • Slice your onion to 1/2 inch thickness and coat with olive oil and salt and pepper
  • Place Chicken Breasts and Onions slices on grill for 8-10 minutes (depending on size) then flip and cook again for 8-10 minutes (depending on size)
  • Toss the various greens together.
  • Add Avocado and tomatoes.
  • Once chicken and onions are done, dice them up and add them to the mix.
  • Sprinkle with cheese of your choice, add dressing and toss to ENJOY!

Sweet Potato, Sausage and Kale Soup

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It’s been rainy and damp this past week, so this soup seemed like a great dish – the sweetness of the sausage and sweet potatoes balance out the kale in a delicious way. Hot steamy bowl anyone? This recipe makes a large batch and freezes very well!

Blog sausage kale sweet potato soup 1 Blog sausage kale sweet potato soup 2

Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 4 cups chopped onion (about 2 large)
  • 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
  • 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 1 lb sweet turkey or chicken Italian sausage
  • 8 c. coarsely chopped peeled sweet potatoes (~2 lbs)
  • 5 c. water
  • 4 c. chicken broth
  • 1 bunch kale, rinsed and chopped
  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • Salt / pepper to taste

Directions

  • Heat oil in large pot, add onion and sauté for 5 minutes
  • Add garlic, salt & pepper (if desired) and sauté for a minute
  • Remove casings from sausage and add sausage to pan
  • Cook 5 minutes or until sausage is lightly browned, stirring to crumble
  • Add potato, water and broth and bring to a boil
  • Reduce heat and simmer for ~8 minutes
  • Gradually add kale, cook another 10 minutes or until tender
  • Season with salt/pepper as needed
  • Makes 10 servings

dit-elle-Esther

Kale Salad with Chicken and Avocado

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This is a wonderful paleo salad with Creamy Lemon Garlic Dressing – add chicken and avocado – and call it dinner!

Blog kale chicken avocado salad-2 Blog kale chicken avocado salad-1

Ingredients

  • large bunch of kale deveined and chopped finely
  • 1/2c dried black current, raisins or cranberries
  • 1/2c. toasted sunflower seeds
  • 1 avocado, peeled and sliced
  • 2-3 cups of chopped cooked chicken or turkey
  • One batch Creamy Lemon Garlic Dressing

Thanks for the inspiration: http://cavemanstrong.com/2014/08/paleo-kale-salad/

dit-elle-Esther

Creamy Lemon Garlic Dressing

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This is a wonderful paleo dressing – great for salads, on roast chicken or as a dip! On Thursday I’ll post a recipe for Kale Chicken Avocado salad with this dressing! 🙂

Blog garlic lemon paleo dressing

Creamy Lemon Garlic Paleo Dressing

Ingredients

  • 1/2 c olive oil
  • juice from one entire lemon
  • 1 garlic clove (large)
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tsp dijon mustard
  • 1/4 c walnut pieces
  • pinch of sea salt
  • pinch of pepper

Directions

  • Add all items to a food processor (or use an inversion blender) and blend until smooth
  • Refrigerate till ready to use

Thanks for the inspiration: http://cavemanstrong.com/2014/08/paleo-creamy-lemon-garlic-dressing/

dit-elle-Esther