Kale Salad with Spiced, Roasted Chickpeas and Caesar Dressing

 Looking for a new, interesting salad for this summer? Are you always finding yourself disappointed by soggy lettuce and are afraid to bring a salad to a summer picnic? Well, fear no more...

I have been enjoying sauteed kale for the past year or so, usually with lemon and garlic. It was only recently that I discovered kale is much more sturdy, and much less disappointingly soggy, than lettuce, and that it can be tamed to taste like lettuce in a salad (not crunchy and chewy, like you'd think). The trick is to "marinate" the kale and be sure to cut it properly.

The chickpeas are almost like a crouton, but they are bread-free and a little something different.





Ingredients for Chickpeas:
- 1 can chickpeas, strained, husks removed (press on each one with your thumb), and patted dry
-1 tbsp. olive oil
-1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
-1/2 tsp. chipotle chili powder
-1/4 tsp. garlic powder
-1/4 tsp. onion powder
-1/4 tsp. ground coriander
-1/2 tsp. salt
-1/4 tsp. pepper

Preheat oven to 375F. Combine chickpeas with all other ingredients. Removing the husks is optional, but it will result in a crispier final product.

Place on a baking sheet covered with foil or parchment paper. Bake for 30 minutes, until browned, toasty, and crispy, shaking the pan every once in a while. While those are cooking away...

Ingredients for Caesar dressing:
-1/2 cup mayonnaise
-2 tbsp. olive oil
-1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
-1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
-1 garlic clove, grated
-1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
-1/2 tsp. white vinegar
-1/4 tsp. smoked paprika
-1/4 tsp. chipotle chili powder
-ground black pepper
-salt

Combine ingredients. Add salt to taste. Let sit for about 30 minutes at room temperature to allow the garlic to infuse. And lastly,

Ingredients for salad:
-1 large bowl of kale leaves, thick stems removed, chopped into bite-sized pieces (do not neglect this part)
-1 lemon
-olive oil
-salt
-1 medium carrot, shaved into thin strips

Once you have your bowl of kale lettuce all prepped--NO STEMS ALLOWED!--drizzle over the juice of half of the lemon, a couple of teaspoons' worth of olive oil, and a sprinkle of salt. Toss until well coated and set aside until your chickpeas are cooled completely and you are ready to serve (kale will last overnight in the fridge like this, too (unlike lettuce or spinach!). The lemon breaks down some of the fibrous quality of the kale, and makes it super tender). 

When ready to serve, shave over the carrot. Toss in the amount of dressing you like, and serve with grated Parmesan and the chickpeas on top.

Pear, Nut and Blue Cheese Salad with Balsamic Glaze

This is a fantastic salad! Great for summer BBQs and get-togethers. I took it to a potluck, and it was a real hit! This goes along great with many other dishes--also by itself. It's loaded with nuts, got a balsamic glaze drizzle to start, and add on the blue cheese dressing right before serving.

Ingredients:

-Mixed greens
-1 pear, sliced
-6 oz. gorgonzola or feta cheese (if you don't want it strong go with the feta)
-1/2 cup of pecans or walnuts
-1 red onion, sliced thinly

-1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

Blue cheese dressing (homemade or otherwise...)
-1 cup mayonnaise
-3/4 - 1 cup buttermilk (2 tbsp lemon juice, fill then rest of the way with milk, stir)
-1/2 teaspoon pepper
-1 teaspoon onion powder
-1 tablespoon lemon juice
-1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1 dash cayenne pepper
-1 teaspoon garlic powder
-2 teaspoons sugar
--6 ounces crumbled blue cheese


Heat the balsamic vinegar in a saucepan. Simmer for about 5-10 minutes, until thickened and reduced. Set aside to cool.

Combine ingredients for bleu cheese dressing.

Scatter the ingredients over the mixed greens. Drizzle the cooled balsamic overtop. When ready to serve, drizzle over the bleu cheese dressing. Toss.

Simple enough, right?

Southwest Salad with Garlicky Cilantro Dressing

 I've seen this sort of recipe on Pinterest a couple of times, and I tried it myself. It is  pretty good....Normally when I make salads I stick with my balsamic vinaigrette recipe. It was nice to try and make my own creamy dressing. The problem is, by the second day the Pinterest recipe is WAAAAY too garlicky. Like scaring-the-vampires-away garlicky. So I have modified things here and there that should help you out. I have also added a couple of things to the salad itself that you may like.

(Sorry about the awkward date stamp....I couldn't figure out how to get my NEW CAMERA to  remove that.)


 Ingredients for dressing:

The bushy part of 1 bundle of cilantro (just chop off the stems)
6oz. container of Greek yogurt (full fat please!!)
1 medium--not massive--garlic clove
Juice of 1 lime
2 Tbsp. of apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup of olive oil
2 Tbsp. heavy cream---if you use the dressing the next day, you will most definitely need more cream because of the garlic flavor intensity

Ingredients for the salad:

1 container of fluffy baby greens or herb mix
1/3 cup of corn
1/3 cup of black beans
1/3 cup of grape tomatoes, sliced in half
1/4 cup of thinly sliced red onion
1-2 pre-cooked chicken breasts, shredded (for  the man in your life)
1/4 cup of shredded cheddar or cheddar jack cheese
1/2 a finely diced avocado (optional)
Crushed tortilla chips to serve (optional)


 To make the dressing: Put all of the ingredients up to the salt into a food processor. Blend for about 30 seconds until creamy. Next, with it stills running, drizzle in the olive oil. Taste it. Does it need salt? Add some more. Is it too garlicky? Add that heavy cream. Does it need more acid? Add some more vinegar...It all depends on how you want it to taste.Pour into a bowl or serving container.

To serve: get out a large--and I mean large--bowl and toss the leaves in. Sprinkle over all of your toppings (except the tortilla chips). Drizzle over about 1/ 3 cup of your dressing and toss the salad with tongs or two forks until fully coated. Taste it. If you want more dressing, add in a bit more and toss it again! Serve immediately with tortilla chips sprinkled over the top. Yum!