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kale caesar salad with pickled onions + homemade breadcrumbs // a vegan version

When did kale become so cool?

I mean, seriously. Did anyone even know about kale 5 years ago?

Was anyone making kale chips, or kale smoothies?

Would anyone even touch kale with a 10 foot pole?

I was once terrified of kale. Now ... I cannot get enough.

If you say the word 'kale' nowadays, people get giddy. You know I do.

Maybe it's because it is because we finally know what to do with it. We're comfortable, and acquainted. We finally know how to make it taste really really good.

Maybe it's also because it is really really good for you + me + the people we feed it to. Calcium, vitamin C and fiber are things that make our bodies happy, and kale is loaded with these and other wonderful things. Kale makes our bodies happy.

Kale caesar salad is just one of the hundreds of recipes I've been using to feed my kale addiction. Kale is just so great in a salad, if you know how to work it. It's not a wimpy green. It does not wilt or sag easily, and that's a good thing. Massaging it breaks it down, and chopping it small makes it easier to eat.

I love a good ceasar salad, don't you? But I don't really love all of the cheese and bad calories it usually has in it. This version I've been working with has that same awesome caesar salad taste, without the dairy or the anchovies. You'd never know the difference.

Lastly, let's chat about these homemade breadcrumbs. I know I've been posting a lot of gluten-free recipes on here, so I don't want to leave out my GF friends. You can always make homemade GF breadcrumbs using your favorite GF bread. Or, if you want to skip the bread all together, any kind of toasted nut or seed would work well to get that contrast of texture.

salad, veganJodi MorenoFebruary 5, 2013kale, red onion Comments

mustard marinated kale with roasted winter vegetables

Back when I worked in the corporate world, things were a little different.

I had to wake up about 30 minutes before my body wanted to every morning.
I wore high heels and starched shirts.
I would have breakfast at my desk, lunch at my desk, and I would prepare both in the little kitchen our office provided (sometimes getting odd glares from my co-workers who usually got take-out or ordered in).
On days that I was busy I would never leave my desk, and on days that I was bored I would find every excuse leave my desk.

In the winter, I would leave the office an hour or two (or three) after the sun went down. Michael and I would often get home at the same time, and on most nights we would cook.

I didn’t have as much time to get creative in the kitchen on the weeknights. Most nights I would stick to one of the several classic recipes that I knew well.

Roasted vegetables were a staple.

When I took a bite of a roasted carrot the other night, it reminded me of something. It took me a minute to pinpoint it. Usually food can take you back to a lovely place, a fond childhood memory, a memory of a beloved family member, but not this roasted carrot. This roasted carrot reminded me of my old job. It was strange. It was not necessarily a bad memory, but not a picturesque one either.

It got me thinking.

Sometimes we cook things because they are simple and easy to make. Sometimes we cook things because they taste good. Sometimes we cook things because they remind us of a person a place or a memory.

I realized, roasted vegetables are all of those things to me.

They are easy to prepare, they taste really good, and now that I've thought about it, they remind me of cold, quite nights at home with Michael when we would change into comfy clothes and catch up on our days. Maybe it is a pretty fond memory after all.

Roasted vegetable in the wintertime are good for the soul.

Kale is good for the soul too.

Marinated kale is just really good period. The marinating breaks the kale down into tender bites that are easier to eat and digest. Massaging the kale helps the process of breaking it down as well. This technique is not only good for this kale salad, but for anytime you want to eat kale raw.

The roasted vegetables make a hearty addition to the raw kale. Winter salads are best with some kind of warm element. Roasted vegetables not only warm up this salad, but they give it that nostalgic roasted taste that hopefully (for you) has a fond winter memory attached to it.

gluten-free, salad, veganJodi MorenoDecember 10, 2012carrots, endive, jerusalem artichokes, kale, mustard, shallots Comment

roasted sweet potatoes, red onions + pine nuts with tahini

As you may know, I am a huge fan of Yottam Ottolenghi. His books are a constant source of inspiration for me, and I frequently daydream about having lunch at one of his London restaurants.

My first introduction to Ottolenghi was unusual. On a visit to Maine a couple of years ago, my Aunt + Uncle took me to this fabulous book store in Portland, Maine that sold just cookbooks. Just cookbooks. Dangerous.

Out of the mounds and mounds of gorgeous cookbooks, I could not tear myself away from this one vegetarian focused book with an attractive pillow-like white cover. The recipes were different. Unique. A wonderful combination of mediterranean + middle-eastern flavors. When I went to checkout, the cashier owned the book already and went on and on about what a great book it was. I couldn't wait to get home and make every single recipe.

I bought Ottolenghi's book Plenty before it was released in the US, not knowing what a hit it would end up being here. That also means my book is in grams and celcius, and although it is slightly inconvenient, I look it as a badge of honor for discovering this book before it's US debut.

After cooking my way through Plenty, I couldn't wait until I had the opportunity to eat at one of his London restaurants. This summer I had my chance, and it lived up to everything I had expected. I went to his restaurant in Notting Hill and order as many things that would fit onto one plate. I sat outside in the rain (because that was the only seat open) and I was in heaven. While I was there I was also able to pick up a signed copy of his original book, Ottolenghi: The Cookbook which features the recipes made at his restaurants, and it too has become a staple in my kitchen.

gluten-free, salad, side dish , veganJodi MorenoOctober 22, 2012pine nuts, red onion, ssweet potato, tahini Comments

pumpkin & beet salad with a carrot ginger dressing

I love Fall.

We're only a few days in, but I have already began to embrace putting on vest and scarf in the morning to walk the dog, and I am so excited to start to see fall fruits and vegetables make their way to the farmer's markets and grocery stores.

I planted some pumpkin this summer (note: some = a lot), and I am going to have to have to get very creative with the dozens of pumpkins I am going to have this October.

Starting with this recipe right here which I created for the fall issue of a beautiful, new online magazine, Delighted.

There are a few other really good-looking recipes using pumpkin in the issue, and I will likely be trying them all. Go check them out, and be sure to browse all of the other great articles on life and style and tips on setting a beautiful table for the fall season.

gluten-free, salad, veganJodi MorenoSeptember 25, 2012arugula, beets, carrots, ginger, pumpkin, pumpkin seeds, quinoa Comments

grilled pear and eggplant salad with a honey mustard dressing

As I was making {and eating} this salad, I thought to myself ... I am going to start off this post by saying I am not one who likes fruit in my salad. Then I thought ... well ... that's not really true. Ever since I had my first watermelon / tomato / feta salad, I can no longer say that I am a person who "does not like fruit in their salad".

I generally do feel like there is a place for fruit, and there is a place for vegetables. Sometimes it's keeping them separate, and sometimes they go so well together it seems like it was meant to be.

Eggplant and pear might not seem like a likely combination, but you have to trust me on this one ... these two were totally meant to be.

The savory eggplant enhances the sweet pear, the sweet pear enhances the savory eggplant. With grilled fruit, there is something about those caramelized, charred grill marks that seems to play so nicely with vegetables.

I first stumbled on a pear and eggplant recipe in last month's issue of Food & Wine magazine. I was intrigued, but I also had a hunch that this combination would be amazing. And it is. My rendition here is a little different, omitting the butter and cheese and adding some greens and a honey mustard dressing. A different, and if I might add - more healthy, way to enhance the pear and eggplant combo.

This salad would make a great starter for a fall dinner party. It's a bit of a conversation piece. Feel free to declare the eggplant and pear is the new watermelon, tomato, and feta. I surely will be.