Every once in a while you come across a recipe that tells you to do some procedure that is new to you. Since this summer, I have come across a few new techniques after reading such things as:
-
…use a frozen banana….
…a salad with massaged kale…
Turns out, you can just peel a banana, put it in a freezer zip-top bag, squeeze out the air, and place it in the freezer… voilà, frozen banana… I do it all the time now, once bananas hit their peek so that I don’t have to keep making tons of banana bread when the bananas get over-ripe.
The other thing that I have learned, and now do often, is massaged kale. It was actually a great find, I was trying to figure out where to use my Udo’s 3-6-9 Omega Blend Oil and I was trying to figure out what ‘massaged kale’ was all about.
As you probably know, kale is a tough green that is usually eaten cooked… there are some of us, though, who prefer it raw. By massaging the kale, it makes it a bit more tender allowing you to eat it raw much more easily.
I thought I’d post a ‘picture how-to’ of one of my favorite salads, raw kale salad…
For my kale salad, you really only need 5 ingredients, but you can add to that if you’d like…
Kale Salad
by the auspicious squirrelRating: Awesome
Serves: 2 as a side, or 1 as an entree
2 leaves kale
1/2-1 Tbsp. Udo’s oil, 3-6-9 blend
1/4 red pepper, chopped
pumpkin seeds (pepitas), unsalted
Annie’s goddess dressing
hemp seeds, optional
chia seeds, optional
1 carrot, sliced, optional
- Take the kale leaf and rinse it well, then remove the stem by folding it in half and then pulling the stem away from the leaf. Then lightly towel dry the leaf.
- Tear kale into bite-size pieces.
- I like to lift the kale in one hand and then pour a small amount of oil onto the bottom of the salad bowl, then return the kale.
- Then massage, no really, massage the kale and the oil until the kale starts to feel more tender, looks a bit greener, and I can even smell the kale more, it smells greener. You want enough oil to evenly distribute the oil, but not so much that the kale seems oily. You are only trying to tenderize the kale, not bathe it in oil.
- Add red pepper and pumpkin seeds… and hemp seeds, chia seeds, and carrots, if using.
- Then add some goddess dressing… Enjoy!
I served this salad recently with my southwest inspired baked potatoes…
Southwest Inspired Baked Potatoes
by the auspicious squirrelRating: Awesome
Serves: 2
2 russet potatoes
1 tsp. canola oil
pinch kosher salt
1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, cut into long thin strips
pinch kosher salt
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 bell pepper, cut into long thin strips
1 (15oz) can black beans
earth balance (or margarine)
black pepper
chipotle chili powder
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Scrub potatoes and towel dry, pierce with a fork in a few places. Then put oil in the palm of your hand and place hands together, then one hand on each potato to evenly distribute the oil between the two (think of sharing your hand lotion with someone else when you’ve applied too much to your own hands), then take one potato at a time and gently massage the oil around the potato to lightly coat it, repeat with the other potato. Sprinkle kosher salt over the oiled potatoes. (I use kosher salt because it is big flakes and you don’t need very much)
- Bake the potatoes, uncovered, for about an hour, until the skin feels crisp but the flesh feels soft.
- While potatoes are baking… about 10-15 minutes before the hour is up… start making the bell pepper/onion/garlic topping. Heat olive oil in a frying pan over med-high heat, add onion and a pinch of salt. Saute for about 5 minutes, then add garlic, saute a few minutes more, then add bell pepper. Saute for about 10 minutes more, until onions are translucent and the bell peppers are crisp-tender, set aside.
- Pour black beans including liquid into a microwave-safe dish, add a bit of water about 1/2 cup. Microwave 1 minute, or until heated through.
- When the potatoes are ready, cut them in half and then cut slits into those halves and add some earth balance. Then sprinkle on some black pepper and chipotle chili powder. Easy on the chipotle chili powder, a little goes a long way.
- Using a slotted spoon add black beans to the potatoes. Then add onion/pepper mix.
- Enjoy!
You can serve this with some bread too. 
~nic
So I hope that even though the snow is really pretty, that it doesn’t stick to the streets, so that he will be able to get home safe.
