Warm Kale Salad

Here is the last recipe I will post before becoming a mother to 4. Something that's quick to pull together and super healthy for all you busy, smart mommas out there.

Warm Kale Salad

I make this easy, warm salad for dinner on meatless Mondays or any time I don't really feel like cooking (and I love having chilled leftovers for lunch).  There’s plenty of complete protein coming from the beans and rice so there is no need to worry about adding any meat (unless you want to, of course). This recipe is very flexible, so feel free to make substitutions. I often substitute cooked, cubed sweet potato or butternut squash for the bell pepper.  I also love this recipe with quinoa.

Salad ingredients:

2 cups brown rice, cooked (or quinoa)

4 cups kale, chopped (about 4-5 ounces)

2 tsp olive oil

2 large garlic clove, finely chopped

1 cup artichoke hearts, halved (frozen, defrosted works well)

1 can (15.5oz) garbanzo beans, drained

½ red onion, finely chopped

1 orange or yellow bell pepper, seeds removed, diced

¼ cup slivered almonds

salt and pepper to taste

parmesan cheese for dusting, optional

Dressing Ingredients:
zest and juice of one large lemon
2 T champagne vinegar

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp shallot, finely chopped (optional)

salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Instructions:

Cook rice according to package, then set aside. While rice is cooking, make dressing by mixing all ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.

In a large skillet over medium heat, add olive oil to pan. Add garlic and sauté for about 1-2 minutes. Next, add chopped kale. Stir to coat in garlic mixture. Wilt kale slightly, about 3 minutes. Add rice, garbanzo beans, and artichoke hearts to kale to warm up. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Put kale-rice mixture in large salad bowl. Add red onion, bell pepper, and almonds to salad. Mix well.

Toss salad with dressing and garnish with parmesan cheese, if desired. Serve with lemon wedges. 

Tropical Quinoa Smoothie

Every Monday morning I start my day with a smoothie, and it usually is a shade of green. I think it helps me get rid of my weekend sins and starts me off on the right foot for the week. Now that I verbalized why I do this, I realize I should probably also start my Saturdays this way. Hmmm, deep thoughts...

Anyway, one of my pet peeves is wasted leftovers. I'm not a huge fan of eating leftovers probably because I like to cook more than I like to re-heat, but I still hate throwing away perfectly good food. It always seems that quinoa is one of those things that gets tossed out after sitting in my fridge for a week. It hit me the other day to use the quinoa in my smoothie. I'm all for an extra protein/fiber boost, so why not? I googled quinoa smoothie and sure enough, it's actually a popular thing.

My recipe is different from the ones I saw out there. It tastes like paradise in a glass but also serves as a major anti-inflammatory, detox breakfast. It also happens to be kid-approved. Score.

TROPICAL QUINOA SMOOTHIE
serves 2

Ingredients:

½ cup cooked quinoa (white)

½ cup frozen spinach or kale (or 2 cups fresh)

1 ½ cup frozen pineapple chunks

1 banana

½ cup coconut milk, canned ( I use the canned Light coconut milk from Trader Joe’s, which just has added water to it, so its not quite as rich) *

1 cup water

juice from ½ lime

1-2 Tbsp cilantro leaves (I used frozen cilantro cubes from Trader Joes)

1/3 cup cucumber

¼ cup plain greek yogurt

2 dates, optional (but helps with kid appeal)

2 tsp chia seeds, optional

2 cups ice cubes

Instructions:

Blend all ingredients on high power for 1-2 minutes or until well blended. 

* You can use coconut milk from the carton as well, but the results won't be as thick, or rich. Just use 1 1/2 cups coconut milk and no water. 

*Leftover canned coconut can be stored in plastic container in fridge for several days- great to add to soups, curries, oatmeal, and of course, smoothies.