Grilled Steak Salad

Grilled Steak Salad

* photo from mission delectable

* recipe adapted from mission delectable and Jamie Oliver

Serves 2 as an entrée-sized salad

For the steak:
1 large or 2 medium size steaks (sirloin or rib eye steaks)
Sea salt
Pepper
Olive Oil
1 Garlic clove
1 sprig of rosemary (optional)


Get a frying pan, griddle pan or barbecue screaming hot and season both sides of your steaks with salt, pepper and a good drizzle of olive oil. Add the steaks to the pan or barbecue. Turn every minute and cook to you're liking. 
Approximate cooking time: a 200g steak about 2cm thick wants about 2 minutes each side for medium rare and 3 minutes each side for medium. As it cooks, whip the meat with the sprig of rosemary and rub it with the cut side of the garlic clove for some extra flavour.
When the steaks are perfectly cooked to your liking, move them to a plate to rest for a few minutes.
When ready to prepare salad - slice steaks thinly.


For the salad:
1/2 red onion
2 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup blue cheese, crumbled
1/3 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
1 pt. cherry, grape, or sugar plum tomatoes
arugula
olive oil
salt & pepper


For the vinaigrette:
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (to taste)
1 tablespoon good olive oil


Preparation
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Meanwhile, clean and halve the tomatoes. Place them on a rimmed baking sheet, and toss with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast the tomatoes for approximately 30 minutes, until the tomatoes are soft and looking a little bit wrinkled. Once the tomatoes are roasted, remove from oven and let cool slightly.


Thinly slice the red onion. In a large pan over medium-high heat, heat a couple splashes of olive oil. Add the onion, along with a little salt and pepper. Cook (stirring occasionally) for about 7 minutes, until the onion is translucent and just beginning to turn golden. Reduce the heat to low, and cook (stirring occasionally) until the onions are a deep golden color and caramelized, about 20 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar to the pan, and stir to combine with the onions. Cook over low heat for 1-2 minutes, until the onions absorb the liquid and the vinegar thickens slightly. Remove from the pan and set aside to cool.


Make the vinaigrette.* Put the mustard, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil in a large jar, and give it a good shake to emulsify the vinaigrette.


Assemble the salad. Place a few big handfuls of arugula—along with the caramelized onions, blue cheese, pecans, roasted tomatoes, and a drizzle of the vinaigrette—in a big bowl (reserve some pecans and a little blue cheese as a garnish for each salad). Using tongs, toss well. Divide among two bowls (or plates), and top with the thinly sliced steak, some freshly ground pepper, along with a sprinkling of pecans and blue cheese.

Pan Roasted Cauliflower

Pan Roasted Cauliflower

* recipe and photo found at Fresh365

1/4 c pine nuts (optional)
1 large head cauliflower, cut into tiny florets
2 T olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 t ground mustard
1/2 t salt
pepper, to taste
2 T chopped chives

In a large sauté pan, add pine nuts over medium heat, and cook, stirring often, 5-7 minutes, until toasted. Transfer pine nuts to a serving bowl. Place pan back on heat and add cauliflower, olive oil, lemon juice, ground mustard and salt. Cook, 10-12 minutes, shaking or stirring every few minutes, until cauliflower is golden brown. Transfer cauliflower to the serving bowl with pine nuts. Season to taste with pepper, and top with chives.

Marinated Kale

Marinated Kale

*picture found here
1 bunch of Kale - chopped
3 cloves garlic - diced (garlic optional)
Juice from 1 lemon
1 teaspoon sea salt

Combine Kale and garlic in a medium sized bowl. Pour lemon juice over Kale and garlic. Sprinkle salt over Kale and massage Kale for 1 minute or until well coated with lemon juice.

You can eat Kale immediately or let it sit over night (up to five days in the fridge).

Marinated Kale can be a great addition to salad greens, shredded cabbage etc.

Notes on Kale
Kale provides one of the highest nutrition per calorie ratio. Kale is a part of the brassica family. Other members include cabbage, collard greens and brussle sprouts. High in calcium, lutein, iron, and Vitamins A, C, and K, kale has seven times the beta-carotene of broccoli! It is also a great source of fiber. But what makes kale really stand out are the phytochemicals sulforaphane and indoles which kale is abundant in. Research suggests that these important nutrients protect us against cancer.

Research has found that kale’s sulpher containing phytonutrients activate detoxifing enzymes in the liver that help neutralize potentially carcinogenic substances. When we eat kale, our genes increase production of enzymes involved in detoxification, and our bodies eliminate harmful compounds. Kale is one of the powerhouses in it’s ability to help our bodies be healthy.

kale and apple salad

Kale and Apple Salad

* recipe and photos from design sponge

Salad Ingredients
1 large bunch of kale, washed (about 7 cups loosely packed)
1 Golden Delicious apple, cut into matchstick slices
3 ounces Parmesan cheese, thinly sliced with carrot peeler

Dressing Ingredients
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoon molasses (not blackstrap)
1 teaspoon coarse ground mustard
1 small shallot, finely diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons vegetable stock

Pecan Ingredients
1/2 tablespoon butter
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
pinch of allspice
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup pecan halves

Instructions

1. Using a sharp knife, cut away think center stems of kale leaves and discard stems. Stack several leaves, tightly roll them into a cigar shape and slice them into thin ribbons. Repeat until all leaves are thinly sliced.

2. In a small bowl, combine molasses, vinegar, mustard, shallots, oil and stock, and season with salt and pepper. Toss dressing with kale, apple and cheese, and let sit at room temperature for one hour.

3. Heat butter in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Stir in cinnamon, allspice, pepper, sugar and pecans. Toast pecans for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring until the sugar has melted and the pecans are lightly toasted. Spread on wax paper to cool. Toss pecans with salad and serve.

chewy trail mix cookies

Chewy Trail Mix Cookies

-photo by unknown source

-inspired by recipe found here

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup flour
• 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup wheat germ
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 cups oats

Suggested Ingredients 

note: any trail mix ingredient that you have on hand can be tossed into the dough!

• 3/4 cup dried cranberries
• 3/4 cup chopped raisins
• 1 cup slivered almond
• 3/4 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1/3 cup ground flax seed
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips

1) Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2) Cream the butter, brown sugar, honey and eggs together.
3) Combine the flour, wheat germ, baking soda.
4) Add to dry mixture to the creamed mixture gradually and beat until blended.
5) Stir in the oats, fruits, nuts, seeds and chocolate chips.
6) Mix well.
7) Drop dough by heaping tablespoons about 2 inches apart onto a greased cookie sheet.
8) Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden.
9) Cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer cookies to a rack and cool completely.

two salad dressings

Eva's Salad dressings

Salad dressing #1

• 1 shallot
• lemon juice from 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup of oil
• 3 tsp celery seeds
• 1 tbsp mustard powder
• 1 tsp paprika (optional)
• 1/3 cup honey

Combine ingredients in a blender or food processor.

Salad dressing #2

• 1 clove of garlic (pressed)
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 6 tbsp oil

Combine ingredients in a blender or food processor.

Corn and Cilantro Chowder

Corn and Cillantro Chowder (no cream)
* recipe adapted from summer harvest chowder recipe in Rebar Modern Food Cookbook
* photo from unknown source

Ingredients:

• 8 cups vegetable stock
• 2 tbsp olive oil or butter
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 tsp salt
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 4 small red potatoes, diced
• 3 jalapeno peppers, diced (optional)
• 2 red peppers, diced
• 4 cups corn fresh or frozen (about 3 cans of corn)
• 3 ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• fresh lime juice to taste
• 1/2 cup chopped basil or 3 tbsp of pesto

* optional - top with bacon bits

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil or butter in a soup pot and saute onion with 1 tsp salt, until soft and golden. Add garlic,cracked pepper, oregano and half of the basil; saute 5 minutes. Stir in potatoes, jalapenos, red pepper, corn and remaining salt. Saute briefly, then add stock to cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender.
2. Add tomatoes, remaining basil and cilantro. Heat through, season to taste and serve.

lentil soup

Lentil Soup
*photo from 101cookbooks
 recipe adapted from 101 cookbooks

4 cups of vegetable or mushroom broth
2 cups of water
2 cups green french lentils
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 cups water 
3 cups of a big leafy green (chard, kale, etc), rinsed well, deveined, finely chopped

Bring 4 cups of broth and 2 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan, add the lentils, and cook for about 20 minutes, or until tender. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a heavy soup pot over medium heat, then add the onion and salt and saute until tender, a couple minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, lentils, and water and continue cooking for a few more minutes, letting the soup come back up to a simmer. Stir in the chopped greens, and wait another minute. Taste and adjust the seasoning if need be. Ladle into bowls, and serve with a dollop of yogurt or sour cream.

Variations:

- You can serve it with a poached egg on top,
- or crunchy, fried shallots,
- with a drizzle of chive infused cream,
- or with chunks of tiny pan-fried butternut squash cubes.

- Make a thicker version by using just a bit of water, and then spoon it over an omelette in the morning.

- Have some cooked farro or wheat berries around? Toss some faro, wheat berries or millet might be good too.

- You can finish the soup by adding your favorite spices or spice blends. Smoked paprika, crushed chiles, toasted cumin, would all work nicely.