Kale Caesar Salad with Grilled Goat Cheese

Kale is everywhere. It's hearty. It's good for you. I seem to get it in my CSA every week. I do love kale, but sometimes it starts to be a little much. You need to do something different with it. Hence taking a caesar dressing and using raw kale leaves. And since I was by myself, I got to put a bunch of goat cheese on it. Though I mentioned in the tapenade recipe about using Thai fish sauce as a replacement for anchovies, I learned it first when making this. I made it for one as an entree, but it could easily work for two as a salad course.

Kale Caesar Salad with Grilled Goat Cheese:

(Caesar Dressing modified via 1,000 Mexican Recipes)

Serves 1

Dressing-

½ c. olive oil

2 Tb. red wine vinegar

1 Tb. lemon juice

2 Tb. Thai fish sauce

2 large cloves garlic, chopped

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

¼ c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

½ tsp. freshly ground pepper, or to taste

2 slices hearty Italian bread (like ciabatta), cut into chunks

2 Tb. olive oil

2 tsp. dried herbs (oregano, basil)

Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Large handful torn kale leaves

3 oz. chevre, divided

1 egg, beaten

¼ c. panko

Olive oil

Make the croutons first. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Toss bread cubes in olive oil, herbs, and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and bake until golden brown, 10-15 minutes.

Make the dressing by placing the oil, vinegar, lemon juice, Thai fish sauce, garlic, and mustard in a food processor. Pulse until thoroughly combined. Add the Parmesan and black pepper. Blend until creamy and smooth. This make enough for a few salads, but I love caesar dressing so much I needed to make it all. It keeps well for up to 3 days, so just go for it.

Cut the chevre into 1 ounce chunks. Place chunks in egg to coat, then roll them in the panko. Heat a pan over medium heat until oil is shimmering. Add the coated goat cheese and cook until bottom side is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Turn over and cook until golden, about 1 minute more. Remove from heat.

Dress kale, toss throughly, and top with goat cheese and croutons.

Tangy, crunchy goat cheese and earthy kale are a fantastic combo, especially with the zip from the caesar dressing. I might be able to eat this every week.

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Quesadilla with Swiss Chard Pesto

It’s been hot here lately folks. And that’s a mostly nice thing. What it means is that cooking usually doesn’t take long in the kitchen because no one wants to be in there. I love this recipe from Closet Cooking because it used a bunch of my CSA, packs a ton of protein, is mostly good for you, and is ridiculously delicious. The quesadilla recipe itself is for one, but with the amount of everything else you’re making, you can easily double or triple the quesadillas you make. Have some friends over or something. All the modifications were based on what I had available at home/could find at the store.

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Quesadillas with Swiss Chard Pesto slightly modified from Closet Cooking:

Serves 1

Quesadilla-

1 tortilla

½ c. (or less) shredded cheddar cheese

¼ c. chipotle roasted sweet potatoes and chipotle black beans

1 Tb. swiss chard pesto

Chipotle Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Black Beans-

2 large sweet potatoes, scrubbed, dried and cut into ½” cubes

2 Tb. oil, separated

2 Tb. chipotle in adobo sauce, minced and separated

2 tsp. ground cumin, separated

1 small onion, diced

2 clove garlic, chopped

1 (19 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

Swiss Chard Pesto-

1 bunch swiss chard, coarsely chopped

1 handful cilantro, coarsely chopped

1 jalapeño, coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic

¼ c. pine nuts, toasted

½ c. olive oil

½ lime, juiced

Salt and freshly pepper to taste

To make the sweet potatoes and black beans, toss the sweet potato in 1 tablespoon each of oil and chipotle and 1 teaspoon of cumin, place on a baking sheet in a single layer and roast in a preheated 400F oven until tender, about 30-40 minutes. Do this early in the day if it’s going to be a hot one.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until tender, about 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic, remaining chipotle and cumin and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the beans and cook until warm, a few minutes. Mix with the sweet potatoes.

To make the pesto, puree all of the ingredients together in a food processor. You can do this a day or two ahead of time. There will be a lot, so try it out on a bunch of stuff.

To assemble the quesadilla, place the tortilla in the pan, sprinkle half of the cheese over half of the tortilla, then top with the chipotle roasted sweet potatoes and chipotle black beans, swiss chard pesto and the remaining cheese. Fold the tortilla in half coving the filling and cook until the quesadilla is golden brown on both sides and the cheese is melted, about 2-4 minutes per side. Serve garnished with more salsa, some sour cream or yogurt and whatever other toppings you like.

Double Crust Pizza with Mustard Greens, Ricotta, and Caramelized Onions

Kirsten made me an amazing birthday dinner and I promised to return the favor. I knew I had to impress and I also know that I make an awesome pizza. What better way to celebrate someone's birthday than make a crazy pizza you've never made before? If you think so too, you're much like me. Fortunately, I have a lot of bravado in the kitchen and just assume everything will work out, even when you change the broccoli raab to mustard greens because that's more easily accessible. It did and we were very happy and very full. The sangria helped, especially because I put them in Kerr and Ball mason jars. Because K and B. Get it? Yeah, I'm awesome. And now, pizza!

Double Crust Pizza with Mustard Green, Ricotta, and Caramelized Onions slightly modified from Herbivoracious:

Serves 4

½ recipe pizza dough (I subbed in ½ c. whole wheat flour)

Extra-virgin olive oil
2 large white onions (or 3 medium), thinly sliced
Kosher salt
1 lb. mustard greens, cut into 1/2" lengths
½ tsp-ish crushed red pepper (I like it spicy!)
1 lb. fresh ricotta (drain if runny)
Zest of ½ orange

Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add two tablespoons olive oil, the onions, and 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until completely tender and deeply caramelized, at least one hour. If they start to burn at all, lower the heat. You can do this step the day before and refrigerate (which I recommend).

Add two more tablespoons (or just two new ones if you do this the next day, like me) of olive oil and raise heat to medium high. When the oil is shimmering, add the mustard greens, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and the chili flakes and cook, stirring occasionally until completely tender. We aren't looking for crisp-tender here, these greens should be fully hammered, about 15 minutes. If it is getting there, add a few tablespoons of water and cover to steam them a bit. Taste and add more salt if needed. I did this and they were perfect. It always amazes me how a huge pile of greens can shrink so much.

Place a pizza stone in the oven (if you have one) and preheat to 475 degrees. Dust a peel generously with cornmeal (if you have one). Roll out half of the dough to a 12 inch circle and place on the prepared peel. I did all of this on a pizza pan I have that my parents gave me when I moved to Portland. It’s not as amazingly perfect as a pizza stone + peel combo, but it does work really, really well. Brush the dough with olive oil. Spread the ricotta over the dough, leaving a 1-inch margin all the way around. Top the ricotta with the caramelized onions, mustard greens, and orange zest. Roll the other half of the dough out to the same size and lay in on top. Press and crimp the edge all the way around. Cut a few vent holes in the top. Brush the top with more olive oil.

Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Rotate it once after about 15 minutes to make sure it bakes evenly. Carefully remove from the oven. Allow to cool at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

This is so ridiculously good! The spicy mustard greens are cooled by the ricotta and the orange zest adds some brightness. I’ll admit that Kirst and I each had another piece even though I had made a cake as well because it was just so good! Yeah, you’ll be hearing about that cake soon.

Braised Rainbow Chard with Cranberries

I love pizza. I really, really do, but when I made the Smitten Kitchen white pizza, it was my second pizza night of the week, so I knew I had to have some greens. I am in love with chard and I'm surprised that this is my first recipe post featuring it. I braise it a lot and mostly make up weird recipes, like a super chard quesadilla that no one but me would like.

Anyway, I starred this recipe before Thanksgiving and didn't integrate it into the dinner. I'm glad it will languish no longer because this is fast, easy, and very, very tasty. I did a half size of the original recipe and it was a good way for three people to get some greens in before pizza.

Braised Rainbow Chard with Cranberries from Serious Eats:

Serves 3 as a side or starter

1 bunch rainbow chard
2 Tb. olive oil, divided
½ medium yellow onion, sliced into half-moons
1 Tb. dried cranberries (I only had the TJ’s orange flavored kind, but it worked)
1 clove garlic, peeled and lightly smashed
¼ c. water
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Prepare chard by cutting stem out of center of each leaf. Trim ends of each stem, then cut on bias in 1½” pieces. Tear leaves into 3 or 4 pieces each.

In medium straight-sided sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and lower heat to low. Cook, stirring frequently until soft, about 5 minutes. Add cranberries, chard stems only, garlic clove, and water. Season with salt and pepper. Cover, and braise on low heat for 30 minutes.

Once chard stems are tender, remove lid and increase heat to high. Add chard leaves, and use tongs to turn leaves in pan until just wilted, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot, drizzled with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil.

They were earthy, like chard always is, but also tangy and delicious. I was only a little worried that the orange flavored cranberries would detract from the other flavors, but it paired really well. The textural differences also make this a simple, but exciting dish and a great way to start a meal. Seriously. So easy. If you see some gorgeous chard at the market, like I have been, try this one out.

Bread and Onion Panade with Spicy Greens

Until I read this recipe, I had never heard of a panade before. Think of it as a savory bread pudding. It’s a great main dish and also works really well as an accompaniment. Be warned, this is a time consuming dish. However, you can make the whole thing and refrigerate it for the next day just prior to the baking step. I bet the flavors would be really good if allowed to sit too, like stuffing.  This is an amazingly tasty dish (especially with my requisite extra garlic) and provided me with my first opportunity to cook with mustard greens. Tackle this. It’s not difficult, just long.

Bread and Onion Panade with Spicy Greens from Serious Eats:

Serves 8

¾ lb. good-quality sourdough bread, cut into 2-inch cubes

2 Tb. unsalted butter

1½ lb. onions, sliced into thin half-moons

Salt

7 cloves garlic, minced

½ lb mustard greens (or broccoli rabe or Swiss chard), cut into fine ribbons

Freshly ground black pepper

1 c. Cheddar- Gruyère (or Parmesan or just plain Gruyère)

4 c. broth (homemade is best)

Olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly grease the baking dish or Dutch oven with olive oil or butter. Spread the bread cubes on a large baking sheet and toast for 45 minutes in the oven while preparing the rest of the ingredients.

Heat the butter in a deep, heavy skillet over medium heat. When the butter foams up, add the onions and sprinkle them lightly with salt. Cook over low heat for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. When they are soft, turn up the heat a notch or two and cook them for another 5 to 10 minutes or until they are golden brown. Stir frequently to keep them from burning.

Turn down the heat and add the garlic. Cook for 5 minutes or until golden and fragrant. Add the greens and cook, stirring frequently. Sprinkle the greens with salt and pepper as they cook. When they are wilted and soft, take them off the heat.

Layer half of the toasted bread cubes in the bottom of the prepared dish. Spread half of the greens mixture over the bread cubes and pack it down into the gaps between the bread. Sprinkle with about half of the cheese. Make another layer of the remaining bread cubes and remaining greens. Cover with the remaining cheese. Heat the broth to a simmer in a small saucepan and carefully pour it into the baking dish. The bread and greens will look rather drowned and soupy; this is correct. Drizzle the top with olive oil. 

Cover and bake for 45 minutes, then uncover the dish and bake for another 20 to 30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and crisp. Let stand for at least 10 minutes before serving hot.

I’ve had this alone, with a burger, with salad, standing up in my kitchen. I am a little bit in love with it. The bitterness of the greens plays well with the bread and the richness of the cheese. Trader Joe’s has an amazing cheddar gruyère mélange that I highly recommend in general, but it worked especially well for this. It was devoured at Thanksgiving and again at my parent’s house over Christmas. Take the time to make this, you’ll look like a superstar.

Kale, Spinach, and Pear Smoothie

 I’ve been feeling blah this week. That means that I’ve been eating lots of soup (with garlic!), drinking lots and lots of tea, and watching Netflix like crazy. Oh yeah, and doing homework. Anyway, this smoothie is getting me back on the mend. Lots of greens for breakfast or dessert and it tastes fantastic? Yes please! Plus, it starts with almond milk, which is my favorite nondairy choice.

Kale Spinach and Pear Smoothie from Joy the Baker:

Makes 1 dynamite smoothie

1 c. spinach leaves
1 c. chopped kale leaves
½ pear
1 frozen banana
1½ c. cold almond milk
1 Tb. honey (I used lavender honey)

Remove kale leaves from their rough center stalk and coarsely chop. In a blender or food processor, combine kale, spinach, and almond milk. Blend until no big kale bits remain. Stop and add banana, honey, and pear. Blend until smooth. Enjoy immediately.

You can make this all the way vegan easily by subbing in another natural sweetener for the honey. You might get spinach or kale in your teeth, but it’s tasty and good for you! Win!

Kale and Potato Soup with Sausage

Soup is wonderful. It satisfies and usually doesn’t take too much time or effort. Though the weather has been all over the place here in Portland, Aaron and I are both still craving soup. I think the Le Creuset has something to do with it. Can I just take another moment and talk about how wonderful it is? While making this soup, some of the onions did that thing they do and made some black crusted on stuff on the bottom of the pot. I freaked out a bit because when I made this soup in another pot, the same thing happened. Only with that one, I spent the better part of a week soaking it and trying to get that stuff off. Not with the Le Creuset. It came right off in the wash. I call that a win.

And so is this soup. It’s hearty without leaving your stuffed and is the perfect vehicle for a crunchy, crusty bread. It was also really easy to throw together because I had basically everything already in the house. I substituted veggie broth for the chicken broth, chicken sausage for the pork sausage, and a very large russet potato for the Yukon Gold, but I think my version is probably similar to the original and very, very good.

Kale and Potato Soup with Sausage slightly modified from Serious Eats:

Serves 4-6

¼ c. extra virgin olive oil
½ lb. chicken sausage, casings removed
2 medium onions, sliced thin
5 cloves garlic, chopped (1 more than the original)
1 large bunch kale, stems removed and cut into ½” ribbons
1 lb. potatoes, peeled and sliced thin
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 c. veggie broth
Parmesan cheese

Heat olive oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add sausage and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until crumbled and beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and reserve.

Add onion and cook until soft and beginning to brown, 10-12 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 1-2 minutes more. Add kale, potatoes, and reserved sausage, along with a couple pinches of salt. Cook about three minutes longer, then add veggie stock and bring to a boil. Simmer until the kale and potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide into bowls and top with fresh black pepper and grated Parmesan. Serve immediately.

This soup is so good! I really like the way the caramelized onions add some depth to the soup. The only thing I would change about it would be slightly more garlic. I only went one above the original and though I used fairly large cloves of garlic, it really could have used a bit more of that garlic flavor. Still, this is a very good and easy soup and I will be trying it out again soon.