Massaged Kale Salad

I was hesitant to make this salad and I was hesitant to keep its title....I mean come on....MASSAGING a salad! Who has time? Who wants to massage lettuce? But guess what..it was SO good and the reviews were positive, so I decided to post it.
I got the recipe from Aarti Sequeira, a Food Network chef. It is a very easy recipe to make, very delicious and summery and super healthy. Kale is extremely high in Vitamins A, C and K and can pack a punch (a good punch) of nutrition to your diet.
Without further ado here is the recipe:

Ingredients
1 bunch kale (black kale is especially good), stalks removed and discarded, leaves thinly sliced
1 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
Kosher salt
2 teaspoons honey
Freshly ground black pepper
1 mango, diced small (about 1 cup)
Small handful toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds), about 2 rounded tablespoons

Directions
In large serving bowl, add the kale, half of lemon juice, a drizzle of oil and a little kosher salt. Massage until the kale starts to soften and wilt, 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside while you make the dressing.

In a small bowl, whisk remaining lemon juice with the honey and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Stream in the 1/4 cup of oil while whisking until a dressing forms, and you like how it tastes.

Pour the dressing over the kale, and add the mango and pepitas. Toss and serve.

I didn't have pepitas on hand so I substituted with toasted slivered almonds and it was so good I think I would suggest making that substitution permanent. Also avocado would be excellent to add for additional protein.

Orzo Salad with Roasted Vegetables

The last thing I want to do when it's hot outside is spend a bunch of time heating up my oven (& therefore my house!) to cook dinner. This salad is the perfect thing for a warm summer evening... especially if you roast the vegetables the night before when it's cool! Serve this as the main or pair it with a light protein like some white fish! The leftovers are pretty tasty too!

This recipe comes from my friend Lara who has a fun little blog you should check out called mylittleluxuries. She's the source of some of my favorite recipes too. :)

Ingredients

• 1 small eggplant, peeled and 3/4 inch diced
• 1 red bell pepper, 1 inch diced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, 1 inch diced
• 1 red onion, peeled and 1 inch diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 lb orzo pasta or rice-shaped pasta

For the dressing

• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (2 lemons)
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

To assemble

• 4 scallions, minced (white and green parts)
• 1/4 cup pignolis, toasted (pine nuts)
• 3/4 lb good feta, 1/2 inch diced (not crumbled)
• 15 fresh basil leaves, julienned

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

2. Toss the eggplant, bell peppers, onion, and garlic with the olive oil, salt, and pepper on a large sheet pan.

3. Roast for 40 minutes, until browned, turning once with a spatula.

4. Meanwhile, cook the orzo in boiling salted water for 7 to 9 minutes, until tender.

5. Drain and transfer to a large serving bowl.

6. Add the roasted vegetables to the pasta, scraping all the liquid and seasonings from the roasting pan into the pasta bowl.

7. For the dressing, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper and pour on the pasta and vegetables.

8. Let cool to room temperature, then add the scallions, pignolis, feta, and basil.

9. Check the seasonings, and serve at room temperature.

Homemade Blue Cheese Wedge

What a yummy, summery salad made with *almost* all of the ingredients you probably have stocked in your fridge. This was a filling salad, but oh so light.

For the dressing:
1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced or garic powder
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup milk to thin the dressing

For the salad:
1/4 head of iceberg lettuce rinsed
bacon crumbles
coarsley chopped walnuts
red onion slices
tomatos diced
salt and freshly ground pepper

If this isn't enough for a "meal" serve with burgers or a nice steak. Enjoy!

Sunburst Avocado Salad

INGREDIENTS
4 whole wheat tortillas (10-inch), warmed
1/2 pound chicken, cut into cubes
1/2 cup of my mom's vinaigrette dressing (see below)
1 1/2 tablespoons cocktail sauce
2 blood oranges (or 1 grapefruit), peeled and sectioned
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
1/8 cup chopped toasted pecans
1 bag (about 8 ounces) salad greens

DIRECTIONS
Heat the oven to 400°F. Line 4 (7-inch) oven-safe bowls with 1 tortilla each. Place the bowls onto a baking sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes or until the tortillas are golden brown and crisp. Let the tortillas cool in the bowls on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove the tortillas from the bowls and let cool completely on a wire rack.

Stir the chicken, half the dressing and the cocktail sauce in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Stir in the blood oranges, avocado and pecans.

Divide the greens among the tortillas. Top with the chicken mixture. Drizzle with the remaining dressing.

Mom's Vinaigrette
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup orange muscat champagne vinegar (tj's)
1 cup oil

Spicy Steak Salad

One of my favorite things to make almost weekly is a hearty, steak salad. You can really be creative and make this salad with everything you love and customize it to fit your families needs. Last week I made this steak salad with organic mixed greens, sliced cucumber, baby pearl tomatoes, red onion, marinated mushrooms, crumbled sheep feta and of course spicy tri-tip. We used a balsamic dressing from Trader Joe's but one of my absolute favorite stand by dressings is just sprinkling rice vinegar and sesame oil over the salad. It gives it a nice, subtle Asian kick. I wish I could remember who first introduced me to this easy dressing because I would probably kiss them. The way I like to marinate mushrooms is to heat up some olive oil in a pan and add the mushrooms in to cook for about 3 minutes. After the mushrooms soften, add some generous splashes of balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and garlic powder or fresh minced garlic if you have it. Let the mushrooms continue to cook and simmer down. Go ahead, walk away and even forget about them for 15 minutes until the aroma in your house is undeniable. The come back in turn them off and add them warm with the juices into your salad. Your husband will thank you....at least mine did.