A Kale Salad to Remember

A little while back, I was taken out to a fancy pants dinner at Teddy & The Bully Bar.  It was a fantastic meal of small plates.  One standout was the kale salad.  The ingredients seemed simple and I decided I wanted to recreate it.  Theirs had pine nuts and currants.  I made mine with dried cherries and walnuts.  Anyways - inspired by that salad, here is what will now be a staple in my fridge.

Ingredients:
1 bunch kale
1-2 lemons
2-3 T olive oil
Salt, pepper, garlic powder
2 T dried cherries
1/4 C walnuts
Healthy sprinkle of Parmesan

Directions:
Wash and finely chop kale.  Place in bowl.  Squeeze juice of 1 or 2 lemons, add oil, and all other ingredients.  Toss well.  Eat!  One of my favorite things about kale is how hearty it is.  You can leave it dressed in the fridge and it is still good days later.  Add a bit more parm when you go to eat, and voila.  Ready made salad.  Add more protein and you have a meal.

"BBQ" Chicken Sammich

Step 1. Impulsively buy a whole chicken when you're grocery shopping.

Step 2.  A few days later, after you've already eaten dinner, oil it, salt and pepper it, and season it with whatever herbs you want.  Last night I used Tony Chachere's because who doesn't love cajun spice?

Step 3. Roast it.  Time/Temp of 425 for 90 minutes for a normal sized chicken.  Magically, this is the same amount of time it will take you to watch 'You've Got Mail.'

Step 4. Let chicken cool and rest.  Pick it a part and package it up for lunch during the week.  (I think later this week I'll use some for my delicious curried chicken salad.)

Step 5. When packing your lunch haphazardly at 7:55am, grab a portion of chicken and add 2T of your fave BBQ sauce to the same container.  (Also pack, spinach, sandwich thin, veggie sides, and a piece of fruit.)

Step 6. Noon - go to the cafe.  Toast bread.  Heat chicken for 60 seconds.  Make a sammich with spinach and "BBQ chicken."

Yum.

        

Cumin Seed Roasted Carrots

Today is off to a pretty good start.  I got a massage, did some pilates, and then cooked all the vegetables... one of the yummies created was cumin seed roasted carrots.  So simple and uses up your cumin seed, one of those spices you buy for one recipe and then sits on  your shelf for all eternity... until now.

Ingredients:
2 bunches whole carrots
healthy sprinkle of cumin seed ~ 1T
~ 2 T olive oil
salt and pepper

Directions:
Peel carrots and cut in spears.  Toss in all of the rest of the ingredients.  Roast at 425 for 30 minutes.  Enjoy!