Kale Walnut Salad with Peanut Vinaigrette

Kale Walnut Salad with Peanut Vinaigrette - a perfect fall meal or side dish!

Ingredients

3 Bunches fresh kale (cut off white roots and sliced diagonally across width into thin strips)

4 cloves fresh garlic

Fresh ginger (~1 tablespoon cut into small dice)

1/2 cup walnuts (rough chopped and toasted)

3 Tablespoons Organic Unsalted Peanut Butter

2 Tablespoons White Wine Vinegar

Salt and Pepper (to taste)

~1 Tablespoon olive oil

Directions

1. Boil water and place kale in large pot of boiling water for 3-4 minutes. Remove and strain with colander.

2. At the same time toast the walnuts in small saute pan until light golden brown (they become almost almost opaque in color.)

3. In Medium skillet sauté garlic and ginger in olive oil until can smell aroma. Add in kale and saute 4 minutes. Add in walnuts along with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and place in serving bowl.

4. In separate bowl add peanut butter and white wine vinegar. Stir until combined through. Add salt to taste and pour over kale.

And there you have it! A perfect fall feast :)

Xox

Spaghetti Squash

DELISH! A FALL MUST-TRY!!!!
Ingredients1 Medium-sized Spaghetti squashAt least 1 cup olive oil 7 Cloves garlic1/2 cup pine nuts2 tbsp unsalted butter 1 tbsp pepper (or 3 tablespoons pink peppercorns)1/2 tsp kosher salt2 tbsp dried oregano 1/2 cup feta cheese5-8 leaves fresh basil (a "bunch")
1. Slice spaghetti squash lengthwise and place halves "spaghetti" side up on ungreased cookie sheet2. Brush with olive oil until halves are completely covered3. Cook for 1 hour at 350F or until insides are completely soft4. Let cool and remove stringy spaghetti-like insides5. Rough chop 7 cloves garlic (or as much as you want, there's a lot of "pasta" so this is not that much) and place in medium sized sautee pan with olive oil, I like to keep my pieces on the larger size just because I am a garlic lover but please feel free to adjust garlic amount/size to your liking!6. In separate small sautee pan add 1/2 cup pine nuts and toast on medium to low heat (until you smell aroma of the nuts - be careful they burn easily!)7. Back to sautee pan with garlic... when garlic begins to give off fragrance add in 4 chopped tomatoes
8. Add in "spaghetti" with 2 tbsp unsalted butter (can substitute for a drizzle of olive oil)9. Add 1 tbsp pepper, (OR for a twist add 2-3 tbsp pink peppercorns if you can find!) 1/2 tsp kosher salt, 2 tbs dried oregano, 1/4c capers, 1/2c feta cheese. Stir on low heatAdd pine nuts. until ingredients are mixed through.
10. Turn off heat and add 5-8 leaves or one bunch (rough chopped) fresh basil - amount depends on preference - save a tiny bit of the chopped basil - can add a little on top when serving as a garnish11. Serve hot and ENJOY!
Xo

The Art of Simplicity - Food and Our Move Away from Natural Taste

So today's post is not a recipe but rather an idea that has been idly churning in my head for a while and finally came to the surface today when my Uncle visited my house with the last of his garden crops: tomatoes, bok choy, jalapeno peppers, beets.

Normally, I would prepare a sauce, perhaps with some lemon juice, salt olive oil, but my uncle stopped me and instead offered that we slice the tomatoes, steam the bok choy, roast the beets and slice the jalapenos. I scoffed at the perceived tastelessness of the meal I was about to consume but what I had neglected to remember was that these crops had been just plucked from the vine this morning, and as such were as fresh as could be, still covered in a fine layer of soil, still warm from the mid-September sun.

What resulted from this preparation was a meal so tasteful, so decadent in its natural sweetness and richness that I had almost felt as if I had never tasted a tomato or beet before. In truth, I came to recognize the error of my ways, the error of understanding local produce and transforming it into... well... what it is: simple, unadorned, divine. So next time you reach for the condiments and sauces, think again, and remember that as long as your produce is fresh, the naked taste alone, if you really make an effort to mindfully eat it with a note towards natural flavors, will be more sweet and more satisfying than anything additions from a bottle could provide.

Xo

Butternut Squash Soup Recipe: Welcome To Fall

Here is a delicious and simple recipe for butternut squash soup that is an absolute go-to when you feel like making something that will warm your belly on a chilly fall afternoon. Festive for halloween in orange and adaptable for your dietary needs, without further ado please enjoy my recipe for butternut squash soup....

Ingredients

1 medium sized shallot (rough chopped)

1 stick butter

5 cloves garlic (peeled and minced)

1 medium sized butternut squash (skinned, seeds removed and cubed)

4-5 cups organic chicken stock

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 tablespoon Greek yogurt (optional-per soup bowl)

1 teaspoon Nutmeg (optional-per soup bowl)

Directions

1. In a large pot sautee the shallot and garlic together with 6 tablespoons butter (if you have dietary restrictions 1-2 tablespoons would suffice, though the extra few give it a creamier texture that I rather prefer, it really isn't too much butter for an entire pot of soup!)

2. When shallots have turned clear and you can spell aroma of garlic, add in butternut squash cubes along with four cups chicken stock (could be up to 5 cups, just enough so that it covers the tops of the butternut squash.)

3. Once mixture is boiling, turn down heat to simmer and allow to simmer for 30 minutes.

4. Let soup cool at least 30 minutes and when it is sufficiently cool place in blender (do this in portions, trust me all of the soup will not fit into the blender unless yours is super size!) With each blending portion, add salt and pepper to taste.

5. Optional: When serving, can add a dollop of greek yogurt along with a sprinkle of nutmeg (a complimentary flavor.)

ENJOY!

As always, feedback is highly encouraged and warmly welcomed.

Xo