kale salad

So in light of this article (of this post), I'd like so share with you one of our newest favorite (and super easy) recipes.

Kale Salad

Salad:

This is more an ingredient's list rather a recipe, the quantities are up to you, keep in mind that curly kale leaves make lots of volume.

Kale and/or Swiss Chard

walnuts

raisins

crumbled gorgonzola cheese or parmesan cheese shavings

Remove the tough stems from the kale and roughly chop the leaves. Do the same with the chard, leaving some of the stem. Wash and dry leaves well. Toast walnuts in a dry pan for a few minutes over low heat. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and toss it with the vinaigrette (recipe bellow).

Vinaigrette:

This recipe makes 1/2 cup of dressing, make more if needed, or store left overs in the fridge if it's too much.

1/4 cup of olive oil

1/4 cup of lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon of honey

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon of pepper

1/4 teaspoon of dried oregano (optional)

Place all ingredients in a jar, close the lid and shake it well. Alternatively, whisk it with a whisk or fork in a bowl until combined.

And did my kids, in fact, eat this salad made of kale?

Well, yes and no.  {Oh, and we only used the kale...  And Marryn and I were the only one with blue cheese.} 

Marryn- Loved dressing and blue cheese.  Did not like the raisins or walnuts.
Reganne- Hated the dressing and raisins and only somewhat liked the walnuts.  

Christian- Hated the dressing, LOVED the raisins and only somewhat liked the walnuts.  

So the next night when we made it again, Reganne and Christian got a more simple salad - kale and ranch.

They ate it right up.  

{And I used parmesan this time-equally good.  But then again, I love any kind of cheese...}

So even if you don't make this recipe (which I throughly urge you to do), substitute kale in for any salad green in your favorite recipes or just eat it plain with any dressing.  It has a great mild flavor, which I personally prefer over our standby romaine.  Hoping to try it with a chard next time.

And here's a trick I've found helpful in helping kids eat their leafy greens.  Cut it up.  Cut it up small.  It's easier for them to pick up (by hand or fork) and chew.  Christian will spit out the big pieces of salad, but if they're small, he eats them no problem.  Usually.  Especially if ranch is involved. :)  Which leads me to trick numero dos.  Find a dressing they love.  But only use it sparingly.  Don't drown their salad in it, you want them to learn to love the greens, not just eat them because they're no longer recognizable.    


But I guess if it gets the greens down... :)

29 and vegan

Yesterday Joey celebrated his 29th birthday. Happy Birthday Hun. Last year of his twenties. And what did he ask for? Besides a million dollars. Vegan cupcakes. Yes. He is currently on a vegan diet. Of his own will. So I found this recipe and let me tell you, it is fan-tas-tic!

Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
*1 cup soy milk
*1 tsp apple cider vinegar
*3/4 cup granulated sugar
*1/3 cup canola oil
*1 tsp vanilla extract
*1/2 tsp almond extract
*1 cup all-purpose flour
*1/3 cup cocoa powder
*3/4 tsp baking soda
*1/2 tsp baking powder
*1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350F and line muffin pan. Whisk together the soy milk and vinegar in a large bowl, and set aside for a few minutes to curdle. Add the sugar, oil and extracts to the soy milk mixture and beat till foamy. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add in two batches to the wet ingredients. (I mixed the wet ingredients in my KA and added the dry directly there.) Beat till no large lumps remain. Fill liners 3/4 full. Bake 18-20 minutes till toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in pan five minutes and transfer to rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
*1/4 cup margarine softened
*1/4 cup shortening
*1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
*2 1/2 powdered sugar, sifted
*3 tbsps soy milk
*1 1/2 tsps pure vanilla extract

Cream together the margarine and the shortening until well combined. Add the cocoa powder and incorporate well. (Again, I did this all in the KA. It looked rather dry at first, but came together beautifully.) Add the confectioners' sugar in about 1/2 cup batches and beat well adding a little splash of soy milk after each addition. When all ingredients have been well incorporated, add the vanilla and beat until light and fluffy.

Okay, so my frosting I used butter instead of margarine and regular milk instead of soy (used it all up in the cupcakes). Not exactly vegan...so Joey did not eat it [the frosting].

These were so easy and just absolutely dE-lish! I will be making them again.

Oh, and the recipe only makes about 12. Perfect amount.

Oh, and yes, I took that picture:)

clone of a cinnabon

I get a lot of recipes off the website AllRecipes.com. I love the reviews. I usually never try a recipe unless it has a lot of 5 star ratings...why waste my time.

So as requested, here is the Clone of a Cinnabon recipe. I have made it a few times and it turns out great everytime!

INGREDIENTS
1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F)
2 eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup margarine, melted (I use unsalted butter-always!)
4 1/2 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/3 cup butter, softened

1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
DIRECTIONS
Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select dough cycle; press Start.
After the dough has doubled in size turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.
Roll dough into a 16x21 inch rectangle. Spread dough with 1/3 cup butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Roll up dough and cut into 12 rolls. Place rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F .
Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.

I often look at the reviews to get alternative suggestions as well. This recipes call for making the dough in a bread machine. I don't have a bread machine and just use my mixer. I mix the dough ingredients (using rapid rise yeast) with the bread hook and then let it rise in the bowl (cover with a moist towel in a warm spot) for about an hour. When doubled, I then pick up with the rest of the directions. And then, because we usually like these warm in the morning, after rolling them out an placing them in the pan, I refrigerate them until morning. I then just pop them in the preheating oven (so when it's cold) and bake about 15-20ish minutes until lightly brown (we er on the side of undercooked...). I also double the frosting recipe. So good!