Recipes & Food-Related Ramblings
Kale is a polarizing green. Some despise it with every fiber of their being while others are almost evangelical in their enthusiasm for the plant. I am somewhere in between. I think there are a lot of leafy hearty greens that deserve our attention, so I don’t buy into the whole “kale is the ultimate fuel” mentality. Nor do I dismiss it as a fibrous, inedible mess. Kale, like most foods, has its time and its place. And today its place is in my Kale Caesar Salad with Marinated White Beans.
Apparently, the Super Bowl is this weekend and I’m not going to watch it. In all the years I’ve had this blog, I’ve feigned a small amount of interest in the annual sporting event. You know, just for the excuse to make chicken wings or some cooky take on a late-night favorite, but no more. I made these Shawarma Home Fries because they seemed like a good idea and they were so I’m sharing them with you now. Their appearance coinciding with the Super Bowl is purely incidental. I have never enjoyed football but it’s totally cool if you do and if you want to eat these Shawarma Home Fries while you watch the game, so much the better.
Relationships, they say, are all about compromise. You watch a movie you don’t particularly want to see, they go to a restaurant that wasn’t their first choice. There’s give, there’s take and then there are the lines you don’t cross, favors you don’t ask, and preferences you don’t question. While I do believe that a loving partnership should occasionally coax you and your partner out of your respective comfort zones, there are certain things that should remain comfortable. Bae’s dislike of seafood is one of those things. He just doesn’t like it and no amount of coaxing will change that. In fact, coaxing is more likely to annoy him and strengthen his resolve. Needless to say, I made today’s Honey Miso Salmon with Tahini Soba Salad for one.
The holiday season is all about nog, cookies, crackers, and cheese. In other words, the holidays do not favor dietary restrictions of any kind. Decided to give up gluten? Say hello to shortbread. Decided to kick dairy? This slab of triple cream brie says otherwise. With all these rich and carb-tastic indulgences in our midst, it’s easy to lose things like greens or self-control in the shuffle. And while the holidays only come but once a year, scurvy can hit whenever. So, allow me to introduce you to the healthiest, most indulgent holiday salad I can muster – this Mushroom Confit Kale Salad with Blistered Red Grapes. It’ll boost your vitamin intake while holding its own flavor-wise next to a mountain of mashed potatoes.