Recipe: Kale Salad with Lemon and Seared Salmon

This salad is my current obsession. Kale is tough, and somewhat bitter. It's tossed with a light tangy dressing, and salty parmesan. It’s amazingly simple and good for you. You could easily serve this salad with some roasted chicken, marinated tofu or even a poached egg.

Kale Salad with Lemon and Seared Salmon // Serves 2

Make a little extra! When dressed, the kale salad only gets better, kept in the fridge.

4 Cups Kale (lacinato or cavolo nero best), rinsed and dried
1/3 Cup Fresh, Whole Grain Breadcrumbs
1/3-1/2 Cup Fresh Grated Parmesan or Pecorino Cheese
Red Pepper Flakes to taste

2 (5 oz.) Pieces Wild/Sustainably Raised Salmon Filets
1 Tbsp. Dried Basil
1 tsp. Garlic Salt
Ground Pepper
1/2 Cup White Wine

// Dressing //
1/3 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/3 Cup Fresh Lemon Juice
2 Cloves Garlic
Pinch of Salt/Ground Pepper

1. Remove the ribs from the kale, lay leaves on top of each other, and slices into 1/4” ribbons. Put them all in a bowl.
2. For the dressing, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic cloves and pinch of salt, pepper and red pepper in a blender/food processor and blend to combine. Taste for spice and lemon to olive oil ratio, I find that this is a personal preference. You can also add a touch of honey to mellow out the tang if need be. Pour desired amount over the kale and toss so the leaves marinate in the dressing while you finish the salmon.
3. Dry both sides of the salmon, and gently rub on the garlic salt, pepper and dried basil. Heat a sauce pan over medium heat with a bit of oil to avoid sticking, add the salmon filets, and allow them to get crispy on one side, about 5 minutes. Flip the filets, sear for a minute, and add the 1/2 cup of wine to the pan. Cover and cook until just cooked through. This will likely take another 5 minutes, but will vary depending on thickness of your filet. Use your judgement and watch the center of the fish. Remove.

4. Add the breadcrumbs, grated parmesan, a bit more dressing and give the salad another toss to combine. Serve each plate with a hefty portion of kale, and a piece of salmon.

Recipe: Summer Squash Casserole

Summer squash is easy to grow, sometimes so easy that I end up with much more than I need and am constantly trying to think of new ways to prepare it. One simple way is to drizzle it with a little olive oil and sprinkle on some sea salt and ground pepper, then bake it at 350 for 20 minutes or so. 

Summer Squash Casserole // Serves 4

3 cups sliced summer squash — yellow, zucchini, patty pan, crookneck, whatever you have
1 shallot, chopped
3 eggs, well beaten
1/2 cup milk, cream or half-and-half
about 1/2 cup of Bread crumbs
1 Tbsp butter, chopped into pieces
about 1/2 to 3/4 cup Grated cheese (Parmesan is very good)
A dash of Salt and pepper

Butter a medium baking dish. Arrange squash slices and sprinkle shallot over the top.

Beat eggs in a small bowl, mix milk with the eggs and pour over the squash.

Top with bread crumbs. Distribute butter over the crumbs. Sprinkle grated cheese, salt and pepper on top.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until squash is tender and the cheese is bubbly and browned.

Recipe: Zucchini Curry Soup

Zucchini Curry Soup // Serves 6

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, roughly minced
• 2 tablespoon curry powder
• 2 teaspoons sea salt, or to taste
• 1 large potato, chopped
• 1 large carrot, chopped
• 4 six inch zucchini, chopped
• 1 quart veggie stock
• 
  
• Heat the oil in a large pot. Stir in the onion, garlic and season with curry powder and salt. Cook and stir until onion is tender. Stir in potato, carrot, and zucchini. Pour in the stock. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 20 minutes, until the veggies are very tender.
• 
  
• Remove soup from heat and serve with some good bread.
• You could also puree this soup if you like it less chunky.

Recipe: Summer Salsa

Summer Salsa // makes 2 cups

1 1/2 pints tomatoes (about 1 and a half pounds) chopped
1/2 cup minced cilantro
2 tomatillos chopped
the juice of 1/2 of a lime
1/2 tsp good salt (or to taste)
1 hot pepper, minced
1 or 2 garlic cloves minced
1/4 cup onion, chopped (optional)

Prepare all of the ingredients, then toss them in some kind of food processor. I put them in a bowl and used an emulsified blender to chop everything to the right consistency. You could also use and blender, food processor, or if you like salsa really chunky you could just chop things more fine.

Recipe: Breakfast Burritos

A breakfast burrito requires no utensils, travels well, and can be very delicious! If you do decide to make this recipe, add or take away fillings as you please... Change the type of cheese, add bacon or potatoes if you feel like it. 

Breakfast Burritos // Makes 2

If you use too small of tortillas the insides will burst out, so try to use large tortillas, pitas, or even hard taco shells. Alter the amount of filling according to what size tortilla you choose.

2 Cups Baby Tomatoes

3/4 Cup Diced Yellow Onion

Pinch of Sea Salt

a dash of Olive Oil

5 Eggs

1/8 Cup Whole Milk

1/2 tsp each of Sea Salt, Pepper, and Red Pepper flakes

1/3 Cup Chopped Cilantro/Basil

2 big handfuls of baby lettuce

1 Cup Shredded Pepperjack

1 Avocado

2 Large, Whole Grain Tortillas (see note above)

Heat oven to 350′

Halve the baby tomatoes and put them on a rimmed baking tray. Add the diced onion, pinch of salt, olive oil and toss to coat. Roast on the upper rack for 20-25 minutes while you get everything else ready.
Crack the eggs into a large mixing bowl, add the milk, salt, red pepper flakes and pepper and whisk well. Whisk until they are a consistent color and all yolks are broken up. Add the eggs into a saucepan over medium heat. Scramble the eggs slowly, when they are a few minutes to done, toss in all of the chopped herbs and turn off the heat, they will continue to cook.

Warm your tortillas. Lay them on a cutting board and sprinkle with the cheese. Make a layer of the baby lettuce, pile on half of the eggs, and the roasted tomatoes and onions. Layer thin slices of avocado on top. Fold both ends, and roll if using a big burrito tortilla. ...
Just pile it in if you use a hard taco shell or pita.

Recipe: Dried Tomatoes and Dried Tomato Crustini

Dried tomatoes are an amazing thing to have around in the winter. These are essentially sun dried tomatoes, though they are not literally sun dried. These truly hold their fresh summer tomatoey taste and color, if stored in the freezer.

Drying Cherry Tomatoes 

Cut each cherry tomato in half and place cut-side up on your dryer racks. Depending on the dryer and the size of the tomatoes, it can take anywhere from 10 – 18 hours to get them right. Be careful not to dry them too long or they become crisp and difficult to chew. I try to remove tomatoes from the dryer when they’re leathery but still pliable. Check them from time to time after the first few hours of drying. Once they are done, pull them off the drying racks and store them in zip lock bags in the freezer.
If you don't have a food dryer you can always use your oven. Same deal, cut them up, lay them out in one layer with parchment underneath. Turn oven on as low as it will go, 150º – 200º, for 10 or 12 hours. Keep an eye on them though, I've heard that this works but have never tried it...

Dried Tomato Crustini // serves 4 - 6

1/2 cup tried tomatoes
olive oil to cover
a pinch of salt
1 garlic clove, minced
Fresh or dried herbs: oregano, thyme, or basil
Optional: Goat cheese, Roasted garlic or hummus

Put the tomatoes in a bowl and cover with the olive oil. Add a minced clove of garlic, a pinch of salt, some dried, or fresh, herbs and let it sit for a few hours. Then, after they have had a chance to marinate, place a couple of theses tomatoes and plenty of the olive oil they have been soaking in, on a piece of crusty bread.
You could also top this with a dab of goat cheese, some roasted garlic, or evan some hummus . . .