Super Healthy Kale Salad

One of my obsessions this summer has been kale salad.

This recipe is a combination of a few recipes that have been posted on-line, with a few of my own variations. It's just a basic kale salad, but oh so yummy!

First, wash and remove the tough stems from a bunch of organic kale. Cut that bunch up into shreds of approximately 1/4 to 1/2 of an inch wide.

Next comes the spa treatment, kale loves to be massaged with olive oil! Pour about 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil onto the kale. Then stick you hands in and massage away, you will almost immediately see the kale softening up and tenderizing.

Next chop up a bit of red pepper, red onion, parsley if you have it.

I also added chopped walnuts and a bit of goat cheese. Here is where you can pretty much add whatever veggies or nuts or cheese you would like.

And to really kick up the antioxidants add some

yummy blueberries.

Lastly mix up the dressing:

3-4 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup of rice vinegar

1 teaspoon or so honey

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

pink himalayan salt, to taste

Whip that goodness all together and pour over the salad.

Now I must say that all of these measurements are pretty much open ended, you can add or subtract amounts and ingredients to suit your personal taste.

I think that the little bit of sweetness with adding the honey and using rice vinegar makes the whole salad and also adding goat cheese give it a bit of creaminess that is unexpected.

I neglected to take a final picture since we were too busy eating!

But here is a picture of a happy baby instead!

Sue from Digillio Designs

St. Patrick's Day Crafting and Snacking Round-Up

It's been a long, cold, snowy winter and I'm personally in a cold weather funk. One way to get the creative juices flowing is to break out the crafting supplies and try out some new ideas - along with some delicious snacks.

Here is a round-up of some fun St. Patrick's Day crafts and snacks.

1. Lucky Penny Letters

photo credit Made by Marzipan

This copper-colored LUCKY sign is something you could keep up all year, but it's also a great leprechaun St. Patrick's Day decoration.  It just uses paper mache letters, pennies, paint and glue.

Full tutorial here at Made by Marzipan


2. Pot o' Gold Cereal Snack

photo credit Yummy Healthy Easy.

Similar to Chex Mix, but sweet and made with Lucky Charms!

Full recipe here at Yummy Healthy Easy.


3. Shamrock Shoes

photo credit by Andres Hurtado / Magic of Ireland

Go thrifting (or maybe dig through your grandfather's closet) and find an old pair of "leprechaun" shoes. Pots of clover can be bought at a garden store, or easily grown yourself (germination is just a few days) and plopped into the shoes. Only catch? Clover needs warmth so this decoration will have to stay indoors if it's still cold where you live. 

4.  Guinness and Cheddar dip

photo credit The Parsley Thief

Beer and cheese. A match made in heaven. This dip has just a few ingredients and can be made in your food processor. It only calls for 1/4 cup of Guinness beer so, sorry, you'll have to finish off the bottle so nothing goes to waste.

Full recipe here at The Parsley Thief

Ryan - Lil' Mint and WickedMint

The Bounty of My Garden

The desire for a medium sized backyard vegetable garden turned out to be too daunting of a project for this summer.

To placate myself for the lack of one garden plot, I cleared a patch of ground outside of our back door. I planted herbs, spread wild flower seeds, and planted one Tomato plant, and one Cucumber plant, in a large galvanized container. In a front yard garden plot, I planted Zinnia seeds, spread wild flower seeds, transplanted Daisies, Black Eyed Susans, and tended to the Roses.

I am still hoping for that medium sized vegetable garden next summer, and intend to begin digging it before the frost starts.

There was something so satisfying about watching the tiny plants and seeds that were planted by my hands, mature into productive plants and flowers of vivid colors. Also satisfying is being able to utilize the bounty from my small garden for summer cooking.

Here is a recipe that is simple, and the ingredients can be adjusted as desired. The amount of each ingredient should be changed according to portions being prepared.


Garden Herbed Potato Salad

Ingredients:
Potatoes of any variety // amount according to portion size
Celery // amount according to portion size
Onion // sweet, red, or yellow variety
Fresh herbs // suggested: Sage, Parsley, Tarragon, Thyme, Chives, Dill, Cilantro
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/8 tsp. Fresh ground pepper
3/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup Vinegar ( I used Apple Cider Vinegar )
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. Prepared Mustard ( I used Yellow organic Mustard )


Peel and cut the potatoes into 1" chunks, and place in a pot with enough water to cover the potatoes. Boil until tender. Rinse and let cool. Chop celery, and onion. Mince herbs. In a lidded jar, add salad dressing ingredients and shake well to mix. Mix up potatoes, herbs, celery, and onion in a bowl. Pour dressing over the potatoes, just enough to wet the mixture. Correct the seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve.

Jenny - Reclaimed Designs