Kale Salad!

Last week I had a lovely dinner at Beauty and Essex in New York's Lower East Side. We were a rather large group and ended up ordering about every "little plate" on the menu. Every dish was delicious but one that especially stood out with the Kale Salad (I love raw kale) with Pancetta, Green Apple, Spiced Walnuts, and finished with an Apple Cider Vinaigrette. I liked it so much that I attempted to re-create it the next evening for a dinner party I was having.... and I have to say I was very satisfied with the results! See recipe below..

To start with, I made the dressing. I went with a Honey-Apple Cider Vinaigrette recipe compliments of Martha Stewart (good old Martha). It's really simple and straight forward...

I made my dressing in a glass bottle I picked up at Whole Foods because I wanted extra. But you can just as easily whisk in a bowl and use right away. And even commission some helpers ( like I did in the background)!

Next I decided to make my own spiced walnuts. My sister has a really easy, delicious recipe for spiced nuts that she makes during the holidays, so I used it for the walnuts. It consists of equal parts brown sugar, paprika, and salt (she usually uses Rosemary, but I left it out for this salad). Toast the walnuts in the oven for about 5 minutes at 400 F, or until you can smell them. Then take about 2 TBSP of butter and melt it in a pan. Toss in the walnuts and the spices and saute for about 5 minutes, until all the nuts are warm and coated with the spices (this is going to smell amazing). Set aside.

Saute in the butter and spices.

There is no reason to make this a project, so if you don't have time to make your own spiced walnuts, just buy them! Candied ones are just as good!

Next saute the Pancetta. When done, place on a paper towel to let the fat drain. 

Set aside.

Saute diced pancetta.

Next chop the Kale (after washing well, of course), and chop the apple (I chopped mine into long strips). Throw all the ingredients in a large bowl, shake up the dressing really well and toss the salad. Now, because I'm a huge carnivore I think this salad would be great with some grilled or shredded chicken in it, but that's your call! Enjoy!

The Best Warm Winter Salad EVER!

Roasted Chicken and Arugula Salad with Sweet Potatoes and Balsamic Tomatoes.

Fresh Ingredients

Simple dressing

Ripe cherry tomatoes roasted with balsamic vinegar and pepper and a tiny bit of salt

Roast sweet potatoes with salt, pepper, and olive oil

Balsamic roasted cherry tomatoes

Perfectly roasted sweet potatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper

Shredded roasted chicken breasts

Ready to eat!

When it's freezing cold and grey outside, the only things I find myself wanting to eat are hearty stews and pastas covered in some type of cream. And unluckily for me, I always have someone who is willing to indulge with me (or egg me on...I'm not naming names). So when a very good friend and I found ourselves trapped in her flat in London during a chilly down-pour, we decided to try something a little new, healthy, and very filling.

For 2 people, you will need

2 LARGE SWEET POTATOES

1 PACKAGE OF CHERRY TOMATOES

1 PACKAGE OF ARUGULA

2 BONELESS, SKINLESS CHICKEN BREASTS

 (or a roasted chicken from the grocery store works just as well)

PARMESAN CHEESE

BALSAMIC VINEGAR

OLIVE OIL

KOSHER SALT + PEPPER

Dressing

1 LEMON

DIJON MUSTARD

OLIVE OIL

KOSHER SALT+PEPPER

Start off by pre-heating your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Centigrade). Peel and chop your sweet potatoes into 1 inch pieces (or however large or small you like them. Just remember to keep the sizes consistent). Place in a roasting pan with enough olive oil to coat the potatoes, some kosher salt, and pepper. Place in the oven and roast for about 15/20 minutes, until they are tender and brown around the edges. In the meantime, place the cherry tomatoes in a separate, small roasting pan. Coat with about 1/2 Cup balsamic Vinegar (I've found the more vinegar here the better), and a lot of pepper. Place tomatoes in the oven. It usually takes about 10 minutes for the tomatoes, but I've noticed that it depends on how ripe they are and the oven...so keep checking regularly. They should start to wrinkle and the vinegar should be caramelized on the bottom of the pan. For the chicken (if you are using uncooked), cut the breasts into medium size chunks so they will cook faster, coat in olive oil, with a little salt and pepper, and place in oven to roast for about 15 minutes. If your oven isn't large enough, just wait till the tomatoes are done and replace with the chicken...you can make the dressing while it cooks (recipe below). When all hot ingredients are roasted, shred the chicken with a fork (or your hands). Place arugula in a bowl, with the tomatoes, potatoes, chicken, and sprinkle with parmesan (I have also added pumpkin seeds to this in the past, and it's delicious). Toss with dressing and enjoy!

For dressing: 4 TBSP olive oil, juice of 1 lemon, 2 TSP dijon mustard, salt and pepper. Whisk all ingredients in a bowl...and you're done! Easiest dressing ever!