KALE AND SUMMER STONE FRUIT SALAD

Billy and I have been dining out a-lot lately; breakfast, lunch, snacks, dinner, you name it! 

I try to make wise food choices, but how do I turn down a buttermilk batter, fried portabella mushroom sammie topped with cheese and pesto…you tell me?!!

I feel like a big ol’ bowl of greens helps me get back in line and back on track.  Since it’s summer, fresh kale from the farmer’s market and local summer fruit are what I crave.

I used apricots and plums; but peaches, nectarines and or cherries would also be really good in Kale and Summer Stone Fruit Salad.

The dressing for this salad uses quite a lot of shallots, the shallots taste pickled in this low-fat dressing.  

Some folks massage their kale to soften it, but I’d rather receive a massage than give it (Sounds selfish, I know.) so I dress just the kale and leave it overnight in the refrigerator to soften the kale, though just a few hours will be okay.

The great thing about this recipe is that it makes a whole whack, and that the salad is fine to sit in the fridge for three or four days.  I can eat Kale and Summer Stone Fruit Salad for days and feel good about my eating again!

KALE AND SUMMER STONE FRUIT SALAD

Serves 8 to 10

FOR THE DRESSING

      1                     clove      Garlic, minced

¼             cup          Shallots, minced (about 2 small shallots)

1                             Navel orange, juice only

½                            Lemon, juice only

1              Tbsp.         Dijon mustard

1              Tbsp.         Honey

½             tsp.          Soy sauce

1/8           tsp.          Sesame oil (optional)

A pinch                    Dried red chili pepper flakes (optional)

2              Tbsp.        Olive oil

2              Tbsp.        Canola, grape seed, or avocado oil

                               Salt and pepper to taste

   1.        In a small bowl, whisk together the first 9 ingredients.  Pour the olive oil and canola oil into the first ingredients in a slow steady stream while whisking continually.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

*You may also just add all of the ingredients together to a jar, close the lid tightly and shake the jar for a minute or two until the ingredients are emulsified.

FOR THE SALAD

12              cups         Kale, washed and torn into bite sized pieces (1 bunch of kale)

1         ½             cups        Snow peas or snap peas

½                             Red bell pepper, thinly sliced

3                              Apricots, cut into thin wedges

2                              Plums, cut into thin wedges

¼                cup        Toasted, slivered almonds

   1.        In a large bowl, combine the kale with ¾ cup of the dressing and a couple of pinches of salt & pepper; toss well to coat and refrigerate for at least an hour, or even better overnight.  Marinating the kale will help to soften the tough kale; and don’t worry, it won’t be mushy like lettuce.

   2.       When ready to serve, add the remaining ingredients to the salad as well as the remaining dressing.

*Notes:  This salad will be terrific with any combination of stone fruits including fresh cherries, peaches, and nectarines.

Because of the sturdiness of the ingredients, the salad will keep well for 3 or 4 days in the refrigerator.

You may also like:

Nectarine (Peach) and Feta Salad

Tomato Parmesan Salmon with Sauteed Kale

Watermelon Haloumi Cheese Salad

Buttermilk Ranch Dressing plus Dill Croutons

                

GRAPEFRUIT AND SNOW PEA SALAD

I did it again!  I totally gorged myself this past week with Cadbury chocolate eggs, be they Easter Cream Eggs, Caramel Eggs, or those addictive little poppable Mini Eggs…Yes I ate them all…I do it every year, and every year I tell myself that I won’t buy them again next year, and then every year I buy them all over again!  It’s a sickness really!

To balance out all that chocolate eating I like to eat something light, refreshing like this Grapefruit and Snow Pea Salad.

See what I did there?  I can totally make it seem rational to eat a ton of chocolate…told ya it was a sickness!

Any hoo…Grapefruit and Snow Pea Salad is a great balance of sweet and tart, and because it’s pretty low in fat you can eat a giant bowl of Cadbury Chocolate Eggs…errr…I mean salad, without a bit of remorse.

Here’s what you do.

Start by pouring 1/2 cup of boiling water over 1/4 cup of bulgur wheat.

 

Place a piece of plastic wrap over the bowl and set it to the side to allow the bulgur wheat to absorb the water. 

Bulgur wheat has protein and fiber adding it to the salad will help you feel full for a longer period of time.

 

I prefer to supreme my citrus so that there is none of the pith, only lovely fruit; to do this, cut away the peel and pith...

 

...And then use a sharp paring knife to cut down each side of the membrane, releasing the sections of fleshy fruit.

 

The grapefruit supremes are in the bowl, and the membrane remains, go ahead and squeeze the juice from it (the membrane) before discarding it.

Pour the pretty pink juice into a measuring cup.

If you don't want to cut the grapefruit into supremes, you may just peel and slice the grapefruit into rounds; in that case, you will need an extra grapefruit just to juice for the dressing.

Add the juice to a jar with the same amount of grape seed or canola oil, a minced shallot, a tad of dijon mustard, a bit of honey (the amount of honey that you use will depend upon the sweetness of the grapefruit), and a pinch of salt & pepper...Shake it up.

To go in the salad are the grapefruit supremes, red bell pepper, snow peas and radishes (please ignore the shallots in the corner, they were for something else).

Now that the bulgur wheat has absorbed the water, season it with a tablespoon of the dressing, as well as some salt & pepper.

I like to toss the greens (I used baby kale) with the bulgur wheat...

And then put the veggies on top so that all the pretty colors can be seen; sprinkle on some sesame sticks for crunch and yumminess...seriously, the sesame sticks make the salad!

 

Serve the dressing on the side.

I eat the salad as is, but for Billy I added some seared shrimp; seared scallops, grilled chicken or pork loin would also be terrific.  You could even use shrimp that has already been cooked.

Toss some raw shrimp which has been peeled and deveined with a bit of the dressing (if you do this you will want to make some extra dressing), also season with salt and pepper.  

Marinate for about 15 minutes.

Sear the shrimp in a hot skillet in just a touch of oil.

Place the shrimp on top of the salad.

Grapefruit and Snow Pea Salad is light and refreshing and perfect to serve for brunch, lunch or a light dinner!

GRAPEFRUIT AND SNOW PEA SALAD

Serves 4

FOR THE SALAD

¼             cup                         Bulgur wheat

½             cup                         Boiling water

8             cups                         Sturdy salad greens such as baby kale, Super greens, or spinach

2                                            Ruby red Grapefruits cut into Supremes

2              cups                        Snow peas, ends trimmed

1                                            Red bell pepper, sliced

4                                            Radishes, sliced

¼             cup                         Sesame sticks, like from Asian snack mix (I like the honey flavored)

FOR THE DRESSING

2              Tbsp.                       Shallots, minced

1              tsp.                         Dijon mustard

1 - 3         tsp.                         Honey

1/3           cup                         Freshly squeezed ruby red grapefruit juice

1/3           cup                         Grape seed or canola oil

                                             Salt and pepper to taste

1.  Put the bulgur wheat into a small bowl, pour the boiling water over it, cover the bowl in plastic wrap and allow it to sit while the remainder of the salad is being prepared. (5 to 10 minutes)

2.  Make the dressing by adding to a jar, the shallots, Dijon mustard, 1 tsp. of honey, grapefruit juice, and oil, along with a pinch of salt and pepper.  Put the lid on and shake well.  Give it a taste; depending upon the sweetness of the grapefruit, you may need to add more honey.

3.  Remove the plastic wrap from the bowl of bulgur wheat, if there is any water remaining, drain it off.  Stir about a tablespoon of the dressing as well a pinch of salt and pepper into the bulgur wheat.

4.  In a large bowl toss together the salad greens, bulgur wheat, grapefruit Supremes (or sections), snow peas, bell pepper, radishes, and sesame sticks.  Serve the dressing on the side.

Notes:  *I cut the grapefruit over a bowl, into Supremes so that all of the juice is caught in the bowl, and then squeeze the remaining juices in the membrane using my hand.  One grapefruit will yield about 1/3 cup of juice using this method.

**If you don't want to cut the grapefruit into supremes, you may just peel and slice the grapefruit into rounds; in that case, you will need an extra grapefruit just to juice for the dressing.

**This salad is also great served with seared shrimp or scallops, with grilled chicken or pork tenderloin.  You could make double the amount of dressing and use half of it as a marinade.


You may also like:

Apricot & Almond Quinoa Salad

Buttermilk Ranch Dressing plus Dill Croutons

Lighten Up Shrimp Scampi Pasta

Tropical Green Salad with Honey Lime Vinaigrette