Winter Salad with Kale, Squash, Apples, & Fennel

View fullsize

Merry Christmas Eve! Happy Holidays! Happy whenever you find yourself doing today! For me, it's "Happy Another-Excuse-To-Plan-A-Menu Day"! 

If you are looking to build a holiday menu that everyone can enjoy, regardless of dietary preferences, you know my struggle well: what is paleo, vegan, and still filling? Salad is the easy answer. But it's so hard to make salad feel "right" in the middle of winter. Tomatoes? Hard and flavorless. Cucumbers? Chilling. Butterhead lettuce, arugula, even baby spinach--just plain out of place. It's easier to pass by with gratins, mashes, and roasts. And don't get me wrong--I love anything au gratin (especially this cauliflower gruyere gratin!) - but sometimes it's nice to have a light dish on your holiday table, to balance out all of the traditional winter fare.

View fullsize

That very question brought me to this salad. (Now, before you say, "Salad is NOT filling," hear me out). This salad, with massaged dino kale, is stuffed with wintery goods that will fill you up: roasted delicata squash, toasted pepitas, and fennel, and crispy apples. Avocado for good measure — because what salad isn’t better with avocado? It has crunch, a touch of sweetness, and a savory kick. And it fits right in on a crowded table of wintertime foods. And if you're still not content, I recommend adding some shaved Parmigiano Reggiano. 

View fullsize

Drizzled with a balsamic vinaigrette, this salad breaks away from the heavy dishes we all know so well, with out feeling out of place. It's a piece of fresh in the midst of winter--often a much needed twist. Since this salad is made with hearty vegetables, it can be made several hours ahead of time, making your holiday meal less stressful! Just wait until the last minute to add the dressing. 

What new dish will you be trying this holiday season? How do you make sure everyone is jolly when they take their seat at the holiday table? 

P.S., that delicate looking garnish is a fennel frond — the top "leafy bit of the fennel bulb. Save a tiny bit when you’re chopping up the fennel, and put it on top for good looks. 😎

Winter Salad with Kale, Squash, Apples, & Fennel

Published December 24, 2014 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 8   |    Active Time: 35 minutes

---

Ingredients:

1 delicata squash, seeds removed and sliced

1 tablespoon avocado oil

6 cups kale, chopped into bit-sized pieces

Dash salt

Drizzle extra virgin olive oil

3/4 cup fennel, sliced thin

1 apple, cut into matchsticks

1/2 cup roasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

1 avocado, sliced or cubed

Balsamic vinaigrette  

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Toss the sliced squash in the avocado oil. Spread it out on a cookie sheet, and place in oven. Bake until golden, soft all the way through, and browning on edges. Remove from oven and set aside. 
2. Assemble salad: Place the chopped kale in a salad bowl, along with a drizzle of olive oil and a dash of salt. Using your hands, rub the olive oil into the leaves until they are bright green. This softens them a bit, making them nicer to eat and easier to digest.
3. Add the fennel and apple to the salad bowl. Top with roasted squash, avocado, and pepitas. Serve with balsamic vinaigrette to taste. Optional: garnish with fennel fronds.

Brussels Sprouts, Apple & Bacon Salad with Honey-Mustard Vinaigrette

View fullsize

My brain? Fried. The last two weeks have been a power-haul of finals and end of the year projects. But after finishing two tests on Wednesday, I could instantly breath better, sleep better and think clearer. (Funny how that works--I wish the clear thinking came along with the tests instead of after it, but there's just something about looming tests that make me want to hold my breath until it's over... and holding my breath really doesn't do much for brain function). 

View fullsize

Going to the monthly Paleo Potluck Club dinner last Sunday was a bright spot between study sessions last weekend. The feast was exactly what my brain needed. This brussels sprout salad, with it's absurdly long name, was a winner: fresh crunch from the shredded brussels sprouts, a sweet kick from the apples, and a savory-salty bonus from bacon pieces. Pepitas give it a nutty crunch. 

I ended up recreating the salad twice during the week. It's variety of flavor and textures are just delicious! And while salad usually feels meh in the winter, this salad feels just right.

View fullsize

If you're new to salad with brussels sprouts you're probably having a lot of doubts right now. I don't blame you. To be honest, I tasted my first brussels sprout less than 3 years ago (though I can't remember when...), so I'm no sprout veteran. What I can tell you, is that if you're a brussels sprout newbie, this salad is not a bad place to start. (Come on, it has bacon in it!) And, if you are an brussels sprout veteran, add this one to your arsenal--it will not fail you. 

Brussels Sprout, Apple, & Bacon Salad with Honey-Mustard Vinaigrette

Published November 22, 2014 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 2-4   |    Total Time: 30 minutes

---

Ingredients:

• 3 cups shredded brussels sprouts, cut them with the mandolin attachment of your food processor or thinly with a knife 
• 1 cup shredded dino kale 
• 2 slices bacon
• 1/4 yellow onion 
• 1 gala apple, cored and diced (optional, save 1/4 of the apple and slice thinly to use as garnish)
• 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds 

For the Vinaigrette:
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon honey
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Heat medium sized skillet over medium heat and cook bacon until crispy. Move to a plate, and once cool, crumble into small pieces. Then, slice onion into thin strips and sauté in bacon grease until golden. Set aside to cool.
2. Place shredded brussels sprouts and shredded dino kale in a salad bowl and toss until distributed.
3. Make vinaigrette in a small jar: place all ingredients for vinaigrette in a jar with a lid, and close. Shake until combined. Pour over greens, and toss until coated.
4. Add crumbled bacon, cooled onions, diced apple, and pumpkin seeds and toss. If desired, top with reserved apple slices for garnish.

Citrus & Thyme Glazed Root Vegetables

View fullsize

I learned a new word this weekend: Hyggeligt.

Hyggeligt is a Danish word that lacks much of an English definition, but we all know the feeling. Google Translate attempts to sum the concept up with the word "cozy." Having not been to  Denmark, I really can’t speak for (or against) that definition but I'm told it's just not that simple. There must be candlelight. There must be people you love. If it's cold and dark, you do not feel hyggeligt. Watching a scary movie or visiting a haunted corn maze is pretty much the opposite of this feeling. Thanksgiving on the other hand, now that is hyggeligt (Hello best eating holiday if the year! Only 17 days from now!).

View fullsize

You know that feeling you get when you think of sitting down to a table adorned with a Turkey, glasses of wine, and a candle or too? With sweet potato casserole, green beans, and your favorite people in the world? I imagine that is hyggeligt. (And if you're thinking right now, Oh Jeez, I am NOT looking forward to cleaning the house for our guests and I really hope Crazy Aunt Lou doesn't come or talk about her dead cats-- no, that is not hyggeligt).

I'll give the Google definition some credit: you are cozy, but it's an inside-out sort of cozy. You're holiday sweater may be warm and fuzzy but it is not really a part of your hyggeligt feelings. On Thanksgiving Day, you're warm and fuzzy because of where you are and who you're with and how that makes you feel. 

I'm just going to lay this out here: I think it also has something to do with what you eat (Maybe this just speaks to me thinking with my tongue... what's new?). It's eating Grandma's gravy (cooked with love) or using the family pie recipe (passed from one baker to the next). Even if it's a new recipe, it's food that makes you feel cozy (for lack of a better English word) with every bite.

This recipe, for Citrus & Thyme Glazed Root Vegetables, though certainly not a tradition for many people, is also hyggelit. It may not have been on your Thanksgiving menu ever before, but it communicates a feeling of warmth anyways. The familiar smell of roasted garlic. The sweetness of carrots and beets enhanced by grapefruit. Fresh herbs that really drive that rustic-recipe feeling home. 

Root veggies are perfect in winter because they “fit” with the season … and you still get to taste the rainbow!

View fullsize

The veggies are cooked stove-top, so they’re done in about 20-30 minutes. The colors are so pretty! The golden tones of the roots contrast brightly with the fresh herbs. Red beets can be used in this recipe, but a word of caution: they will turn the entire dish red, instead of the yellow/orange array you see here. It wont change the flavor much (I find red beet are a bit “beetier” than golden ones, but that’s it), so if all you can find are red, don’t sweat it.

Citrus & Thyme Glazed Root Vegetables

Published November 9, 2014 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 2-4   |    Active Time: 30 minutes

---

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons olive oil, divided

2 large carrots, peeled and diced

1 golden beet, peeled and diced (you can also use a red beet, but it may turn the whole dish red!)

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced

Zest and juice from 1/2 grapefruit

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon honey

2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only, plus more for garnish

Salt to taste

Optional: minced parsley for garnish

Directions:

1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine diced veggies, garlic, 1 teaspoon olive oil, grapefruit zest & juice, honey, and thyme, and stir to coat all veggies.
2. Place a 10-inch skillet with remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, spoon veggies into skillet (reserve any leftover sauce/juice in the mixing bowl, you will add it in step 4).
3. Turn heat down to medium-low and cook vegetables slowly, stirring only every few minutes.
4. After about 10 minutes, when veggies just begin to turn browned on the edges, add the reserved sauce to the pan, and stir. Continue to cook mixture slowly, stirring every few minutes, for ten more minutes. Veggies should be browned on edges and softened all the way through. Sauce should thicken into a glaze on the veggies.
5. Remove from heat, and season with salt to taste. Garnish with thyme and parsley as desired. Serve hot as a side dish or a breakfast hash.