The very next day I replicated this salad adding in lemon pasta, feta cheese, tossed with a very lemony dressing. Trader Joe’s sold a lemon pasta for a while which was perfect to add and complimented the feta cheese perfectly. At the last minute I added in some tomatoes for color. I would have included some olives if I had some on hand.

I am known for my salads, because I always make my own dressing and have mastered the what lettuce goes with what type of dressing thing. It is a thing. For example, if you want to mix a pasta and feta cheese with lettuce, a heartier lettuce such as romaine works best. The crunch and bite from romaine lettuce compliments the bite of an al dente pasta.

Green Salad with lemon salad dressing is a versatile salad, but I especially like how a briny feta cheese fits right in. Since pasta is on the bland side, a strong cheese works well. You could also use slivers of parmesan cheese or crumbled blue cheese as a substitute.

You can make this an entree salad by adding pulled chicken or salmon.

Feta Cheese

As I wrote in my olive feta appetizer post, look for a feta cheese sitting in brine that is 100% sheep’s milk. Not all feta is alike, and you may seem crumbled feta sold in your grocery store. Usually a pre-crumbled feta is tasteless, and doesn’t add much to a dish.

More Salads from Spinach Tiger

• Wedge Salad Bar with Homemade Blue Cheese
• Asian Slaw with Ginger Dressing
• Taco Salad with Special Dressing
• Crab Louis with Remoulade
• Caprese Party Salad
• Kale Salad with Apple and Sweet Potato (our most popular of all)

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Green Salad, Lemon Dressing

Salad with Feta, Pasta, Lemon Dressing

Course Salad and Salad Dressing

Cuisine American

Keyword green salad, lemon salad dressing

Servings 8 servings

Ingredients

• 10 cups romain lettuce 2 bags Italian Lettuce Mix
• 4 ounces feta cheese (in brine)
• 10 grape tomatoes sliced in half, cross-wise
• 1 cup cooked pasta such as penne, corkscrew
• Lemon Dressing as needed

Lemon Dressing

• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1 lemon juice and zest
• sprigs of fresh thyme
• 1/4 red wine vinegar or champagne or white vinegar
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

The post Green Salad, Lemon Salad Dressing Recipe appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

This is one easy recipe and so good and a perfect low carb veggie side to just about any protein.

If you’ve never had sautèed cabbage, you’re in for a treat.

How Healthy is Red Cabbage?

• High in Vitamin C (56%) and Vitamin K (28%)
• High in FIber
• High in antioxidant
• May help reduce risk of serious health conditions (heart, cancer, osteoporosis)
• May help fight inflammation
• Over 36 Anthocyanins

What is the Difference Between Red and Green Cabbage?

Aside from color, red cabbage is smaller, denser, and has a more peppery taste. The purple red color comes from the flavanoid anthocyanin and the acidity level where it’s grown.

What are the Macros of Red Cabbage?

One cup is 28 calories, 4.7 net carbs.

How Do You Cut Red Cabbage?

The Oxo Spiralizer is helpful with the red cabbage recipes, but not necessary. You can always use a good chef’s knife to shred it, If you don’t have a spiralizer, I highly recommend getting one. I like the OXO as it is very inexpensive, works well and is easy to clean. 

How to Make Red Cabbage?

You can either spiralize or use a chef’s knife to cut across the cabbage head thinly.

Add some oil to large enough pan to hold all the cabbage. Add a few garlic cloves. Toss the cabbage in pan and turn on low for about 15 to 20 minutes. Splash some apple cider vinegar on cabbage once it’s starts to soften. Add in splash of lemon, salt, pepper and fresh dill, if desired.

The key to the flavors is to make sure to balance the fat, acid (vinegar) and salt. Vinegar adds the acid, but you can decide to add more or less. Taste and see what you prefer.

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More Cabbage Recipes from Spinach Tiger

What Does Red Cabbage Go with?

Just about any protein but especially pork.

• Pork Loin (How to Brine and Season)
• Mustard Breaded Pork Chops
• Rosemary Baked Pork Chops
• Pork Spare Ribs

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Sautéed Red Cabbage

A saute of cabbage, bacon, onion, with Irish Butter, a delicious and big fat healthy side dish. Dill is the herb of choice and prevents excess gas.

Course Vegetable Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword red cabbage

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 head red cabbage
• 2 cloves garlic or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons dried dill Order Here optional
• salt
• pepper
• 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar optional
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Instructions

• Remove outer leaf. Rinse any dirt off of cabbage. Usually red cabbage heads don't have dirt the way green cabbage does.
• Heat large frying pan on medium heat. Add olive oil. Add garlic cloves. You can use garlic powder to the cabbage if you don't have fresh garlic cloves.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Add cabbage on low heat, while stirring occasionally until the cabbage is softened.
• Toss cabbage in pan and add in apple cider vinegar.
• You can choose to brown the cabbage by turning the heat up to medium high. If you can refrigerate and reheat, you will have more flavor, but it’s not necessary.
• Add in a touch of lemon zest at the last few minutes for fragrance. Add in fresh dill if you have it, but dried will be okay too. You can skip dill if you like.
• Drizzle a syrupy balsamic before serving.
• Taste and season again with salt and pepper.

The post How to Make Red Cabbage Stovetop appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Tired of the same old recipes, spoon some bacon jam on your veggies, your seafood and your eggs. Add to your salad dressing, your pureed soups like butternut squash or broccoli basil. 

Add to your burger with a dollop of peanut butter and you’ll thank me all day long, That really is wild taste fest!

Add to your grain free biscuits or dollop on your keto pancakes or keto dutch baby. This would be so good in meatloaf!

The important thing is to keep your food life interesting enough to not fall off the food plan that you know loves you back the most. Anytime I  indulge on a special occasion and over-eat (especially carbs) I  feel it and realized I  have not exercised enough self-care.

Sugar is a special culprit that attacks my brain, as do heavy carbs. We recently had a birthday feast and I  way overdid my splurge.  The next day I had serious brain fog? Thankfully, we immediately ate light the next day ordering poke bowls for dinner. My way back is always to immediately go back to a food plan that works for me.

Ingredients for Sugar Free Maple Bacon Jam

• Bacon
• Shallots
• Butter
• Sugar Free Maple Syrup (Choc Zero)
• Swerve (why I use Swerve read here)
• Black Strap Molasses
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Grain Mustard/Dijon Mustard

What you can do with maple bacon jam is endless and I’m sure you have even better ideas than I  do.

What is Choc Zero?

I am an affiliate (earning commission) with Choc Zero, a company that provides many wonderful sugar free, low carb products. I use their chocolate chips for my keto chocolate chip cookies. I especially like their maple syrup, which I have used in my maple pecan muffins and I use in this recipe.

Add Sugar Free Maple Bacon Jam to these Dishes

• Steak Burgers
• Butternut Squash Soup
• Kale Salad with Sweet Potatoes
• Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad
• Grain Free Biscuits
• Grain Free Sweet Potato Biscuits
• Grain Free Pancakes
• Grain Free Dutch Baby
• Grain Free Pumpkin Dutch Baby

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Sugar Free Maple Bacon Jam

Maple Bacon Jam recipe and how to use it.

Cuisine American

Keyword bacon jam, maple bacon jam, sugar free bacon jam

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 26 minutes minutes

Servings 24 Servings

Ingredients

• 1 pound bacon
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 shallots
• 1 tablespoon grainy mustard
• 1 teaspoon black strap molasses
• 2 tablespoons Swerve granulated
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons choc zero maple syrup or your choice of sugar free maple syrup
• 1 cup water
• Dash salt

Instructions

• Cut bacon into very small pieces. Fry until crispy. Drain. Set aside.
• In separate pan, melt butter and sautè diced shallots until softened.
• Add everything except water and bacon. Stir and cook for five minutes.
• Add bacon and water.
• Cook on very low for 45 minutes.
• Keep in refrigerator.

The post Sugar Free Maple Bacon Jam (Keto/Paleo Friendly) appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Green Goddess originated in San Francisco with Chef Philip Roemer of the Palace Hotel  to honor an actor who was starring in a play called “The Green Goddess.” Many recipes originate in San Francisco and that’s no surprise, as its still my favorite food town.

Recipes for Green Goddess dressing vary, but the original was mayonnaise and sour cream based chives, parsley, anchovies and vinegar. Some have since added avocado, Worcestershire, and some have replaced anchovies with capers. I highly recommend the original mayo/sour cream version with anchovies and adding in tarragon.

Tarragon has a licorice flavor, only fresher and while a little goes a long way, it adds that extra layer of flavor.

Green Goddess does not have to be limited to salad. It’s great for a crudité plate or fried seafood. Back in the day they poured it over canned artichokes, which was considered a luxury at the time. I can see the dressing with fresh artichokes. I might want to mix it with the yolks for a tangy deviled egg.

Ingredients for Green Goddess Dressing

• Mayonnaise
• Sour Cream
• Lemon Juice
• Anchovies or Capers
• Parsley
• Chives
• Tarragon
• Salt, Pepper

I hope you make this dressing, as it’s not only beautiful, it’s a layer of flavors that are tangy, herbacious, and will add excitement to your lettuce or veggies.

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Green Goddess Dressing

Homemade Green Goddess with Fresh Herbs for Salads and Crudite

Course Salad Dressing

Cuisine American

Keyword Green Goddess Dressing, Salad Dressing

Ingredients

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 4 tablespoons lemon juice
• 4 tablespoons tarragon chopped
• 3 anchovies chopped
• 1 cup parsley chopped
• 2 tablespoons chives finely chopped
• sea salt to taste
• black pepper to taste

Instructions

• Mix all ingredients together.
• Refrigerate for a few hours prior to serving, if possible.

The post Green Goddess Dressing Recipe appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

I’m a big salad eater.  Big. I will make a bowl large enough for a family and eat the whole thing. I like the crunch, the acid, the salt. It’s candy to me, without the carbs and blood sugar spike.

This brightly shredded red cabbage salad is a big bowl of happiness to me. It has crunch from the cabbage, salt from the roasted pumpkin seeds and has brightness from the mustard shallot vinaigrette

Eat the Color Purple for Super Health

The dark purple pigment in red cabbage and other purple vegetables, known as anthocyanin, is a type of phytonutrient that belongs to the flavonoid family. Flavonoids are associated with lowering cholesterol, fighting heart disease and protecting the body against oxidative stress, which will help you age more gracefully, fight cancer and protect our brains. So eat the color purple as much as you can.

Vegetables are my Dream Food and the Red Cabbage Salad Recipe is my binge food.

As spinach tiger, I’m always eating lots of vegetables. They are my dream food, but over the last few months, I was also eating too many carbs, especially for my particular body type. My body is efficient. It stores fat for later, which would have kept me alive longer than most back 1000 years ago, when food was often scarce.

The food supply in my kitchen never runs out and this efficient body, which stores fat for later, must be tricked. This is why I practice modified fasting and a lower carb diet. This kind of salad fits this life style well, as it’s low in net carbs, high in fiber and just so tasty and satisfying. Instead of grabbing chips, I grab a full forkfuls of this, which lasts in the fridge a few days.

A Mustard Shallot Vinaigrette Lends Punch to the Red Cabbage

The great thing about this red cabbage salad recipe is that you can still eat it days later. In fact, it’s better marinating overnight. Shallots gives just the right punch to the vinaigrette which soaks into the cabbage, softening it a little and creating a great flavor.

No Grains, No Pain for me.

When I originally posted this in 2017 I had cut out all grains,  and I noticed that a limp from a pain in my hip (that I had for over a year) had disappeared.   

When I  did, I  eliminated a chronic hip pain. Now I’m only eating keto friendly food and feel so much better. I’m a huge believer in reducing inflammation and it has underscored my belief in the healing and harming power of food.

When you choose not to eat grains, you don’t have to give up textures. I’d rather eat color and have big crunch with full flavor any day.

Red Cabbage Salad Recipe is Perfect for a Potluck

This is a great salad for fatty meats like ham, pork or chicken thighs. It also is perfect for tucking into tacos. This is another one of those  pot luck recipes because you can make it the night before and it will stay intact for the whole party.

You could also add in some chopped chicken for a complete salad meal! I did that one night when I got home really late and enjoyed left overs from a roast chicken.

The Oxo Spiralizer is helpful with the red cabbage salad recipe, but not necessary. You can always use a good chef’s knife to shred it.If you don’t have a spiralizer, I highly recommend getting one. I like the OXO as it is very inexpensive, works well and is easy to clean. (This is not sponsored; I just like it). 

So tell me how’s your January eating going? Do you start a plan or maybe you’re so good during the holidays you don’t need to worry.

If you like raw cabbage recipes, you’ll also love this triple crunch cabbage salad with feta cheese and marcona almonds.

You can also play around with this by adding ginger, a squeeze of orange and using sesame oil.

My Favorite Salad and Cabbage Recipes

Cauliflower Salad

Tuscan Kale Salad

Cole Slaw with Blue Cheese and Apple

Sauteed Cabbage with Bacon

Crack Slaw

Purple Cauliflower Salad Recipe with Walnut Vinaigrette

My Favorite Pork Recipes

Mock Porchetta

Spare Ribs

Itallian Roast Pork

Slow CookerPulled Pork

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Red Cabbage Salad Recipe

Make a shredded red cabbage salad recipe with a shallot vinaigrette and pumpkin seeds for a healthy, Paleo, low carb choice

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 small head red cabbage
• 1 large carrot
• 1/4 cup salted roasted pumpkin seeds may need up to 1/2 cup

Shallot Vinaigrette

• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons minced shallots
• 1/4 cup prosecco white wine vinegar can use red wine or white wine or champagne vinegar
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 to 3/4 cups extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt
• pepper

Instructions

• Trim red cabbage and shred with either food processor, knife or spiralizer.
• Peel and trim carrot. Julienne or shred. Add to cabbage. You can use more carrot if you like. I just used a small amount for color.
• Toss cabbage with vinaigrette. Season with salt and pepper. Toss again. Taste to make sure the cabbage is acidic enough. As it marinates, it will lose some of the acid.
• Add pumpkin seeds, reserving some for topping right before serving.

Shallot Vinaigrette

• Mix mustard, shallots, lemon juice and vinegar.
• Add oil. Shake in jar or use whisk to incorporate.
• Add dressing. You may not use all of the dressing, depending on size of head of cabbage used.

The post Red Cabbage Salad Recipe with Shallot Vinaigrette appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

This post contains amazon affiliate links that earn a small commission, but do not affect your price.  

This is the salad that got me hooked on kale.I have now posted so many recipes on kale but wanted to come back and share with you where it all started.

This little chopped kale salad changed my green life forever.

There was a time 30 recipes ago or so, that I did not eat or like kale. I tell you this because you might be uncomfortable with certain vegetables and think you are the only one. You might be under the false impression that  “those foodies eat everything, know how to cook everything, and are all encompassing rock stars in the kitchen.”

The truth is that even food bloggers have foods we are unfamiliar with, didn’t grow up, and maybe are even a tad bit afraid of.

But, with a name like Spinach Tiger, I need to conquer all things green.  After all green anything is so chic,  it’s the new little black dress of instagram.

Kale, as beautiful as it is, has always baffled me. I tried to make kale chips once,  which ended up in the trash followed by a nice big empty bag of kettle cooked potato chips. I couldn’t enjoy them the way I read I was supposed to in about in every cool, hip or not so hip food and life style blog. (That doesn’t mean I won’t try again some day in far distant future).

It makes no sense at all that my love for kale would start at a sports bar/restaurant that has five different kinds of french fries, but it’s true.

Someone very smart at the Tavern in Nashville put a chopped kale salad on the menu. I ate the whole bowl right along with my french fries. How’s that for split personalities?

I don’t remember the  fries.  I remember the tuscan chopped kale salad.

It was spiked (and I used the word spiked on purpose) with lemon, lots and lots of lemon and some parmigiano reggiano cheese. I was hooked, and the very next day, I went searching for the freshest kale I could find. If  you read my roasted okra post, I got lucky and and bought two beautiful bunches from a vegetable stand ready to close.

Chopped Kale Salad starts with Lacinato Kale

I remembered how the salad tasted and  I set to work chopping and chopping (using a mezzaluna) and spinning and spinning in the salad spinner, as kale seems to have a lot of water in it.

The dressing was easy. Extra virgin olive oil, lemon and more lemon, a splash of pear vinegar, and an ingredient I thought should be added, crushed red pepper.  And, of course, the toasted almonds. I decided to use pecorino romano cheese in slivers rather than grated parmigiano reggiano. You can decide which one, as you long as it’s freshly grated.

Chopped Kale Salad is a Perfect for a Potluck

In my experiences, everyone loves a salad at a party. The chopped kale salad is perfect because you can dress it at home. It lasts all day without wilting. Trust me. People will thank you.

Am I now a kale convert? All the way, yes. (Although still holding out on the kale chips thing).

Oh I don’t need to tell you how healthy kale is do I?  I hope that doesn’t ruin it for you. I know that I started to immediately feel better within the first two bites. And, it doesn’t hurt that I bought it from the hands that grew it.

The texture of kale is hearty and takes well to an olive oil dressing and even gets better if chilled a few hours. It’s not mushy or slimy and maintains a certain crunch, which is always satisfying. Add to that more crunch from the toasted almonds and the zing of the lemon and crushed red pepper and you have an exciting healthy dish.

That year the salad gave me a chance to use one of my birthday presents. I received three different vinegars from Sparrow Lane, and the one I decided on here was the D’anjou Pear.

Kale Chopped Salad Loves a very Acidic Zesty Vinaigrette

I have a thing for vinegars of all kinds and I have about 10 vinegars in my pantry, so stay tuned to hear about the other two, walnut champagne and  peach champagne vinegar.  All three are very different, very smartly balanced.  I chose the pear because it goes well with lemon and pecorino, but I also like their golden balsamic. I wouldn’t use regular balsamic because it won’t have enough punch. I used lots of lemon and you could stick with that, but the added hit of vinegar not only aids in breaking down the kale fibers, but gives the necessary zing that a kale salad needs.

Heidi Swanson of  101 cookbooks has a very similar recipe where instead of almonds she uses toasted breakcrumbs, another great way to get that added crunchy texture and a marked Italian profile.

Since my original first kale salad post, I have made many kale salads. One of the crowd favorites goes a different route with apple, sweet potatoes, cranberries, and maple pecans.

So tell me, is there a vegetable out there you have been afraid to try? If you say turnips, I can change your mind on that too.

More Kale Recipes from Spinach Tiger

More Salad Recipes from Spinach Tiger

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Chopped Kale Salad with Toasted Almonds

A raw kale salad with Tuscan flavors.

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• juice of one large lemon
• 1 teaspoon pear vinegar or use a white wine vinegar
• 1 small clove garlic crushed
• sea salt black pepper to taste
• 1 bunch of kale
• 1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper or to taste
• Sea salt black pepper
• Small chunk of Pecorino Romano

Instructions

• Salad Dressing: Crush garlic clove, place in olive oil for 10 minutes. Remove.
• Squeeze lemon in small bowl, add vinegar, and slowly add in olive oil and salt and pepper.
• Rinse kale, roughly chop and dry with salad spinner or paper towels.
• Chop finely using a mezzaluna or chef's knife.
• Toss with salad dressing, cheese, toasted almonds and crushed red pepper.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Top with very thin slices of Pecorino Romano, using sharp knife or mandolin

The post Chopped Kale Salad with Toasted Almonds appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

I grew up eating only a few salad dressings that weren’t a vinaigrette.  I’m Italian and we only ate oil and vinegar on our nightly salad. When we did venture away from that it was blue cheese dressing when dining out.

My family believed that bottled dressings weren’t good enough or healthy enough, and frankly, they were salad snobs.   Most of the time the blue cheese dressing was served with the classic wedge salad, a creation from the 1950’s, where people weren’t afraid to eat bacon, cheese and sour cream. Then the 80’s came and people started getting nervous about fat. I never bought into that, but I do admit to pulling away from blue cheese dressing for a while.

Lately I’ve seen the return of the wedge and I started ordering it again as my hefty starter, but believe it or not I never made a wedge at home, until now, because this is my first and best blue cheese dressing. I do mention at the end of this post that you can make a wedge with a blue cheese vinaigrette as an easier option. I love both.

Blue cheese dressing is the epitome of salt, fat and acid or it should be. In fact, my secret to the very best of the blue cheese dressing (aside from a nice blue) is adding enough acid. I took three routes using worcestershire, lemon and vinegar. You can mix those up if you like, or skip the lemon and add more vinegar, but I had all three, so I used all three. I wanted to use a champagne vinegar but was out and the apple cider vinegar worked liked a charm.

The key will be to taste and make sure the dressing is a little bit tart and exciting. A good blue cheese shouldn’t be bland like a ranch dressing. Also know the blue cheese taste will become more profound as it chills.

What Blue Cheese Should You Use to Make the Best Blue Cheese Dressing?

There are three kinds of blue cheeses.

• Creamy
• Crumbly
• Firm

Crumbly blue works best like a Maytag or gorgonzola, which is what I used here.

Gorgonzola is an Italian blue cheese with a milder flavor than the very pungent blue cheese, although sometimes you may find a very strong one.   It’s great for eating by itself, pairing with apple or pear slices or topping on purple potatoes.

Make the blue cheese dressing jar a day or so ahead of your next dinner party and cut up smaller wedges and serve with tomato, bacon, and hard boiled egg for a classic or make this festive wedge if it’s holiday time. If you want to add extra color, radishes are nice as well as pomegranates.

Blue Cheese Vinaigrette.

One more note: Some days I like a simple blue cheese vinaigrette. This is perfect for the no mayo camp. Just mix olive oil, vinegar, dijon mustard) and add small crumbles of blue cheese.

More recipes using blue cheese from Spinach Tiger

More Salad Dressings from Spinach Tiger

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Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing

Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing, perfect for the wedge salad or for dipping.

Course Salad Dressing

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise.
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce.
• 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons blue cheese or gorgonzola cheese crumbled, divided – See notes
• 1 tablespoons white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Salt and pepper.

Instructions

• Mix together mayonnaise, milk, sour cream, worcestershire sauce, 1/3 cup blue cheese, and half vinegar, salt and pepper in blender.
• Taste for acidity and add more vinegar as necessary.
• Add in remaining blue cheese for a chunky dressing. You can choose to add all blue cheese to the blender if you want your dressing completely smooth.
• Taste, as some blue cheese is stronger than others and you may need to add more.
• Refrigerate at least four hours, ideally overnight.

Notes

Blue Cheese – Depending on the strength of your blue cheese you may need to add 1/2 cup. You will have to taste and then taste again after the dressing has been in fridge for a day.

The post My Secret to the Best Blue Cheese Dressing appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Hale Kale the Gang’s All Here. The gang of 5,222, 000 recipes for kale salad that is, four of which are mine.

Why should I bring you another one?

Answer 1: I understand kale, and kale must be understood to taste good.

Kale salads can go very very wrong. I’ve had plenty of $9 bad kale salads in upscale restaurants. I know what it takes to make them go right. Kale needs dressed up to taste balanced so I almost always bring in fruit and nuts.

This kale salad helps with winter blues because it has ingredients that are especially good for your brain like blueberries and walnuts.

Blueberries contain anthocyanins, and are considered a super fruit for the brain, which you can read about in this article. 

Pomegranates are only super healthy as everyone knows by now, (if not, read this), and they give a nice sweet, juicy crunch and add brightness which helps to balance the fat and the fibrous texture of the kale.

Shredded brussels sprouts, another super food with very similar benefits as kale, adds a burst of light green, and make up about 20 percent of the salad, but you could go as high as 50% or even more and make this same salad.

Walnut oil is high in Omega 3 Fatty Acid and makes a wonderful wintery vinaigrette.

Answer 2: The nutritional value of kale is nearly epic in the greens business. 

There are many vitamins and nutrients in kale, but the overwhelming vitamins are A, C, K  as each cup is 34 calorie cup is over 100% of the RDA.

Thus, kale is one of the most nutrient dense foods in the world.

Nutritional Value of Kale

Each cup has 34 calories, 6 grams of carbs with a high fiber content.

Why I am So Crazy to Insist You Eat Kale

The list for the health benefits of kale is growing including it’s fight against several cancers, especially the very deadly colon cancer.

I am not a doctor, nor am I a nutritionist, but I have common sense and food plays a major role here in the prevention of cancer due to organosulfur compounds known as glucosinolates. This is just as much over my head as maybe it is to you, but it’s important to me to control what I can with what I choose to eat.

I have lost two best friends to colon cancer (both members of my wedding party) and the husband of a good friend is back in surgery today. If you’re a praying person, his name is Jeff. 

This is serious business, but my wish is to make healthy eating a joy.

I like kale for a few other reasons. 

It’s one of the better make ahead salads. In fact, you can put your dressing on in the morning and take it to work for lunch. This salad is best made ahead, because the vinaigrette helps to break down the fibers in the kale.

It’s great for weight loss without starvation. Your body knows kale is nutrient dense and high in fiber, thus, even on a lower calorie regimen, you are getting your nutrition.

 This salad is particularly good for your brain and your focus, as blueberries and walnuts are particularly good power foods.

I promise you that this is a good salad, good enough for every day, for specials days and that it will disappear.

It can be fortified with extra protein by adding red quinoa as I did here, or salmon as I did here or here.

There are two main types of kale. I prefer the lacinato kale, also known as Tuscan kale or dinosaur kale, but I will eat the curly kale when I pick it myself at my friend’s farm.

What You MUST DO When Making this Kale Winter Salad.

• Taste for salt.
• Taste for acid.
• Dress ahead.
• Remove fibrous stems.
• Chop finely.
• Eat Plenty

Sweet Potato Kale Apple with Warmed Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

Tuscan Kale Salad, Raisins, Almonds, Pecorino, Lemony Dressing

Chopped Kale with Toasted Almonds

Kale Salad with Cider Maple Vinaigrette

More Kale Salads

More Salads from Spinach Tiger

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Kale's Winter Salad with Walnut Viniagrette

A winter's kale salad with pomegranite, shaved brussels sprouts and walnut viniagrette.

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 bunch kale
• 4-8 brussels sprouts depending on size and your decision
• 1 pomegranate
• 1/4 cup toasted walnuts
• salt
• pepper

Walnut Vinaigrette

• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons good balsamic vinegar or champagne vinegar
• 3 tablespoons walnut oil
• 3 tablespoons olive oil or use all walnut oil
• squeeze of lemon

Instructions

• Wash, dry and trim kale, removing stem. Finely chop to about one inch pieces.
• Wash dry and holding the end of the brussels sprout, slice thinly.
• Roll pomegranate on counter to all sides, slice through skin and remove arils.
• Toast walnut for approximately five minutes at 375 degrees. Chop coarsely.
• Toss kale and brussels sprouts with vinaigrette.
• Add pomegranate and nuts.

walnut vinaigrette

• Mix mustard and vinegar together until well incorporated.
• Slowly add oil.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Add lemon if you need more acid.

Notes

Notes for Substitutions
Replace pomegranate with blueberries and apples.
Replace walnut oil with olive oil.
Replace walnuts with pumpkin seeds.

The post Kale Winter Salad with Walnut Vinaigrette appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Summer is the time for sweet, juicy, tangy food and, of course, salads. While this is a very simple salad, of honey baked goat cheese, greens, arugula, and summer fruit, there are nuances that must be noted. A good salad must have a proper balance of fat, acid and salt, the ingredients must be fresh and the greens must be washed and dried properly. Get these things right and you can make a thousand good salads.

I grew up eating salad every night at every dinner, so it’s easy for me, but I realize that’s not the case for everyone. Luckily, there is a video of this salad, that I taped for the Williamson Source and that should be up the week of the 23rd. You can watch me make this very easy dressing using products from a local olive oil store very close to home, Olivia Olive Oil. If you live in the Nashville area, you must visit the store. You can taste everything, and there is a wide assortment of amazing olive oils and vinegars.

Olivia’s lemon zest olive oil and Olivia’s blackberry with red pepper vinegar come together to sing a summer song of sweet and tart and marry so well with the honey-baked goat cheese.

Spring greens mixed with arugula is a combination of fragile greens that can wilt easily and require very little dressing to taste good. Other types of greens such as romaine is full of water, and requires at least three times the amount of dressing. That’s not the reason I chose these types of greens. I chose a more delicate green because it’s more complimentary to the baked goat cheese, which tastes best when it’s set down into the salad warm, right before serving.

During the taping, Donna the host and I got into a conversation about the cook putting the dressing on the salad for the guests. I’m a firm believer of making the salad and tossing it. There’s no dressing on the side around here. The salad simply won’t taste as good, if it’s not properly tossed in the kitchen.

As I mentioned above, salad really requires balance of acid, fat and salt. It might take some practice to get this balance right, but once you do, I’ll bet you that more people will eat salad in your house. We eat salad with every single dinner. I grew up that way and for me, a meal isn’t complete without a salad.

Honey Baked Goat Cheese with Blackberry Lemon Vinaigrette

When an olive oil and a vinegar is high quality, a good vinaigrette is fairly easy to make. The blackberry red pepper vinegar is sweet and almost drinkable. That means that the ratio of vinegar to olive oil is going to be lower than a more acidic vinegar. In this case, we almost used a one to two olive oil to vinegar ratio. A 1 to 3 or 1 to 4 is more typical. Another reason I wanted more vinegar is to balance the sweetness of the berries and the goat cheese.

A fun garnish for the salad was a bit of shaved white chocolate. While not completely necessary, it’s a nice touch, as is a sprinkling of fresh mint. I used strawberries, but on the day of the taping we used raspberries along with blackberries. You could use any fruit you like, but blackberries are in season right now and a delicacy. I like to eat them in everything.

Some Tips for Making Salad and Vinaigrette

• Do not wash fruit or lettuces until ready to use. If you do, make sure they are completely dry and then wrap in paper towels before storing. Do not wash any berries before storing.
• Fragile greens need to be completely dry before applying a vinaigrette.
• A typical vinaigrette will be a 1 to 3 or 1 to 4 ratio vinegar to oil. Sweeter vinegars use ratio of 1 to 3 or 1 to 2. Always taste the dressing first. It should be tangy enough to wake you up, but not so tart that it’s hard to taste.
• You can make flavored olive oils by allowing an ingredient, lemon zest or basil, for example to sit in the oil for a few hours.
• Add Dijon mustard or honey to a vinaigrette. It will help to emulsify (come together and stay together).
• Add in a sprinkling of fresh herbs on top of the salad just before serving.
• Toss fragile greens and season before adding in toppings, especially delicate fruit such as berries. Use as little dressing as possible, because you can always add in more. Season with salt and pepper. Taste again, then decide if more dressing is needed.

This is perfect salad for a July 4th celebration. If taking it to a party, keep the goat cheese, fruit and dressing separate. Fix it at the party; otherwise it will melt. Perfect for someone who wants something sweet, yet healthy. You could consider this your dessert.

More Salads from Spinach Tiger

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Red White and Blue Honey Baked Goat Cheese Salad with Blackberry Lemon Vinaigrette

A perfect summer salad with baked goat cheese and a tangy blackberry vinaigrette.

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 8 cups assorted spring greens and arugula
• 1 cup of Berries Blackberries, Raspberries, Strawberries
• 6 slices of goat cheese
• 6 teaspoons honey
• 1 ounce white chocolate for garnish
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 5 tablespoons blackberry vinaigrette

Blackberry Lemon Vinaigrette

• 10 tablespoons lemon olive oil can use regular olive oil see notes
• 5 tablespoons blackberry red pepper vinegar can use balsamic, see notes
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Wash and rinse greens and arugula. Use a salad spinner or paper towels to dry.
• Wash fruit, only right before using.
• Place sliced goat cheese on parchment paper. Drizzle each with up to a teaspoon of honey. You may not use all of it, just enough to cover.
• Bake goat cheese until golden brown, 15-20 minutes.
• Assemble greens, first and toss with viniagrette. Use just enough to glisten the greens. Season green with salt and pepper. Toss again.
• Arrange berries on the salad.
• Place goat cheese on salad right before serving. Season once more with freshly ground black pepper.

Blackberry Lemon Vinaigrette

• If you have Olivia lemon olive oil and blackberry red pepper vinegar, mix vinegar with mustard first and then pour oil in jar. Give a good shake. Taste. You can decide then if you want to add in more vinegar or more oil. Vinaigrette should be sweet and tangy.

Notes

You can make an alternative blackberry lemon vinaigrette as follows:
10 tablespoons olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup blackberries and 2 tablespoons honey preserves
1 teaspoon dijon mustard

Mix blackberries with honey and blend well in food processor. Strain.
Mix mustard with vinegar and blackberry juice. Add lemon juice. Stream in olive
oil. Shake well.

The post Honey Baked Goat Cheese Salad with Blackberry Lemon Vinaigrette appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

If you need to have the perfect salad to offset a spicy Indian dinner, a grilled nectarine (or peach) salad with peachy vinaigrette and toasted almonds is perfect. Perfect because the juicy, sweetness of the fruit and the boost of flavor from the blue cheese works well with any rich, fatty food or spicy food. You can use nectarines or peaches, because they are practically the same fruit.

The difference between nectarines and peaches is basically the peach fuzz. Nectarines carry a recessive (no fuzz) gene and this is how nectarines have come to be. Did you know that sometimes a peach tree will produce a nectarine fruit and sometimes a nectarine tree will produce a few fuzzy peaches.

I intended this to be just a peach trio, but I planted a nectarine tree, and to my great surprise I got fruit the first year, against all odds and bad conditions. Armed with peaches and nectarines for my challenge, I made everything and took it to a dinner party where my neighbors, who are from India, were making Tandori chicken, Rice byriani and a very spicy green chile yogurt sauce. It was all delicious, and at the end of the night, hardly a bite of food remained.

This Peach salad was the star of the entire evening, even beating my peach tart and amazing skillet blueberry cobbler, not to mention the seconds and thirds of chicken and rice that people were eating. This salad was so good, that we all found ourselves fighting over the last few bites using our fingers to grab pieces out of the main bowl.

How to Grill Nectarines and Peaches.

The first thing I had to decide was how to cut the fruit. Keeping the skin on, I made knife cuts across the fruit all the way around and pulled each ring off. This results in beautiful pieces that have that gorgeous red ring in the center. I brushed them with a a mixture of olive oil and chile paste for a little zing and grilled at high heat about four minutes a side (you may have to do less, depending on the fruit). The recipe for grilling fruit is here.

Assembling the Salad

The most important thing in a salad is getting the dressing right and premixing. Nothing irks me more than to go to a nice restaurant and be served a salad with a dressing on the side. A salad must be tossed thoroughly with dressing, but not to much dressing, so it takes practice to get it right. I am absolutely adamant that a salad will never be as good with dressing on the side as a tossed salad, and I always toss my salad about twenty minutes ahead of the dinner.

Enjoy this peach salad with blue cheese and a peach vinaigrette at your next barbecue or along side a spicy chili.

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Grilled Nectarine or Peach Salad with Blue Cheese, Toasted Almonds, Peach Vinaigrette

A peachy salad with blue cheese, grilled fruit, perfect alone or as a side for a spicy dish.

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 peaches or nectarines
• chili paste
• 1 head Romaine lettuce
• 1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds
• 1 – 2 ounces of crumbled blue cheese
• grilled peaches found here

Peach Vinaigrette

• 1/4 cup mimosa champagne vinegar can use white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon peach jam or jelly
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup lemon olive oil can use regular olive oil
• sea salt
• freshly ground back pepper

Instructions

• Grill nectarines or peaches. If you don’t have a grill, place under broiler on high for five minutes.

Peach Vinaigrette

• Mix together vinegar, mustard and jelly. If you don’t have peach preserves or jam, you can use fresh peach slices, grilled first.
• Mix peach preserves with vinegar and mustard. Mix in mini blender.
• Slowly add the olive oil, while whisking, or put all in jar and shake.

Assemble Salad

• Wash and dry romaine lettuce. Tear into pieces about 2 inches or bite size.
• Mix lettuce with crumbled blue cheese and most of toasted almonds, saving both a little bit of blue cheese and almonds for garnish on top.
• Add dressing, just enough to wet the lettuce, using hands.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Arrange grilled fruit on top with a little crumbled blue cheese and toasted almonds.
• Serve.

Notes

Note: This salad is also delicious served at room temperature and is great for taking to a pot luck or dinner. Dress salad, and garnish with fruit, cheese and nuts right before serving.

The post Grilled Peach Salad with Blue Cheese, Toasted Almonds, Peach Vinaigrette appeared first on Spinach Tiger.