Legumes are in the vegetable family, with common members being chickpeas, black/red/kidney beans, green beans, black-eyed peas, soybeans and lentils. They’re called ‘powerhouse foods,’ with lentils being especially well-regarded. Nutrition-wise, lentils are an excellent source of protein, loaded with potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron and fiber, and a great resource for vegetarians, or folks sensitive to gluten. They’re…
kale
Kale Salad with Sweet Chili Dressing
All Hail Kale! Yes, it’s time for another kale salad, and this one celebrates the hearty crop of kale in my garden. Hubby and I are pleased with our ability to grow kale and, for first-time Florida gardeners, it’s one of our big successes. Look how beautiful it is: Unlike some near-misses and shear disasters…
Kale and Cashew Salad with Miso Dressing
My recent trip to Napa Valley was not only an inspiring culinary adventure, it was simply a beautiful experience overall. Napa has been on my and my husband’s list of places to visit for some time, and we’re so happy that our friends’ wedding was the catalyst to get us there! Travel offers many benefits,…
Warm Barley, Kale & Date Salad
I was working furiously at my desk this morning, only to realize that my tummy was growling because it was almost 1:00 and I had nothing prepared for lunch! Plus, I anticipated my artist hubby coming out of his studio any minute, eagerly asking “what’s for lunch?”, so I had to get something in gear…
Portuguese-Style Fish Stew
When I was a kid my family regularly visited my grandparents in Fall River, Massachusetts — a city known for not only textile manufacturing, but also, a unique culinary history. It all started in the late 1800s, when the Fall River and New Bedford areas attracted Portuguese folks from the Azores seeking work in the…
Quinoa & Kale Cakes
During a recent “let’s eat kale every day” kick at our house, I tried several ways of preparing kale. Some recipes were winners (like this one); others were, well, not winners. I have a pretty easy gauge for determining if a recipe is good or not. Whenever my hubby says “this is interesting. . .but…
Citrus & Kale Salad with Garlicky Orange Dressing
So I bought some beautiful Minneola oranges recently and hubby and I have been eating them like they’re going out of style. That can’t be bad, right? Anyway, in an effort to incorporate more citrus into our daily salad regimen (that’s right, we eat lots of salads during our busy workdays at home!), I came…
Kale with Peanut Dressing & Strawberries
With all the attention kale is getting these days, I’ve been eating lots of it, especially in salads. I like trying new combinations at home, and I especially like to order kale salads in restaurants to taste someone else’s inspiration — some have really been great, some haven’t, but it’s always a surprise. Recently I…
Kale & Quinoa with Cilantro Pesto
Today I had a lot of projects to get done and I simply lost track of time, so when I realized it was 6:00 pm and I hadn’t even started dinner, my “starving” husband got nervous. Gosh, even the cats looked hungry. I did remind my dear hubby that he was pretty adept in the…
Lemony Pasta, Kale & Crunchy Walnuts
Are you one of those people (like me) who love to toss several types of ingredients (crunchy, chewy, soft, sweet, spicy, salty, etc.) into a dish and see what happens? This recipe does just that. It’s adapted from Curtis Stone’s “Linguine with Kale, Lemon and Walnuts” in Food & Wine. I modified the recipe by using…