Day 13: Blackened Chicken Salad

 A girls gotta take advantage of warm days in December. So, grilled chicken it is! 

I wanted lots of variety in today's salad, so I picked lettuce from three different spots in our hoop building. 

For some extra crunch, I added some purple kale. Green onions are a must. Then, because this salad has a Mexican taste, I grabbed some fresh cilantro. Carrots were already picked and ready to use, and cherry tomatoes came out of the freezer, roasted for 15 minutes at 400 degrees. But you could use fresh cherry tomatoes, too.

I had to buy the avocado. You can't win them all.

Blackened Chicken Salad

4 chicken breasts

1 tsp paprika

1 1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp cumin 

2 T olive oil

1/4 lb assorted lettuce (about 4 cups), washed and chopped

1/2 c cherry tomatoes

2 green onions

4-5 stems cilantro

4 yellow carrots, chopped

2 avocados, chopped

tortilla strips, optional

shredded cheddar cheese, optional (but always at our house)

1. Preheat grill.

2. Mix together in a large bowl the paprika, garlic powder, smoked paprika, cumin, and olive oil.

3. Add the chicken to the spice mixture and cover chicken thoroughly.

4. Place chicken on preheated grill. Grill chicken for 7-9 minutes per side, cooking to an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

5. Meanwhile, combine the lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cilantro, carrots, and avocado. 

6. Remove chicken from grill. Allow to rest 2-3 minutes, then slice into strips. 

7. Serve on top of lettuce, with your favorite salad dressing. (Catalina is my go-to for this salad.) Add tortilla strips and shredded cheese, if so desired.

Day 13: Blackened Chicken Salad

You Eat With Your Eyes Salad

Day 3 of the Salad Spree features of a rainbow kale salad. 

Maggie said this is the prettiest salad I've ever made. Katie called it a veggie charcuterie board. John called it baby food salad. 

You win some, you lose some.

This salad is based on this recipe from loveandlemons.com. Kind of sounds like love 'em or leave 'em, which is how most people feel about kale: you either love it or hate it. The secret to kale is to soften it before you eat it. Kale prefers to have the salad dressing put on ahead of time, and will maintain that nice crunch in its leaves. And kale is good for you -- actually helps provide calcium, iron, and potassium to your diet. 

This salad had a few new ingredients to our household, including raw beets, roasted chickpeas, and pepitas. But, it sure looked pretty! The full list of ingredients for our version are as follows: purple kale, red beets, orange carrots, yellow carrots, purple carrots, watermelon radish, sunflower seeds, avocado (had to buy that), pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries, and roasted chickpeas.

Except... the salad dressing. I dont know if it's because I had to use a food processor instead of a blender. I don't know if it's because I didn't cook the carrots enough. But the carrot ginger dressing looked more like carrot baby food. Tasted great, especially after we added 1/4 cup of orange juice to try to thin it out. But a little gloppy.

Still, the variations in flavors and textures made this salad really yummy. It's definitely on the make-again list.

You Eat With Your Eyes Salad

Salad 1: Kale and cilantro

We love it when people ask us what to do with the veggies we sell. Since we have so many types of salad greens this time of year, We thought we should post some salad recipes. So, I will post a new recipe every day for the next week, starting with a kale salad and homemade vinaigrette.

Ingredients:

1 pound of kale

2 green onions

5 cilantro sprigs

1/3 cup apple juice

1/3 cup vinegar

1/3 oil, olive oil or canola

1/2 cup sugar

2 T soy sauce

In a saucepan, combine the apple juice, oil, vinegar, sugar and soy sauce. Whisk together over high heat. Bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Wash the kale, cilantro and green onions. Rough chop the kale and dice the cilantro and onions. Mix in a large bowl.

Pour the dressing over the greens.

Optional: Top the salad with crushed toasted dry ramen noodles.

Salad 1: Kale and cilantro

It has been a long winter.......

With school kicking into high gear, 2 new sets of standards for 5 grades, 2 brand new curriculum series for 2 subjects at 5 grade levels, posting to my website has been a challenge and honestly haven't had time. If I did have time, I usually filled it with something else that had to be done! Well this is what we have been doing this winter. Due to school and a very late spring, everything got pushed back last fall and we didn't get crops in the ground as soon as I would have liked. Therefore I paid the price. I don't have as much produce this winter. That was a double edged sword. Less produce meant, I was unable to do our online market, less winter income. However, I am thankful that we don't have much produce available because we have had a little more family time and I haven't had to run myself ragged to get everything done. Also with the winter we have had so far, I probably would have been more upset with loosing crops. So in the end it all worked out! We have had enough produce to supply the winter market we attend in Manhattan. We got enough planted to make a nice big display and I feel as if I am the largest locally grown produce vendor in the winter there. If I had all 6 high tunnels in production right now, I know I would say I was. Well I try to take a picture at each market before anyone shows up to buy. Sometimes they are good, sometimes I am an in a big hurry! Here is what our winter market offering have looked like this winter. November 2nd November 23rd December 7th December 21st The day following this market, I got sick and eventually was diagnosed with walking pneumonia, needless to say it was a very uneventful Christmas break! January 4th February 7th We still have 3 more winter markets. I am hoping to plant a few things to try and attend the last two. We will be out of town for the next market in February. Winter markets have been very good for us, it is just a challenge to get everything harvested and processed when there is snow on the ground or freezing temps. It is a challenge that I am use to. I just wish I was able to afford to build a nice indoor packing facility!

It has been a long winter.......

Red Russian Kale and Red Onion Savory Breakfast Squares Recipe

1 bunch Red Russian Kale, chopped, or use any other variety of kale
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced (1/2 tsp. teaspoon minced garlic)
1/2 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. Tamari or other soy sauce
1 C grated cheese (I used mozarella, colby and white cheddar from the Wiebe Dairy)
1/4 cup 100% whole wheat bread crumbs (optional; I've made this successfully without the bread crumbs)
6 eggs, beaten well

6 strips of bacon, crumbled (optional)


Preheat oven to 350F. Cut off kale stems and discard, then wash kale leaves and dry well. (I used a salad spinner.) Pile kale leaves up on top of each other and cut into strips about 3/4 inch wide, then turn cutting board the other way and cut again so you have squares just under an inch square. Chop onion into pieces about 1/2 inch.

Heat olive oil in large heavy frying pan, then add onions and saute 3 minutes. Add garlic and saute about 2 more minutes, then add kale, turning over as it wilts and sauteeing about 5 minutes, or until kale is significantly wilted and softened.

Put sauteed vegetables into large bowl and add Tamari, cheese, bread crumbs, beaten eggs. Stir gently until ingredients are well distributed. Spray a 13 by 9 pan with olive oil or nonstick spray and pour in egg mixture. Bake 20-25 minutes until eggs are well set and the top is lightly browned. Serve hot. This is good with low-fat sour cream or salsa.

Source: http://www.kalynskitchen.com

Red Russian Kale and Red Onion Savory Breakfast Squares Recipe

Salad Bar

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