kitchen sink kale salad

i don't have much to say about this salad other than that you should make it. tonight!

kitchen sink kale salad
from the organic kitchen

3 cups thinly shredded lacinato kale (bunch up leaves into a tight ball and cut into very thin strips)

1 cup grated carrots

1/2 cup super thinly sliced fennel

roasted vegetables (recipe below): 1 yam, 1/2 eggplant, 1 onion

1 tablespoon each: sesame seeds, shredded unsweetened coconut, toasted pine nuts

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

optional: dried cranberries, roasted walnuts or almonds, apples

to make the roasted vegetables: preheat oven to 375F. chop up the yam and eggplant into tiny cubes. place on a well-oiled baking sheet. spread out, salt and pepper, and bake for 30 minutes until caramelized and slightly crispy.

to roast the onion, slice it into thin strips. place on a smaller baking sheet and toss with 1 tsp olive oil, 1 tsp balsamic vinegar, and 1 tsp water. salt and pepper. cover with some tin foil and bake for 30 minutes with the yams and eggplant. when the yams and eggplant are done, remove the tin foil from the onions and bake another 30 minutes uncovered.

while the vegetables are roasting, throw together the rest of the ingredients in a big salad bowl. slice the kale into the thinnest strips you possibly can! this is key, as the smaller the strips, the better they will absorb the dressing. add in the grated carrots, fennel, sesame seeds, coconut, garlic, and toasted pine nuts. you can also add in dried fruit, fresh fruit, or nuts/beans if you have them on hand. give it a good toss.

when the roasted vegetables are cool, add them in. toss in some balsamic vinegar and a little more olive oil if it feels too dry. salt and pepper to taste. enjoy!

labor-intensive-but-totally-worth-it polenta pizza

warning: this is not a weeknight kind of pizza. this is a "lazy sunday afternoon and i have some time to kill and some laundry to do and some reruns of parenthood to watch" kind of pizza. this is a "i'm having friends over and want to impress them with how creative and unconventional i can be in the kitchen but i'm also afraid to take too too much of a risk" kind of pizza. this is the kind of pizza that people ooo and aaah at, if only because it never occurred to them before that you could make a pizza dough out a polenta. (and have it taste good!). this is a pizza you should make time for next weekend. neglect your laundry all week, clear an afternoon, and get ready to experience a whole new kind of pizza (crust). 

you'll need about 3 hours altogether to make this pizza, but it's not like slaving over a risotto for 3 hours. here are the steps: 

1. make the polenta. 
2. refrigerate the polenta. 
3. bake the polenta. 
4. add pizza toppings and bake some more. 

the crust comes out deliciously herby and crunchy, and depending on how thick or thin you like your crust, you can save some of the leftover polenta and make this incredible polenta casserole later in the week.  

polenta pizza

from terry walter’s clean start

for the crust:

3 cups vegetable stock

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

Freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

11/4 cups polenta

for the topping:

1-2 cups tomato sauce (fresh or canned)

2 zucchinis, sliced

1 red pepper, diced

1 orange pepper, diced

1 bunch kale, washed and cut into thin strips

1 cup shredded cheese (your choice!)

start by making the crust. over high heat, bring stock to boil. reduce heat to medium and add salt, basil, oregano, parsley, pepper and olive oil. whisking continuously, pour in polenta and continue whisking for 5 to 7 minutes until smooth and thick. pour into a 11 x 7 baking pan and spread evenly over bottom of each pan. you may have some polenta leftover, depending on how thick you like your curst. cool slightly and then refrigerate for 30 minutes.

preheat oven to 350°F and place baking sheet on middle rack. remove polenta from refrigerator, sprinkle pizza stone or baking sheet with cornmeal, transfer polenta to stone or baking sheet and bake 40 minutes. remove from oven and set aside.



prepare your toppings. sauté zucchinis and peppers in some olive oil for a few minutes. add in the kale. season with salt and pepper to taste.

assemble your pizza by spreading a thin layer of tomato sauce on top of the polenta, leaving a 1/2 inch edge. spread the vegetables across evenly. top with cheese.

bake for 15 minutes, or until cheese is melty. let cool 5 minutes, then slice and dig in.