Kale Salad with Cashew Pesto

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup cooked quinoa
1 bunch of kale
1 cup cooked butternut squash
1/4 red onion 
1 avocado

Pesto:
2 cups cilantro, packed
1/2 cup cashews
4 cloves garlic
1/2 cup olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
1 lime, juiced
pinch red pepper flakes

Directions:
Cook the quinoa, per the instructions on the box. Make the pesto: combine cilantro, cashews and garlic in a food processor. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Season with salt, pepper, lime juice and red pepper flakes. Blend until smooth and creamy. Combine the warm quinoa, chopped kale, butternut squash, red onion, avocado and pesto. Mix well with a big spoon and season to taste with salt and pepper, if necessary.

Shrimp, Lime and Avocado Salad

In honor of my new sistaaa (most gorg bride ever) and a toast to her birthday last week, I wanted to share with you one of her delicious recipes! A few months ago she hosted a dinner party and it was perfection! This ceviche like salad is hearty enough to serve on its own, or as a side dish. I have done my best to recreate it at least five times since then. It would even be a great filling for a fish taco! SO many options, so tasty, you really can't go wrong! Thanks Mo, Happy birthday xoxo

Ingredients:
1 lb jumbo cooked shrimp, chopped 

1 medium tomato, diced

1 hass avocado, diced

1 jalapeno, seeds removed, diced fine

1/4 cup chopped red onion

2 limes, juice of

1 tsp EVOO

1 tbsp chopped cilantro

salt and fresh pepper to taste

Directions:

In a small bowl combine red onion, lime juice, EVOO and salt & pepper to taste. In a larger serving bowl, combine the shrimp, avocado, tomato and jalapeno. Combine all ingredients together. Adjust salt and pepper as needed. Chill in refrigerator for about 30 min for flavors to settle. Garnish with cilantro and serve! 

Shaved & Shredded Salad

Wasn't the first day of Spring was just lovely? I had lunch in the sun, got in a nice run, hung with my Momma! No complaints from this little lady. Well, aside from the six "detox" emails in my inbox this morning. Listen Gwyneth, not all of us have to face bikini season in the South of France, so a tri-weekly juice diet sounds a tad aggressive. And if you live in SF, and you're laying in Fort Mason in a bikini, I am judging you. However, I do appreciate some hearty greens to get you feeling back to neutral. Even if it's washed down with a glass of buttery chard... don't worry, I'm sure you've earned it :)


Ingredients:
large bunch of tuscan kale, shredded
1 bag of pre-shredded brussel sprouts
1 avocado
1/2 cup shaved almonds
1/4 cup shaved pecorino or parmesan

Dressing:
Juice of two lemons
1 tbs dijon mustard
1 tbs minced shallot
2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup EVOO
Salt & Pepper to taste

Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a mini-food processor, blend. Depending on how heavy you like your dressing, add more EVOO and lemon juice. Massage the kale until bright green. Combine with the brussel sprouts. Top the greens with avocado, almonds and pecorino. Dress and serve!

Italian Chop Chop

So I mentioned here, that even the most anti-kalers will get on board. Probably not the case if you try to serve it three times in one week. By the fourth, I was vetoed and had to scramble for what turned out to be a new dinner staple. What's better than an old school italian chop chop? Most of the ingredients are usually lying around or in your pantry, and it can be served as a side or a main dish. 

Ingredients:
3 heads of romaine lettuce
2 roma tomatoes
8 oz fresh mozzarella
4 oz italian dry salami
1/2 red onion
1/2 cup kalamata olives
1/2 cup chopped pepperoncinis
1 Tbs fresh italian parsley

Dressing:
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup EVOO
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:
Wash and dry the romaine lettuce. Chop it up in thin strips, horizontally. Continue to chop the rest of the ingredients and combine in large bowl. Toss all of the dressing ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Pour over the salad and toss. Adjust seasonings as needed. Garnish with a fresh bread or these twists.

Kale Avocado Salad

Ya, ya we know, kale is all the rage these days. Salads, smoothies, soups...everyone is getting their fix. Took me a while to get on board, but I finally found a recipe that even the most anti-kalers will love. It's a word, trust me. I think my recipe tester was finally sold when I mentioned that kale doesn't get soggy overnight with dressing. Fun fact :) The key is massaging the kale, yes I just told you to massage your food. It completely changes the texture and taste. So get out there and get handsy with some kale. 

Ingredients:

For the Dressing:
1 ripe avocado

Juice of 1.5 lemons

1/3 cup of olive oil

2 Tbs cilantro or basil

Salt and pepper to taste

Salad:

1 bunch of dino kale

1 can of corn

1 basket of cherry tomatoes
1 avocado
1/2 cup of slivered almonds
1/4 cup shaved parmesan

Directions:
Combine all of the ingredients for the dressing in a food processor. Taste and adjust as needed. I've found adding more EVOO and lemon juice helps to thin it out if the avocado wasn't very ripe. Set aside and start to prep the kale. Wash and dry the kale well. Lightly massage the kale until it is bright green. Add corn, tomatoes, almonds and sliced avocado. Toss in the dressing and top with shaved parmesan. 

Mini Caprese Salad

Prep Time: 15 min

Level: easy

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

1 lemon juiced

1 small clove garlic, minced

1 cup basil leaves

1/3 cup evoo

1 pint heirloom cherry tomatoes, mutlicolored if available, halved

1 cup bocconcini(bite-sized fresh mozarella balls), drained, halved

salt and freshly group black pepper

Directions:

Combine lemon juice, garlic, basil in food processor or blender, process and stream in evoo to form a smooth dressing. Combine tomatoes, cheese and dressing in a bowl and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish with a few torn basil leaves.
Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray