Raw Kale and Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese

My latest go-to salad. I know kale can be intimidating and texturally tough-looking, but after a brief marinade in some kind of acid (fresh lemon juice, or pomegranate vinegar in this case), it's just as crisp and tender as butter lettuce. Roasted beets are a great sweet balance to the tart kale leaves, and fresh chèvre rounds it all out.


HOW TO:

Wash beets well. Try to use fresh ones, i.e. not loose, tennis ball sized or smaller. Dry, cut off the tops, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Place them in a foil packet and bake for about 45 minutes at 375-400ºF. Remove beets from the foil, fork-test to make sure they are tender, and set aside to cool. Wash and soak kale, removing the tough main stem in the process. Dry the leaves well (hellooo handy salad spinner that I finally caved and bought) and chop into bite-ish sized pieces.

For the marinade, whisk together the juice of half to one lemon, a slightly greater amount of olive oil, salt and pepper. Add a little honey if the dressing tastes too tart. Throw in the chopped kale and toss to make sure all the leaves are coated. Let sit for 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile, peel the cooled beets - the skin should come off easily just by rubbing. Cut them small chunks, and toss with a little lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Bring the salad together by plating the kale and beets, and crumbling some fresh goat cheese on top.

Penne with Eggplant, Sausage, and Kale

My solution for a "quick" Monday meal. It's pretty close to a one pot dish. I guess it's technically two if you count the one needed to cook the pasta. It's vegetable heavy with two large eggplants and a whole bunch of kale. The spicy Italian sausage rounds it all out. The pasta makes for great leftovers, particularly when baked with mozzarella and topped with breadcrumbs and parmesan. Actually, now that I think about it, it's probably better the second time around. 

HOW TO:

Sauté garlic and onion with olive oil in a large pot. When lightly caramelized, throw in the sausage and cook through. Add the diced eggplant, stir to coat, and cook until they are just beginning to soften. Add crushed tomatoes and simmer until fragrant. Finally, throw in the chopped kale around the same time that the pasta starts cooking. When the pasta is just al dente, stir the pasta into the sauce, adding some pasta water if necessary. Cook another 3 or 5 minutes and serve with parmesan.