Thai Kale Salad

Thai-Inspired Kale and Carrot Salad

Thai Kale Salad

Last week, I participated as a featured food blogger (woo!) in a kale-centric event at kor180, an indoor cycling and pilates studio in downtown Austin. It was a blast! I demo-ed one of my recipes, met a ton of awesome members of the Austin fitness and cooking community, and generally had a great time.

Obviously I was jazzed to attend a party ALL ABOUT KALE, and also unsurprisingly, I put an Asian twist on my salad recipe. What can I say? Sometimes I’m pretty predictable. In this case it was a good thing, as my recipe turned out really well, if I do say so myself. It’s crunchy, salty, sour, a little sweet, and a little spicy. Plus it’s veeeerrry easy to make and totally good for you. What’s not to love?!

Thai-Inspired Kale and Carrot Salad

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Brussels Sprouts Caesar Salad

Brussels Sprout Caesar Salad

Brussels Sprouts Caesar Salad

There’s a cute place in Austin’s Manor neighborhood called the Salty Sow. Their slogan is “swine + wine + beer” so clearly I’m on board. (I love Salty Sow so much that I actually wrote a bit about them in an ES post last summer!) This head-to-tail gastropub specializes in all things porky and meaty, of course, but surprisingly one of my favorite things on their menu is a salad! Go figure.

This isn’t just any salad, though. It starts with brussels sprouts, always a winner in my book, and makes them into a take on the Caesar salad, topped with dried cranberries and candied almonds. It’s salty, savory, slightly crispy, and just a tad bit sweet. My mouth is seriously watering just thinking about it.

I loved this salad so much that I begged the recipe out of ’em, and now I want all of you to experience its magic.

Brussels Sprouts Caesar Salad

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Watermelon Ricotta Salad

Watermelon, Olive and Homemade Ricotta Salad

Watermelon Ricotta Salad

I don”t like Labor Day weekend that much. Weird, right? I mean, three-day weekends are the best and all. But to me, Labor Day signifies the end of summer and I love summer! I don”t want it to end! Luckily here in Texas your typical “summer” weather lasts from about April-October. Still though, the fact that September is coming is stressing me out—I feel like I have to cram in as much summer fun and flavor as possible.

One of my very favorite summertime foods is watermelon. I”m obsessed. It”s obviously delicious and refreshing on its own, but I”ve also gotten really into using it as a component in more savory recipes. I always love a good watermelon and feta salad, but here”s something even better. Our friends at Pompeian sent over a recipe for a savory watermelon salad with olives and homemade ricotta. Game changer! If you”re looking for a unique side for your last barbecue of the summer (sob!) I think this would do the trick.

Watermelon, Olive, & Homemade Ricotta Salad

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Kale Avocado Salad

Healthy Decadence: Kale and Avocado Salad

Kale Avocado Salad

We’re deep into my salad season right now. You know that time of year – it’s so hot and sticky outside that I barely have an appetite after being out in the sun, and the last thing I feel like doing is standing over the stove. These are the days where a giant bowl of cool, fresh greens is the perfect light dinner. Added bonus: you’re eating super healthfully, meaning you won’t feel bloated and gross after your meal and you won’t dread wearing a tanktop in public. Win-win!

This recipe actually wasn’t created by me (gasp!) – it’s adapted from one courtesy of Saveur. Normally I wouldn’t bother following someone else’s recipe for a salad, for goodness’ sake, but this particular one popped up in one of my weekly Saveur email newsletters and I just couldn’t resist. After all, kale and avocado are two of my favorite foods. This dish is super, super simple, but it really doesn’t need anything extra. The luxurious creaminess of the avocado feels decadent enough to make this whole salad a treat, and the fresh citrus juices and soy are a lovely complement. It’s safe to say that I’ll be eating this a LOT for the rest of the summer… and beyond.

Kale and Avocado Salad

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Artsy Salad of the Day

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The best salads have fried food in them.

Egg roll salad. East Side King. Austin, TX

Salad, Please…Hold the Lettuce

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As this is my first post of 2013 I’ve brought all of you a special gift: 15 more pounds of me! This is in addition to the extra 6 pounds that I gained LAST year during the holidays. I don’t know what comes over me but during the last 6 weeks of the year I go on an eating, drinking and cooking bender that always results in a resolution of diet and exercise. Except that last year I never dropped the 6 new pounds which means that I am now 21 pounds heavier than I was in 2011.

But fear not ESers, this isn’t going to turn into a diet column anytime soon. I’m simply going to apply the M word to my daily intake and consume food in realistic proportions. From now on, whenever I make a pie I will divide it into equal pieces and down a SINGLE slice instead of just grabbing a fork and eating until the pan is empty. The same goes for pasta. A one-pound bag used to be my normal portion but from now on I will make sure that I get at least 4 servings out of each package. Preferably at 4 different meals!

I will even DRINK in moderation. I’ve cut my alcohol consumption down to 3 days a week instead of 3 times a day. No more shot-and-a-beer breakfasts during the week. From now on it’ll be…uh…whatever everyone else normally has for breakfast! I probably won’t even need the aspirins anymore. I could actually start taking real vitamins instead of telling everyone that my aspirins are vitamins.

OK, wait a minute here. Let’s start with baby steps. I’m going to need food that tastes good and fills me up so that I can stop eating like a termite with a tapeworm. Some healthy side dishes that will help me moderate my serving portions. Something fresh and clean like an oriental cucumber salad, but with more than just cucumbers. Something – like this:

Katt’s Cucumber, Onion and Bell Pepper Salad

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Burns My Bacon: What the Frisee?

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Am I the only one who thinks there is no worse food crime than being served a salad—or worse, a piece of meat—and having it arrive topped with mounds of frisee? What is the deal with this stuff? It tastes like shoving a handful of dried-out grass into your mouth, yet somehow it keeps showing up on more and more menus. And instead of hiding it underneath something tasty, chefs seem to want to build piles and piles of it on top of a dish, as if we might enjoy digging through this crap to get to the real food.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m no salad-hater, but as far as I’m concerned, this blander-than-bland weed makes iceberg look like hen-of-the-woods.

Are you with me?

(Photo: Stu Spivack)

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