Kale Caesar with Lime

Inspiration has always been the main drive behind my food blog. It could be a meal that I have tried at a family or friend’s house, a new dish that I have ordered at a restaurant, or a recipe that I found in a magazine, online or on a cooking show. This is almost always the backbone to getting my creative juices flowing and wanting to add my own flavorful spin to a recipe. As with many of you, I have also found a lot of original and interesting recipes on Instagram. This is where my latest source of inspiration has come from, especially at a time when I really needed a little extra push to get back to following through with my passion for cooking.

Chef Joanna Barajas is a wellness chef and author, and online coking educator who I find to be one of the most influential and accessible online chefs today. My friend Mike (aka the Gluten-Free Paisan) directed me to her Instagram and website, and I have been following her daily posts and videos ever since. Aside from sharing recipes that include fresh and healthy ingredients, she also shares practical tips and tricks that will help steer even the most basic home cook to a better kitchen experience. As she says on her own website, “I’m about enjoying the process of cooking – not rushing it. I care about wellness. I care about living the best quality of life into my old age. I love good food, but also want to have a long, healthy life.” This has always been my own goal with cooking, so you can understand why I have an appreciation for Chef Joanna’s talents.

If you follow my social media pages, you’ll know that I recently followed Chef Joanna’s Mindful Morning Breakfast Challenge, while sharing pictures of the meals that I made. Every recipe was tasty, healthy, filling and easy to follow, and you can find those recipes, along with many of her instructional videos on her website and Instagram pages highlighted below. 

This past week, Chef Joanna shared a recipe for a Kale Caesar Salad with a lime flavored, Greek yogurt based dressing. The Greek yogurt is used in placed of raw egg, which is often used in Caesar dressing. Being a Caesar salad fan, this recipe quickly caught my attention. It was super easy to make, and everything about it worked so well. The kale and romaine blend, the zesty lime flavor, and the Greek yogurt substitute all worked harmoniously! Chef Joanna graciously allowed me to share her recipe here on my blog. Being that the recipe made a bit more dressing that I needed for my salad, I got a little creative myself by using the remaining dressing to sauté shrimp. You can find that portion of recipe further below.

Be sure to check out Chef Joanna at chefjoannas.com and at simplecookingcookingshow.com.

You can also follow Chef Joanna’s Instagram page @chefjoannas

Kale Caesar with Lime

Traditional Caesar dressing scares me because it uses raw eggs and I don’t feel comfortable serving it to everyone. But the secret here is the Greek yogurt which results in a creamy delicious dressing that tastes very close to Caesar. It’s safe so you don’t have to worry. Enjoy! (It’s all about adding more Parmesan cheese!)
– Chef Joanna

Kale Caesar

4 cups chopped fresh kale
4 cups chopped romaine lettuce
2 cups croutons
¾ cup grated Paremsan cheese

Lime Caesar Dressing

½ cup plain Greek yogurt
½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
3-4 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 tbsp. Extra-virgin olive oil
4-5 anchovies, minced 
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
¼ tsp. Salt
Pinch of black pepper
3-4 tbsp. Milk

Whisk all dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Add milk only if needed. 

Use right away, or store dressing in the fridge for 3 days. 

To make croutons, place 1 T olive oil, 1 T butter, 1 tsp minced garlic and 1-2 bread rolls cut up into cubes in a large frying pan. Heat everything and toss for a couple minutes or until bread starts to turn golden brown. Set aside until you toss the salad. 

Toss salad greens with dressing, croutons and extra Parmesan cheese. Garnish with lime wedges and a few crunchy croutons on top. 

(Can use parmesan crisps instead of croutons for keto. Bake Parmesan cheese on parchment at 350 F for 4-6 minutes or until crispy)

Dom’s Caesar Sautéed Shrimp

As I mentioned above, I am a huge fan of Caesar Salad, especially when there is some grilled or blackened chicken or shrimp added to the mix. While I was making Chef Joanna’s Kale Caesar, I decided to sauté about a dozen shrimp to add to the salad.

Because I knew that I had some additional dressing that needed to be used soon, I thought it would be fun to add a bit of the dressing to the shrimp as it cooked. There is a lot of flavor happening with the dressing, so I didn’t use any other seasonings for the shrimp. I wasn’t sure if the dressing would burn off during the cooking process, so instead of tossing the shrimp in the dressing prior to cooking them, I chose to play it safe and added two tablespoons of the dressing to the pan during the final few minutes of cooking, making sure that all of the shrimp were evenly coated. The dressing actually formed a bit of a crunchy coating on the shrimp, so timing was perfect. The shrimp looked and smelled so good, that I decided to just serve them on the side instead of adding them to the salad. I drizzled some of the remaining dressing onto the plated sautéed shrimp for extra flavor. Thanks to Chef Joanna’s inspiration, I was able to make an impromptu, tasty new recipe!

1 dozen shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tbsp canola or vegetable oil
3-4 tbsp Caesar dressing
*optional chopped flat leaf parsley for garnish
(normally I would sauté shrimp in garlic with lemon and seasonings, but there is enough flavor in the dressing so I felt that no additional ingredients were necessary)

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shrimp, cook until shrimp start to turn pink, about two minutes. Flip the shrimp, add two tablespoons of the Caesar dressing. Stir to evenly coat. Continue to cook until shrimp are fully cooked, about 2-3 minutes. Remove shrimp from pan, sprinkle with chopped parsley and drizzle with remaining dressing.

‘Tis the Season, Part 1: Everything Bagel Seasoning

During the recent COVID-19 quarantine, I was looking forward to having the opportunity to be creative in the kitchen and come up with some fun and interesting recipes to share with you. Unfortunately, like with most of you, reality had gotten in the way and grocery shopping became a strategic challenge, often leaving us with minimal ingredients available to purchase and work with. But as the old saying goes, when you have lemons, you make lemonade! 

Although this post does not feature a lemonade recipe, I would like to share with you some of my favorite seasonings that I have put to use quite often over the past months to add a little extra creative zing to some of the most basic dishes you could think of. While the seasonings that I’m about to share with you were purchased from Trader Joe’s, there are variations available in most grocery stores. But if you do find yourself at a Trader Joe’s, I highly suggest you seek out these seasoning favorites!

Because I have come up with a list of recipe suggestions, I though it would be best to break them up over two separate posts. For today’s post, I will be sharing recipes using Everything Bagel seasoning. As I mentioned above, this seasoning is available in a number brands. My favorite is Trader Joe’s Everything But the Bagel seasoning, because it has sea salt in the mix, whereas the Spice Hunter’s Everything Bagel Crunch seasoning that I also have on hand is salt-free. The remaining ingredients are the same: sesame seeds, garlic, black sesame seeds, onion and poppy seeds. Of course, adding your own sea salt is an easy adjustment to make if the salt-free brand is the only one that you can find.

When I purchased this seasoning, my first thought was, “well, I guess I’ll have to learn how to make bagels now.” But the truth is, this seasoning is very versatile and very flavorful. The seedy taste and texture can really bring out interesting new dimensions in many different dishes. 

For my first attempt at using it, I decided to stick with the dough/bread concept by adding it to the crust of a stromboli. My home made stromboli has been one of my staples for decades, so I don’t tamper with the recipe. After rolling up the dough, I give it a light hit with cooking spray and then sprinkle with Italian seasoning. The addition of  the bagel seasoning sprinkled on top really gave a nice flavor to the dough. The taste really comes into play when added to a spinach stromboli. Garlic is a great flavor booster to spinach, so the taste of the everything bagel seasoning makes for a really nice combination.

My next attempt at using the everything bagel seasoning was with oven roasted broccoli. Broccoli has always been one of our regular go-to vegetables. Instead of the usual steaming or sautéing, I wanted to give oven roasting a try. Oven roasting broccoli works best with fresh chopped broccoli. Frozen broccoli that is steamed or defrosted carries a lot of moisture, which slows down the roasting process. If you only have frozen broccoli on hand, you can defrost or steam cook it ahead of time to make it soft, but be sure to pat it dry with a paper towel before roasting. Once your broccoli is chopped and ready for the oven, simply toss it with just a bit of olive oil (enough to lightly coat all of the pieces) and sprinkle with the everything bagel seasoning. Place it on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, until the broccoli tips start to brown. Of course, you can sprinkle the seasoning on steamed or sautéed broccoli as well. But the roasting method brings out a nice nutty flavor to the broccoli. The seasoning boosts this nutty flavor all the more. Honestly, my kids have asked for second helpings when broccoli is prepared this way. Win-win!

My third favorite way to put the everything bagel seasoning to use is as a salad topper. I’ve added it to a fresh cucumber, tomato and cheese salad (feta or provolone are my two cheese suggestions), and I’ve used it as a seasoning with a grilled kale and tomato salad. Simply add the seasoning to either of these salads as you combine all ingredients and gently toss with some olive oil to evenly coat. The seasoning adds a zesty flavor to an already light and lively cucumber tomato salad drizzled with balsamic (or even better, a balsamic glaze). If you are using it for the roasted kale and tomato salad, the heat intensifies the flavor as the seeds gently roast onto the kale. My favorite method of doing this is using a grill basket, letting the seasoned kale and tomatoes roast over a medium flame until the kale starts to char. Once done, I like to add a bit more olive oil and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. It’s a summer grill-out staple in my house!

That’s where I’ve gotten so far with this fun and versatile seasoning, but I am looking forward to experimenting more with pastas, marinades and bread coatings. As I do, I will be sure to share my adventures with you.

Next week, I will be sharing more of my favorite seasoning suggestions and recipes! 

Beans and Greens Stuffed Peppers

Stuffed peppers are a very popular and hearty dish that could be prepared in a number of tasty ways. On this food blog alone, you could find quite a few stuffed pepper recipes from previous posts, including ground turkey and rice stuffed peppers, crab-stuffed bell peppers, stuffed peppers and eggs, grilled Mediterranean stuffed peppers, and Aunt Tina’s stuffed peppers recipe, which uses an old world bread style stuffing that may be my favorite stuffing recipe of all time (links to all of these recipes can be found at the end of this post).

Because I have been experimenting lately with recipes that are heart healthy, yet still bursting with flavor, I decided to use a modified version of a beans and greens recipe as pepper stuffing. Beans and greens – which is another rustic and flavorful classic – could also be prepared in a number of ways, using various ingredients. Just the greens alone could take you in a number of directions. Spinach, escarole, mustard greens, Swiss chard and broccoli rabe will all work well. I’ve selected kale as my green for this go-around, but you could substitute it with any of the above mentioned, or any other favorite leafy green of your choice. For the beans, I’m using canned garbanzo beans. Cannellinni beans (or white kidney beans) would be my second choice for this dish. If you are up to the task, you could purchase and prepare fresh garbanzo or cannellini beans, but you’ll need to set aside some time to have them ready to roll for this dish. You can check out various methods on how to prepare fresh beans by clicking here.

What I really like about this recipe is that it starts off very basic, and is accommodating to many diets. Just a few spices and seasonings are enough to give it real taste and flavor. I added some cooked quinoa to the fold, and I’ve also decided to kick things up a bit by adding some bacon to the mix and sautéeing the beans and greens in a bit of the bacon grease for some real flavor. Of course, you could eliminate the bacon portion if you do not want to add meat to the recipe. But if you are looking for some knock-down flavor, I suggest you give it a try. Shrimp would also be a nice addition if you wish.

Instead of removing the cap of the bell pepper and stuffing it from the top, I went with halving the peppers length-wise, so that the peppers could sit flat on the dish. Not only does it make for nice presentation, it also makes stuffing the pepper a bit easier…and less messy to eat!

No Peppers? No Worries!

If you are not a fan of peppers, or maybe just don’t have any on hand, I suggest you still give this stuffing recipe a try. It would work fabulously served over pasta, or even just served on its own as a warm salad.

Whichever ingredients you decide to incorporate, or whichever method you decide to serve it, I can guarantee you that this recipe will leave you stuffed and satisfied.

 

Beans and Greens Stuffed Peppers

4 bell peppers (your choice of color), cut in half length-wise with membrane and seeds removed
*4 oz pancetta, diced, or 4 slices of thick cut bacon, cut into small pieces
1 small onion, diced
1 15 oz can cannellini or garbanzo beans
8 ounces of kale (or your preference of leafy green)
olive oil (if needed)
1/4 to 1/2 cup chicken broth (if needed)
salt and pepper
shredded cheese for topping (optional)

* If you prefer not to use pancetta or bacon in this recipe, simply start by sautéeing the onion in olive oil. Other additional ingredients that would work well with this filling are cooked quinoa, rice or other grains (approximately 1/2 cup cooked). You could also sauté shrimp before adding the beans and greens to the mix.

Also, you could prepare the filling ahead of time. Simply refrigerate until ready to use.

Preheat oven to 400˚.

Sauté pancetta or bacon pieces in a large pan over medium heat until crispy and fat is rendered, about 7-10 minutes. Remove pancetta or bacon and set aside.

Add onion to rendered fat in the pan (or start with olive oil if you are not using pancetta or bacon grease), sauté until onions are soft and translucent (add additional olive oil if needed). Add beans, stir together, cook until heated.

Add the kale, stir together. You can add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of chick broth if needed, to help cook down the kale. Season with salt and pepper to taste. If you are using the pancetta or bacon, you will not need to add much additional salt for taste.

Once the kale is cooked down, add the pancetta or bacon back to the pan.

While the stuffing is heating up, prepare your peppers by slicing them in half lenght-wise and scooping out and discarding the seeds and membrane. Place the peppers in a baking dish (open side up), and carefully stuff each of the peppers with the stuffing. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Carefully remove foil, top the peppers with some shredded cheese (optional), and place back into the oven uncovered for an additional 15 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!

Previously featured Stuffed Pepper recipes:

Ground Turkey and Rice Stuffed Peppers
Crab-stuffed Bell Peppers
Stuffed Peppers and Eggs 
Grilled Mediterranean Stuffed Peppers
Aunt Tina’s Stuffed Peppers

Summer Avocado Salad

Previously, I shared with you my recipe for Avocado Egg Rolls. Inspired by the popular Cheesecake Factory appetizer, this tasty and healthy recipe has become a staple on both our party menu and our quick Saturday night dinner menu. The zesty aroma of the fresh ingredients in the filling alone is enough to make my mouth water every time I am asked to whip up a batch.

For our most recent friends gathering, I decided to switch the recipe up just a bit by eliminating the egg roll wrappers (and the time it takes to stuff and roll), and create a chunkier version of the filling to serve it as a summer salad. Now, the egg roll version may have been a hit at previous gatherings…but this new salad version will be a guarantee for many summer Condo cook-outs to come. Whether served on its own, with tortilla chips, or as a topping on grilled chicken or fish, the fresh ingredients coated with a zesty lime dressing will be the perfect accent to any summer get-together. And if you really want to carry over the crunch of the egg roll version, try adding some crushed Chinese noodles to the mix!

 

Summer Avocado Salad
Makes 6-8 servings

1 tbspn olive oil
zest and juice of 1 lime
pinch of cayenne pepper
pinch of salt
2 firm, ripe avocados, halved and pitted
1 cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 small red bell pepper, diced
8 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tbspn cilantro, finely chopped

In a small bowl, mix together olive oil, lime zest and juice, cayenne pepper and salt. Set aside.

Scoop out flesh of avocados, rough chop into pieces. Add the cucumber, pepper, tomatoes and cilantro, mix well. Add liquid mixture, stir well. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Optional – top with crushed Chinese noodles just before serving.