Massaged Kale Salad

I'm on a mission to eat more veggies, specifically more leafy greens. Lately I've been eating a lot of kale.  I love it in salads. I especially like that the greens are stout and hold up so that a salad made on Sunday is still good on Wednesday.  I made a big kale salad this past Sunday and have been eating it along with my breakfast and lunch everyday.

I discovered a new technique for preparing the kale leaves. The greens are massaged with oil and vinegar (or other acid such as lemon juice). This tenderizes the leaves a bit and makes them so flavorful.

Massaged Kale Salad

1 bunch of kale, washed, trimmed, spun dry and chopped into bite site pieces

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

a squeeze of fresh orange juice

salt

pepper

other sturdy vegetables such as radish and red pepper, prepared for the salad

Add at serving time if desired:

toasted walnuts

blueberries

In a small bowl, add the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Wisk together until combined.

In a large bowl, add the kale. Make sure the leaves are mostly dry. Drizzle with 1/2 or more of the dressing.  (Save the balance of the dressing to add at serving time if desired.) Add a squeeze of fresh orange juice. (I like orange rather than lemon because it adds a bit of sweetness.) Using your hands, massage the leaves until well coated with the dressing and beginning to soften, about 2 minutes. Add other salad vegetables and toss.  At serving time, garnish with a few toasted walnuts and blueberries. 

Roasted Plum Tomatoes

Roasted Plum Tomatoes

I love Ina Garten and recently bought her Back to Basics cookbook. Her recipes are simple with the emphasis on quality, fresh ingredients. They often work for me as written or with just a few tweaks.  Her recipe for roasted plum tomatoes in Back to Basics caught my eye.  Here's what she had to say about this recipe.

It's a challenge to take something pedestrian from the grocery store and make it really delicious. Plum tomatoes are available year-round but they generally have absolutely no flavor. I discovered that if I roast them at a high temperature with good balsamic vinegar, they develop the intense flavor of summer tomatoes. 

The only modification I made to her original recipe was to omit 2 teaspoons of sugar that she sprinkled on the tomatoes prior to roasting. Here's my version of Ina Garten's roasted plum tomatoes.

Roasted Plum Tomatoes

12 plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise, seeds (not cores) removed
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar
2 large garlic cloves, minced
salt for seasoning
freshly ground black pepper for seasoning

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Arrange the tomatoes on a sheet pan, cut sides up, in a single layer. Drizzle with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with the garlic, salt, and pepper. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, until the tomatoes start to caramelize and the flavors are concentrated.

Notes:

• The only thing I'll do differently next time is to line the pan with foil to make clean up easier. The vinegar caramelized and made a mess on the pan. 
• This recipe created a lot of smoke because of the high temperature roasting. Be prepared to crank up the exhaust fan.

Getting Started with Paleo

This post is all about helping you get started with a paleo diet.  The web is covered up with information on the topic, and more and more books are available.  I have included a short list of the blogs and books that have been most helpful to me. 

Pick One of The Following and Just Start:
Following are three great, practical tools for getting started. Pick one of these to get the ball rolling.

1. Robb Wolf’s Quick Start Guide – He makes it so simple; this doesn’t have to be complicated. Tons more great information is available at robbwolf.com, but you can print this quick start guide, and be on your way in no time!
2. Mark Sisson’s Primal Blue Print 101 – If you are looking for a slightly more relaxed approach, you might consider this resource. This is not light weight by any means, but it may appeal to some who find pure paleo too restrictive. No matter what route you choose, Mark Sisson’s website, called Mark’s Daily Apple is a fantastic resource for all things health related.
3. Whole30 - If what you desire is a stricter, yet modern implementation of paleo with a healthy dose of tough love (no excuses accepted here), you might try Whole9’s 30 day challenge. They call it the Whole30.

If you can’t make up your mind, I’ll make it up for you. Just print Robb Wolf’s Quick Start Guide and GET STARTED!

My Favorite Cooking Blogs
Reading about what other folks are eating and cooking will help with the transition and keep you from getting bored with eating the same thing all the time. Following are some of my favorite paleo/primal cooking blogs:

• Nom Nom Paleo
• The Food Lover’s Primal Palate
• Everyday Paleo
• The Foodee Project
• Paleo Comfort Foods

My Favorite Cookbooks

• Make It Paleo by Bill Staley & Hayley Mason
• Everyday Paleo by Sarah Fragoso
• Paleo Comfort Foods by Julie & Charles Mayfield

Resources for Getting More In Depth
On the Web:

• Robb Wolf
• Mark’s Daily Apple
• Dr Michael Eades
• Chris Kresser
• Denise Minger
• Weston A Price Foundation

Books:

• The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf
• The Paleo Diet by Loren Cordain
• Wheat Belly by William Davis
• The Protein Power Lifeplan by Michael and Mary Eades
• The Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson
• Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes
• Why We Get Fat and What to Do About It by Gary Taubes