Kale Salad

Kale salad before adding the grapes and carrots

If you are tired of spending $12 a pound on this wonderful salad...worry no longer! This "superfood" salad offered at grocery store delis across the U.S. is truly an easy salad to make at home. I think I did it in under 20 minutes. You will just need to find a market where you can buy food in bulk to make this meal cost effective. Then you can really get that bang for your buck! This is my spin on it.

Things that you'll need:

Kale (2 small bunches-chopped)

1 lb blueberries

2 cups Walnuts (substitute almonds if you must)

1 heaping cup Craisins

1 cup Pumpkin kernels (sunflower kernels work too)

1 pint Grape tomatoes

The grapes are in...

3 Green onions sliced

20 Red grapes- sliced in halves 

10 baby Carrots-julienned (optional)

10 oz crumbled Feta cheese (optional)

Dressing:
Simply whisk together the following
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cup raw apple cider vinegar

Tip: Place the kale down first and then layer in your ingredients. Wait until your company has arrived and then toss it at the table. It truly is a lovely salad visually, but once it is tossed the heavy aditions tend to fall to the bottom of the bowl.

I made the healthy dressing above and the salad did NOT taste good. I love bitter but this was unpalatable. That's when I knew if my teenage girls were going to devour this medley of healthfulness, I was going to need to bring out the big guns. Luckily I had a bottle of dressing in the cupboard.

I absolutely love Ken's Steakhouse "Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette." Any brand variation will do in a pinch. I vote try it my way first. Toss with the dressing and then add about 1/4 cup of the Ken's and taste it again. Start small as you don't want to overdress it.

Note*** Next time I will opt out of adding the feta. It turned purple from the blueberries and made the overall salad look milky upon tossing a second time. I really appreciate the gorgeous, glossy sheen of a vinaigrette! I also thought the carrot flavor was too strong. Great color but not my personal favorite. Orange bell pepper will be in the next addition.

All tossed and ready to go

Spicy Hot Thai Shrimp Soup

If you are feeling chilled or a bit under the weather try this soup! It is sure to warm you up from head to toe and get that fire inside you burning again. Filled with spicy ginger, cayenne and vinegar, I have found this soup to be a fantastic remedy for various maladies.
This soup is chocked full of onions, cabbage and chicken broth. I like to increase the number of shrimp a bit so that they are be plentiful in every ladle full.

What you will need:
Shrimp-peeled and deveined 2 lbs.
Yellow onion (large) diced
Fresh ginger root-minced 1/2 cup
Chicken broth-6 cups
Water-3 cups
Red pepper flakes-1 teaspoon
3/4 cup lime juice
1 Tbsp lime zest
4 Tbsp Fish sauce
Napa Cabbage-full head chopped
Apple cider vinegar-(unpasteurized organic) 1/2 cup
1 tbsp olive oil
Cilantro-leaves only

Directions:

Sautee onion in olive oil in large stockpot until opaque. Add ginger and then the broth. Stir in red pepper flakes and bring to a boil. Now add your cabbage and allow to cook for a couple of minutes max. Lastly add your shrimp, lime juice and zest and cook until the shrimp are pink. Let the temperature come down from a boil and then add your additional water and vinegar. Top with the fresh cilantro before serving to keep the leaves a beautiful bright green.

Note: I personally LOVE the tang that vinegar gives to this soup. It almost tastes like a traditional hot and sour soup. Plus the benefits of apple cider vinegar are terrific for the body and digestive system. Feel free to increase or decrease the water according to how thick you like your soup.

ENJOY!!!