Vegetable: Kale Salad

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Looking for a way to incorporate more leafy greens into your diet?  This salad combines plumb golden raisins, dried cranberries and slivered almonds with chopped kale -- dusted with parmesan, it is truly a sweet and savory way to enjoy eating your greens! To change it up, use currents for golden raisins and chopped scallions for red onion.  Lind family, this one's for you!

Kale Salad with raisins, cranberries and almonds

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 bunch dark green kale leaves, rinsed twice and stems removed
  • 6T [90mL] oil and vinegar or Caesar salad dressing, divided
  • 1/4 c [40g] golden raisins 
  • 1/8 c [16g] red onion, finely chopped
  • 1/2 c [75g] slivered almonds
  • 1/2 c [75g] dried cranberries
  • 1 c [120g] parmesan cheese, grated

DIRECTIONS

  1. Pat kale leaves dry and chop into thin strips - place in large bowl
  2. Add 3T [45mL] salad dressing to kale strips and "knead" the kale (as you would bread dough) for 3-4 minutes to help break down cellular structure
  3. Meanwhile, add remaining 3T [45mL] salad dressing to golden raisins in small ramekin - soak raisins for 5 minutes to plump
  4. To kale strips, add cranberries, almonds and onions - toss well
  5. Add plumped raisins - with residual salad dressing - and toss again
  6. Dust parmesan cheese over salad just before serving

Dessert: Cranberry-Pecan Bars

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This luscious bar cookie has a filling of cranberries, coconut and pecans with just a hint of orange. It all covers a buttery shortbread crust full of chopped pecans.  Dusted with powdered sugar, they are a true crowd pleaser for any holiday event.  Both the crust and the filling can also be mixed in a food processor, so you can be off to a cookie swap or party in about an hour.  Be sure to cut them in small squares, so you can have two… or more!

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INGREDIENTS

Crust

  • 1 cup [120g] all-purpose flour
  • 1 T [12.5g] sugar
  • 1/3 cup [80g]butter
  • 1/2 cup [75g] pecans, chopped

Filling

  • 1 1/4 cup [250g] sugar
  • 2 T [12.5g] all-purpose flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 T [30mL] milk
  • 1 T [10g] finely shredded orange peel
  • 1 t [5mL] vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup [50g] shredded coconut
  • 1 cup [150g] chopped cranberries
  • 1/2 cup [75g] pecans, chopped
  • 1/4 cup [25g] confectioners' sugar

DIRECTIONS

  1. For crust, combine 1 cup flour and 2T sugar in medium bowl.  
  2. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
  3. Stir in pecans- press into the bottom of an ungreased 13"x9"x2" [32.5cm x 23cm x 5cm] baking pan.
  4. Bake in 350 degree [177C] oven for 15 minute

Alternate method - Combine all crust ingredients in bowl of food processor, pulse until mixture holds together in small pieces - press into bottom of pan

  1. For filling, combine 1 1/4 cups sugar with 2 T flour in large bowl.
  2. Stir in eggs, milk, orange peel and vanilla
  3. Fold in the cranberries, coconut and pecans - spread all over the hot, partially baked crust
  4. Bake in 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes, till top is golden.
  5. Cool in pan on a wire rack.  While warm, cut into bars.  When completely cool, sprinkle/sift cake with confectioners'  sugar.

Alternate method - Combine all ingredients in bowl of food processor and pulse until cranberries chopped and filling combined.

Adapted from Bon Appetit

 

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