In case you haven’t heard, kale will probably save your life. If you’re drowning, kale will swim out and rescue you. If you’ve fallen and you can’t get up, kale will call an ambulance and get you a pillow while you wait.

Luckily, kale can also be pretty tasty. Is there nothing you can’t do, kale?

Kale also does great work as a counselor. If you’ve had too many, oh, I don’t know, Cadbury eggs recently, a bowlful of kale with a zingy dressing will assuage your guilt.

It’s a simple concept, a kale Caesar salad. Strip it, steam it, dress it, eat it.

A kale protip I only learned recently: After thoroughly washing it, you can strip the leafy parts from the stems. Just tear it off from top to bottom easily.

Skip the croutons if you’re gluten-free, or just make them with GF bread. I’ve never used it for croutons myself, but apparently it works.

Psst… If you’re looking for a dairy-free (or vegan) version, you can always substitute the yogurty Caesar for this tahini dressing. Just saying…

Serves Serves 2

Kale Caesar Salad

15 minPrep Time

20 minCook Time

40 minTotal Time

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On the Counter

The croutons
• 2 slices of barely-stale loaf bread, ideally sourdough, and ideally not sliced bread
• 2 tsp olive oil (extra virgin if you have it)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• a few grinds of fresh black pepper
The kale
• 100 g kale without stems
• 1/4 tsp table salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Juice from 1 lemon wedge
• Parmesan or vegetarian hard cheese
The dressing
• 2 tbsp plain unsweetened yogurt
• Lemon juice from about 1/4 of a lemon
• A dash of Worcestershire sauce, or 1/8 tsp vegetarian miso paste
• 1 medium clove garlic, minced finely. (Don't use a garlic press as it will be too strong)
• Pinch of ground sea salt or table salt

What to Do

The croutons
• Chop your bread into about 2 cm (0.5 in) cubes. If it's very stale, you might need to drizzle oil on it to start and give it a few minutes to soften before chopping. If you do, skip the oil in the next step.
• Preheat the oven to 180C (350F). Toss the bread cubes, pepper and salt together.
• On a rimmed baking sheet or dish, spread the cubes out so they're one even layer.
• Bake for 5 minutes.
• Toss them around so other sides get exposure.
• Bake for a few more minutes, until golden brown, but check on them frequently.
The kale
• Thoroughly rinse and dry the kale.
• From the bottom strip the leaves from the stems in as few tears as possible.
• Lightly salt the torn kale leaves.
• In a steamer over a boiling pot of water, steam the kale for 5 minutes or until tender and still a vibrant green.
• Once it's ready, rinse it under cold water or give it an ice bath. You don't want to cook it any longer.
• Now, either rub (or toss if you're feeling lazy) the leaves with olive oil, then add a few squeezes of fresh lemon juice and toss it together.
• You can make the dressing in advance, or while the kale is steaming.
The dressing
• Combine yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, salt, Worcestershire sauce. Stir together thoroughly.
The salad
• Once it's finished, top the kale with dressing, croutons and some freshly grated Parmesan or vegetarian hard cheese.

7.8.1.2

19

https://www.onmykitchencounter.com/2016/03/30/kale-caesar-salad/

It’s been a while since my last post. In the process of moving in with the gentleman, a few trips and lots of packing and unpacking (and trying to eat my way through a pantry and freezer full of food), I just kind of lost the opportunity to sit down, edit photos and write up a post. Now that I finally feel like I’m getting back into a routine, I think I can start writing again. I have about 10 meals photographed and ready, so there might be a bit of a backlog coming up!

This is one of the first meals that I made living in the temporarily new place, (yep more moving to come), and I think it does a pretty good job of celebrating the season.

Just today I finished reading The Omnivore’s Dilemma, which I was a few years overdue on picking up. In the process of reading, I’ve decided to try even harder to focus on local, seasonal food with a good provenance. Right now, I can afford to make the extra effort and take the time to really consider what I eat and cook with, and if my choices have any effect on what the supermarkets stock, or the success of my local CSA, even better.

Speaking of the CSA, all of the veggies in this recipe came from our weekly vegetable box. Unfortunately there aren’t any shrimp deliveries, so I had to make do on that one. This recipe works well with any combo of seasonal veggies that you’re happy with, and it makes a great (and quick) dinner for a warm spring evening.

(Oh yeah, and if you leave out the shrimp, this is vegan!) I learned a great trick about getting butter-style emulsified sauces without the butter from Serious Eats, one of my favorite places for food know-how. It’s a great trick to keep a simple pasta dish dairy-free without sacrificing the sauciness. And everyone needs a bit of sauciness now and again.

On the Counter

1/2 lb (225 g) whole wheat spaghetti
1/4 cup (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large or 2 small zucchini (courgettes), halved lengthways into quarters and sliced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 medium vine-ripened tomatoes, chopped (and peeled if you’re feeling ambitious)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp corn starch (corn flour)
(reserve) 1/2 cup pasta cooking water
10-12 raw shrimp (prawns), peeled (optional)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Fresh thyme leaves, off the stem
1/2 tsp red pepper (chili) flakes
salt and pepper to taste

What to Do

Start the pasta in a pot of salted, boiling water and cook until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of cooking water.

While the pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in skillet/frying pan. Add onion, toss and sauté until slightly translucent, about 4 minutes.

Add zucchini, garlic and bell pepper to the pan, and sauté  for 5 minutes or until the zucchini are nearly softened. Add corn starch and reserved pasta water, stir to dissolve corn starch and turn up the heat.

Add tomatoes, shrimp, red pepper flakes and thyme. Sauté until shrimp are just cooked and tomatoes soften (about 3 minutes).

Add lemon juice and toss the pasta in the hot skillet.

Season with salt and black pepper.

Because asparagus are finally in season here, I steamed some with a bit of garlic to serve on the side – which is why you’ll see their cameo appearance above. I love asparagus in pasta too, but that is certainly a matter of preference.