Orange Date Muesli with Cacao Nibs

Wow, that's a lot of snow that fell outside our home this week.  Winter is in full force and it makes me want to just stay inside, build a fire and bake all day long.  The kids' dreams of a snow day were realized and they were able to delay the return to school by two days.  Thankfully I had done a big grocery shop this week before the snow fell.  We've been doing bits and pieces of the Bon Appetit's Food Lover's Cleanse this New Year  which came with its own shopping list.

Cranberry Orange Quinoa Loaf

Old friends are the souls that connect us to our past and keep us rooted in the future.  I had the pleasure of lunching with an old pal today for her birthday.  A mother to four busy kids, she is quite the remarkable woman.  I delivered lunch to her home (kale salad and rutuabaga soup) and this loaf for dessert.  We lunched, we caught up and mostly we basked in a quiet hour for two busy moms to reflect on the journey of parenting, marriage and our own happiness.

Marmalade Loaf

The longer I am away from this space, the harder it is to return.  With no profound reason for my absence it feels difficult to jump back in and start sharing.  There have been plenty of wonderful meals consumed, many that would fit well in this space, but somehow my hands haven't made it to the keyboard to share.  As I pondered how to break this silence, I realized there may never be a good reason to be gone and perhaps it is best to just jump back in.  So welcome back to all of you and I hope we can meet here a little more often in the weeks to come.  There are so many cozy winter recipes to share, not to mention some holiday cheer!

Orange Whole Wheat Muffin

It's the winter that just won't leave here in Kale Eats country.  Any excuse to turn on the oven and heat up the kitchen is welcomed these days.  When it comes to making muffins, I usually count on everything being thrown into one bowl and quickly making its way into the oven.  Not so with these orange babies.  The egg whites are whipped separately, creating a few more dirty dishes than usual.  Is it worth the extra effort and dish washing?  I'd say, yes!  (I wouldn't be sharing it here with you if I didn't think so).  If it's possible for a muffin to be both light and dense at once, these are them. 

Fennel Blood Orange Pistachio Kale Salad



 

It's a beautiful winter day here in the Kale Eats kitchen.  Freshly fallen snow and a good blast of sunshine streaming in the window.  I can't decide if it's a good day to snuggle up in doors or better to brave all that snow and get a dose of Vitamin D.  Luke was so excited to see the snow this morning.  It's hard not to join in a child's enthusiasm.  Of course all that snow meant shovelling for me and sledding for him.  Who wouldn't want to go sliding down a hill right about now?

Saffron Orange Chicken Salad

 

What do you think of the new header on Kale Eats?  It seemed time to remove those juicy heirloom tomatoes from summer.  Although every time I saw the homepage they were there smiling back at me.  Like a promise that fresh, seasonal vegetables will be within my grasp sometime soon and this long winter won't last forever.

Forbidden Black Rice Salad with Mango

Shopping in a new store the other day and came across a product I had never seen before: Black Forbidden Rice.  With a name like that, I knew I had to buy it.  Marketing experts should put the word forbidden in everything. Forbidden Brussel Sprouts anyone?  It totally made me want to buy it immediately.  It also happened to be beautiful to look at and was relatively economical to buy. 

Chickpea Beef Stew with Orange

 We don't eat a lot of meat at our house.  Partly for health reasons and partly because Don and the kids don't really like it very much.  Recently I read a new blog where the author is aiming to complete 30 things before her 30th birthday.  It's an inspiring list and there were quite a few that had me excited to create my own list.  One of these items is to go vegetarian for a month.  My immediate response was "I could do that."

Orange Rosemary Brownies

 My fascination with savoury ingredients in sweet offerings continues.  Following the success of the Grapefruit Rosemary Sandwich cookies I knew I needed to try again.  These brownies are beautifully topped with a sweet orange and rosemary buttercream icing and crunchy raw cacao bits.