White Bean, Grain and Dill Salad in a Jar

I'm super late to the salad in a jar party, of this I am sure.  As someone who keeps a small kitchen in my cupboard at work, the need to pack every little bit of a meal into a jar was never necessary.  The genius of it that I missed was how it could be made for days in a advance and never lose its freshness.  In fact, those little bits in the bottom so close to the dressing?  They're marinating in goodness making the salad even better on day two or three.  How could I have been so wrong.

5 Spice Poached Pear and Beet Salad

It's freezing here in Kale Eats country and I wouldn't have it any other way!  Think I've lost my marbles?  Let me explain.  Our backyard is home to a large ice rink, lovingly built and maintained by Don, year after year.  In fact, I think this is our seventh year with a rink of some sort.  While this sounds very quaint and idyllic, the reality is both hard work (done entirely by Don) and a lot of worrying (also done entirely by Don).  Will it be cold enough to freeze?  Is there a leak in the liner?  Is the ground level enough that the water doesn't need to be too deep?  Friends, this is my entire winter.  The weather channel is constantly being checked, with the long range forecast a beholden sight.  Should Mother Nature alter her course, it's possible swearing occurs.

Carrot Kohlrabi Asian Slaw

We're back from the wilderness and I'm craving raw fresh food.  Backpacking our food in was a lot of fun, but by day five, the fresh options are gone.  Dried fruits and veggies just can't shine a light to the taste of locally grown produce.  Coming home to a hot shower and a crisp salad was pure bliss.  A slaw of kohlrabi and carrots might sound a little dull, but this salad is anything but.  Crunchy and filling, it makes a perfect lunch for home or on the road.  Don likes his on a bed of lentils, to up the protein while I prefer it on it's own. 

Turkey Mango Salad

Home alone, I started watching old home videos the other night.  I think we both know, if you're missing someone like crazy, the worst thing you can do is immerse yourself in their image.  Or maybe not?  I had a lot of good laughs and a few tears watching them grow up on the screen. One particular gem was of Luke's 4th birthday.  He happily opens a present from big sister Josilin.  When Luke was younger, he desperately wanted video games.  I was adamant that he would not own one unless he bought it himself.  Hindsight sure makes me sound like a mean mom, but it made sense at the time.  Josilin has always loved Luke to death and even then she knew is deep want of video games.  So much so, when we had been at a garage sale a few weeks before, she purchased a PS1 for him, at cost of $1.

Potato Turkey Salad

Living in a century old home has its perks.  The baseboards are high and the ceilings are higher.  The windows are large, many with stained glass and come in shapes and sizes no longer made.  The floors creak and our doors squeak, making any attempts to sneak up on someone impossible.  We have character in every room which is necessary given the lack of decorating skills I posses. Our yard is large, as they were back in time and the trees in the neighbourhood are very mature.  Air conditioning, however, is not standard issue in these old homes.  Yes, it could be added, but in a home that has needed a new roof, new porch and many other minor renovations, the AC has been ignored.

Spicy Ethiopian Fava Beans

Belonging to a book club has been one of the better decisions I have made.  For years I thought I would enjoy this experience, but with young kids and a shift working husband it just wasn't feasible.  In the fall of 2011 I took a leap and sent an email invite to eight women asking if they would consider joining me in a book club.  I thought maybe four would say yes, and we would have a quaint little discussion group. Instead, all women said yes and we haven't looked back since.

Arugula, Rutabaga Barley Salad with Hazelnuts

Congratulations to Sarah on winning the giveaway for my 100th post!  Please be in touch with an address for me to mail the cookbook to you.  (random.org did the selecting)  Thanks to those of you who left a message and to the many who visited, but didn't comment.  I can't wait to see what the next 100 posts will bring.  Something tells me it will continue to include lots of salads like this one.  Rutabaga might not be your first choice for a salad topper, but you'd be surprised just how good it is.  Tossed with a little maple syrup the sweetness plays nicely against the peppery arugula.  The second go around I put some salty feta on top.  Although not pictured it was the perfect addition.

Fennel & Celeriac Salad with Hazelnuts

We're deep in healthy eating here at Kale Eats.  Recovering from a season of decadence, this is the food our bodies are craving.  I love a good crunchy raw salad and fennel and celeriac meet that need.  I've included a photo of the two vegetables below, so if you're not sure what they look like prior to chopping~ now you do!  Put them in your grocery cart some time soon.

Winter Vegetable Lentil Salad with Lemon Parsley Yogurt Dressing

I can't believe 2012 is coming to an end already.  Honestly, the older I get the faster time goes by.  New Years Resolutions have never really been my thing, but I do enjoy the rest of the world taking them on.  Surrounded by so many people suddenly interested in healthier eating is a dream come true every January. It's the one month a year that loving veggies and grains seems to be the norm.  I can't wait to see what the blogosphere will drum up in the weeks to come to meet our healthy eating resolutions.

Jerusalem Parsley and Barley Salad

Every once in awhile a cookbook comes along that can truly change your perspective on food.  For me, that cookbook was Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi.  Not that this is an original or even surprising idea.  His take on vegetables pretty much took the culinary world by storm, with multiple accolades and awards.  When I heard that he had teamed up with Sami Tamimi to create a new book I crossed my fingers that it would be just as amazing.  Folks: these men do not disappoint.

Butternut Squash, Wheat Berry and Pomegranate Salad

It's Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend and I can hardly wait.  We will be surrounded by family, nature and of course good food.  Fall has always been a favourite time of year for me.  When Don and I were first dating, he asked me once my favourite season.  When I innocently shared my love of falling leaves and changing colours his response was "how can you love a season that is all about dying and decomposing?"  Maybe it's a fall birthday, the bounty of fall vegetables or so many happy memories of big Thanksgiving meals, regardless, it's still my favourite time of year.

Seedy Carrot & Beet Slaw

I was out for dinner with a group of women the other night at a local restaurant.  The focus of the menu is local, fresh and healthy so I was not surprised to see beets incorporated in an appetizer.  One of the people with me said “what is a beet? is it a root plant? how is it grown?”  I was so surprised to hear someone unfamiliar with such a classic Ontario vegetable.  Discussion ensued among all the guests about favourite recipes and how to best prepare.  When I mentioned how much I like raw beets the entire table stated they had never heard of such a thing.  We often enjoy raw beets in different salads but this is one of my favourites.  It’s a simple one, but very satisfying with few ingredients and few calories.

Farro with Grilled Summer Vegetables and Pesto Vinaigrette

 Here's one more salad from the summer of never ending salads.  I've posted quite a few of these on the site already: a carrot one, a black bean and corn one, a sugar snap pea one, a black rice one, and many  more.  I'm not sure I could pick a favourite out of all of them, but this one was pretty close.

Quinoa Roasted Beet, Kale & Hazelnut Salad

Once a  week this summer, I've tried to make a new salad using grains and veggies.  Making it on Sunday afternoon, it provides several days of lunches for Don and I through the week at work.  My goal has been to not repeat a recipe, and so far, so good.  It certainly helps that there are so many vegetables in season right now!  I'm not sure how much longer I can keep this challenge up, but it's 12 weeks so far and I don't see an end in sight.

Carrot, Green Bean and Avocado Salad

Wow.  What an amazing summer our family is having.  Far too many lovely vacations and time spent with friends and family to count.  Northern lakes enjoyed on hot summer days and huge smiles on my kids' faces.  The amount of fresh local produce available is just the icing on the cake.  In an effort to eat as much in season as I possibly can, I often walk right by any foreign grown vegetables this time of year.  The exception to this rule is probably the avocado.  This guy is never going to be grown here in Ontario and watching Josilin eat a whole one with a spoon feels right, no matter what time of year it is.

Smoky Corn Black Bean Salad

We're just back from a few days at a cottage with family.  For the last twelve years, we have gathered as a family of grandmothers, aunts, sisters, cousins and children.  My kids have attended this tradition every year of their life, including both as newborns.  There were a few years there when we had 6 children under the age of five where we started to question our sanity, but overall it's been great.  One of the perks is that this group of women and children are always keen to let me play chef for the week.  In exchange, I'm excused from washing dishes --THIS is the ultimate payment for me.

Sugar Snap Pea Salad

For the last four years I have been participating in a local CSA (Community Shared Agriculture).  It has amazed me how many new vegetables we have been introduced to and that the kids love.  Picking up fresh, local, organic produce for 20 weeks of the year has undoubtedly led to much healthier meals at our home.

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. 

Pesto Quinoa Salad

I don't like to repeat meals too much at home.  Whenever I am asked, "what is your favourite meal?" my answer is, "the next one!"  While I love to try new things, inevitably there are some meals that are repeated.  This quinoa dish is one that I've had a lot of requests to bring to potlucks, cottages and lunch dates.  One particular potluck involved a group of hockey coaches standing by the dish stating, "what is that?" followed by "looks kind of weird?".  Imagine my satisfaction when not only did they go back for seconds, they asked for the recipe.

Tri Colour Pepper Farro Salad

 Where do you find your food inspiration from?  Sometimes all it takes is a good sale to help me decide what ingredients I want to use. I am that lady who scours the reduced produce shelf or anything marked down for clearance. I am amazed at the perfectly good produce that grocery stores will put on clearance.