This past weekend, I enjoyed the perfect Sunday.
My friend Tiffany and I started the day at one of my favorite places in the world, the Malibu Farmer’s Market. Drenched in cool Malibu sunshine, we floated from booth to wonderful booth, sampling homegrown-this and freerange-that. I may sound biased since I do a lot of work with the Cornucopia Foundation, which runs the Market, but it really is a special place. Though smaller than many other markets, I have found the prices to be low for the caliber of food, and the atmosphere to be pleasurable. If you live in the area, I wholeheartedly encourage you to come experience it.
After filling our reusable bags with loads of fresh, leafy goodness, we were joined by our other lovely friend, Julia, and drove off to Tiffany’s seaside abode. London Bear, Tiffany’s resident sheep in wolf’s clothing, greeted us and proceeded to act adorable and cuddly (and very hungry, of course), throughout our cooking adventure. He probably enjoyed our sundried tomato croutons the most of us all:
Lots of people seem to fear and loathe kale. Indeed, given that this particular cruciferous vegetable is quite bitter and tough in its raw state, I can see where these sentiments originate. However, I encourage even you stringent kale-haters out there to try our Sunday creation. Without compromising any of this “superfood’s” nutritional integrity, this dish is a party for the tastebuds: sweet from the berries, tangy from the balsamic, a little spicy from the pepitas, quite savory, and overall, incredibly satisfying. This is my happy-body soul food.
The Perfect Sunday Kale Salad
INGREDIENTS:
(Serves three hungry girls; adjust accordingly)
-3 cups of fresh, washed kale, loosely torn
-1 cup strawberries, sliced
-1 avocado, sliced
-chili-lemon pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds), about 1 tbsp per person (to make your own, toss raw pepitas with lemon juice, chili powder, and a little salt)
-FOR THE CROUTONS
-1 round whole wheat pita bread, torn into bite-size pieces
-a small chunk of Aliki‘s sundried tomato feta cheese for each piece. *I should note here that this recipe is not strictly vegan. Since my personal adherence to a plant-centered diet is morally based, I thought a few bites of free-range goat milk feta cheese would be okay. The vegan police didn’t come get me, at least. (Goat’s milk is lower in lactose, as well, if you experience problems in that department.) If you are a strict vegan, you can, of course, substitute the feta with your favorite vegan cheese.
-FOR THE DRESSING:
-1 cup fresh strawberries, leafy tops removed
-1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
-1/4 cup olive oil
-(this dressing was “very berry” and quite acidic; adjust if you prefer more or less vinegar-taste in your food)
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Arrange the pieces of torn-up pita bread on an ungreased cooking sheet and place one small bit (about a teaspoon-sized scoop) of the feta atop each pita piece. Bake for about 6 minutes, just enough to get the pita nice and crispy.
Place the berries, balsamic, and olive oil inside a food processor. Liquify. It should be pink. Tiffany’s housemate had an awesome gadget called the Ninja, which put my beloved Magic Bullet to shame.
Toss the kale with the dressing, fresh berries, and pepitas. Top each serving with the croutons and fresh avocado.
Serve with mimosas and good company.
Follow with a trip to the beach, a lovely Sunday drive, or whatever brings you peace and pleasure.
The Hungry Herbivore 