aaaand another kale salad. are you tired of them yet?

Got this delish and super easy kale salad recipe from my friend Lucy, and she got it from http://www.nourishingmeals.com/2013/12/christmas-kale-salad.html

I left out the onions for my little man's sake and used OJ from the carton instead of fresh b/c thats all i had (i feel so guilty for writing that since we live in southern california....) You might want to add just a squirt of honey to the dressing as well. enjoy!

This is straight from their webpage:


Christmas Kale Salad
Salad:
1 large bunch green curly kale, chopped
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup dried cranberries (fruit-juice sweetened)
1/2 cup pecans, roasted*

Dressing:
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons raw apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon organic Dijon mustard
1 to 2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Herbamare or sea salt

Place the kale into a large serving bowl. Add the onions and cranberries; set aside. To make the dressing, place all of the ingredients into a small jar, cover, and shake. Pour dressing over the salad and toss together. Let it rest for at least 30 minutes before serving (this softens the kale and melds the flavors). Then add the roasted pecans and serve (if you add the pecans earlier they will soften and not have that delicate crunch).

*Note: To roast pecans, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place pecans into a glass pie plate or other small baking dish. Roast for 15 to 18 minutes. Watch carefully so they don't burn! Remove from oven and place onto a plate to cool before adding them to the salad.

Yield: about 6 servings

a strange warning...

Found this on one of Emory's pj's....

Now, are the pj's really the problem here? Wouldn't a more appropriate warning say: Do not put your child near an open flame?

6 months already???

another kale salad recipe

Today I want to share a new recipe with all (3?) of you that read this blog in honor of Emory who started eating food this week. Turns out our baby LOVES eating as much as he loves nursing and even from the first time he tried oatmeal, he was grabbing the spoon and almost dunking his head in the bowl trying to get more. Today he tried avocado and gave it two thumbs up. It's such a new experience to have a baby who likes to eat!

You may remember a few months back when I was flipping out over kale and posted this recipe. Well, guess what...I'm still flipping out over kale. And I've got a new recipe thanks to my friend Melinda who brought this salad over the other night. I totally monopolized the salad and didn't really share with anyone else. It is SUPER easy to make and has a very subtle yet highly addictive flavor. YUM. I just ate an obscene amount of this salad tonight (and it was just the side dish to carne asada tacos and garlicky butter yucca!) and want more salad for dessert.

Remember that I don't really work with measurements and I scarfed the whole bowl down before I could take a picture, so you'll have to use your creativity.

All you need is:
olive oil
kale
salt and pepper
pear
shredded parmesan cheese
roasted almonds

First, pour on the kale enough olive oil to coat it well and start massaging the heck out it the leaves until they are tender and are coated with a thin layer of olive oil. Then, squirt a few drops of lemon or lime juice (don't overdo the lemon) and a generous shaking of salt and pepper. Next, add chunks of pear, shredded parmesan cheese, and roasted almonds and toss everything together. DONE! Told you it was super easy.

I just buy raw almonds either at TJ's or in bulk at a cheap international grocery store and then pop them in the toaster oven on 350 for a few minutes til the house starts smelling awesome.

Ok, do yourself a favor and try this salad and let me know what you think!

Christmas recap

We had a great week and a half with Nana and Grandaddy here, celebrating Christmas and the New Year (other than that nasty stomach virus wiping us all out for a few days!). Suzy really got into giving this year and we found cute little packages she had wrapped up under the tree all by herself of pictures she had made and pencils she wanted to give. She was thrilled to receive roller skates and a Lite Brite for Christmas from Nana and Grandaddy (yea old school!) and Emory was thrilled to receive anything he could put in his mouth. Here is a review in photos:

reunited with Nana and Grandaddy...but what are those silly things on their heads?

Christmas Eve dinner...our friend Edens from our Bible study joined us for dinner

Elvis made his oh-so-delicious Salvadorean Christmas turkey sandwiches

Aunt Sara made these cutie animal head bands

i love how the monkey one blends in with his hair so well!

Christmas Eve

Christmas breakfast 

we went to the beach a couple of times to enjoy the beautiful weather

and to the aquarium...here they are petting baby sharks!

Mom and Dad celebrated 39 years of marriage!!!

we loved watching the boats, dolphins, and sea lions at the beach

On the 1st, we went to the Rose Parade, of course! Dad and Elvis walked down there around 5:15 am to snag us an awesome front row spot. The people beside us had been there since 10am the previous morning!!

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thanks mom and dad for babysitting so we could go out on a hot date!