Folks, I need lots of salad these days. Though I always go into the holiday season with the best intentions of not over-doing the sweets, the drinks, and the fatty carbs, I still consistently manage to wake up in late January wondering why none of my jeans fit. I usually try to blame it on the dryer – they shrunk! – but I know that’s not the case. It’s time to face reality and get back on track. This salad is here to set me straight!
This salad was born from a glorious idea a friend gave me. Something so simple, so quick it’s really a non-recipe recipe: slice up some tempeh, saute it, then dip it in barbecue sauce. I think that little idea changed my life. Who doesn’t need one more option of something to dip into barbecue sauce? After that, I realized it was my duty as a citizen of this earth to pass along that gem. You’re welcome.
But what else can I do with that? I needed to find it a veggie companion, without dismissing the barbecue sauce. I have a box of sweet potatoes in the basement, so they were destined to enter the picture. At the end of the farmers market last season, I purchased a 25 lb. box of sweet potatoes for $25 to last me through the winter. That was the end of October and I’m just now starting to see the bottom of the box. The farmers don’t clean the dirt off the potatoes so they’ll keep longer, and they have! I highly recommend it if you have that option. So, sweet potatoes, check! I had a golden beet in the fridge along with some red onion and goat cheese. And the BBQ sauce? Let’s turn that into a dressing! Hows about a salad? Let’s do it!
Kale is controversial in my household…I could eat it for days (and do) but my husband and son can’t stand it, which is a real bummer, maaaan. [channeling the Dude] It’s packed with incredible nutrition, is absolutely beautiful to look at, and is so versatile: salad, slaw, soup, chips, juice, pesto…and now dust. Whaaa?? Usually I try to keep my house dust-free, but this is one kind of dust you’ll want to keep around! It’s quick, easy, and adds a healthy punch to whatever you sprinkle it on. Hello popcorn! Or stir it into yogurt and cream cheese for a veggie dip, top off your garlic bread or pasta, add a spoonful to potato soup, or sprinkle it onto a cheese quesadilla.
Kale it, don’t kill it! Hmmm, a new vegetarian slogan? Oh, I kale me! {…just stop}
the Seasonal Veg Head 