warm kale salad with apples and raisins

it's funny how certain foods get popular. it makes me cringe when i see hipsters wearing t-shirts with kale slogans, or certain hot sauce roosters. at some point the popularity will wear off, but we're talking about food, not bell-bottoms. the fact will still stand that kale has wheel-barrow amounts of stuff that we need. interestingly, kale also has more protein per calorie than beef. so let's not discard it just because we may be sick of hearing about it!
but let's face it, even if we know it's good for us, and even if we think that eating it might make us cool, if we just don't like, how long will our determination last?
I like kale, but I like kale with things, in things, and with other things on it. like this salad. when i eat this for breakfast i feel satisfied without feeling heavy. and it's delicious.
tip: you don't feel satisfied after eating veggies for breakfast? chew. chew a lot. there is a lot more texture in a kale salad than in a fried egg with toast. take your time eating and give your brain a chance to catch up.


1/2 of a head of green kale, leaves torn from the stems
1/4 onion, sliced thinly
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 green apple, peeled and diced
dressing:
1/4 cup white wine
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp mustard
2 tsp maple syrup
walnuts

warm the oil in a large pot with a lid. add the onion and saute uncovered until it's soft.

add the kale and wine and put the cover on. turn up to medium-low or medium depending on the strength of your stove. you want the wine to steam the kale, but you don't want it to 'cook' on the bottom of your pot. mix together your dressing

check it often, giving it a stir to mix in the onions and move the kale around. when the kale is bright green and a still a little stiff add in your raisins and apples, stir and cover again for just a minute or two.

move it all to a bowl and drizzle your dressing over the top, and add as many walnuts as you like.

serves 4 as a side, 2 as a hearty breakfast.

goes well with goat-cheese/hot pepper jelly sourdough toast

Dutch Style Red Cabbage

So sad. I am down to my last few items left over from this years farm share. Some parsnips, a few potatoes, and two red cabbages.

But on the up side, this was delicious! A great peasant meal. We ate it with baked sweet potatoes and some toothsome sourdough rye. I often end up thinking after meals like this "Wow, those peasants sure know how to eat!" It was a wonderfully satisfying combination for a snowy and bitterly cold (11 degrees...) day.

Dutch Style Red Cabbage from Nourishing Traditions

1 medium red cabbage, shredded
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp raw honey, or maple syrup for vegans
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 cup of water
2 apples, peeled and quartered (I sliced them)
2 tbsp. butter, or coconut oil
1 tbsp. raw wine vinegar ( I used apple cider vinegar)
you could also add some raisins for extra sweetness if you'd like

Rinse the cabbage and place in a heavy pan. In a small pan mix the bay leaf, cloves, salt honey and cinnamon with the water and bring to a boil. Pour over the cabbage and cook gently about 20 minutes. Add the apple (and raisins if you want) and cook about 10 minutes. Remove cabbage with a slotted spoon to a warm serving dish and toss with the butter and vinegar.

Serve with simple food and marvel at the culinary prowess of those peasants.