Kale and Brussels Sprouts Salad with Tahini-Maple Dressing

While planning out winter seedlings, I went a bit overboard on kale. By early spring, I had ten abundant kale plants (a mix of red russian and curly kale varieties). That's a lot of kale for one person. I started to keep a jar of pre-washed kale leaves arranged in an enticing bouquet by my sink (nagging me to add a little green to my morning juice and meals throughout the day). I also started volunteering to bring kale salads to friend and family gatherings -- with the bragging rights of having just cut the kale from my garden that morning. One recipe I discovered, that I now love, comes from Cookie and Kate. It's savory, has great texture and is crazy healthy (kale and brussels sprouts, whoa).

Curly kale from the garden

Ingredients
1 bunch kale (any variety), chopped
12 brussels sprouts, thinly sliced and chopped
1/2 cup roasted almonds, chopped
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan (optional)  
Salt

Tahini-Maple Dressing

1/4 cup tahini
2 Tbs. brown rice vinegar
2 tsp. miso
2 tsp. maple syrup
Pinch of red pepper flakes
2 Tbs. water

1) Cut out spines of kale leaves and chop into small pieces. Transfer chopped kale to large serving bowl.
2) Chop off ends of brussels sprouts, slice thin horizontally, then chop and break apart with fingers into little pieces. Add sprouts to serving bowl.
3) In a small bowl, whisk together tahini, vinegar, miso, maple syrup and red pepper flakes. Stir in the water until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Pour the dressing over kale and sprouts, add almonds and Parmesan and mix well.

Roasted eggplant with almonds and goat cheese

Eggplant is like vegetarian meat -- it's fleshy, hearty and you can even throw it on a grill. I've surely received eye rolls for saying this to my non-vegetarian friends, but I stand by this claim. When I dine out, I get cranky when I'm offered tofu (or other soy "meats") as a meat sub, really never liked the stuff. But offer me an eggplant sub, and I'm happy as a clam. Today's recipe was adapted from theKitchn, and has become my go-to for potluck dinners.

Ingredients
2 large eggplants, cubed
Salt
1/3 cup olive oil
2 Tbs. cider vinegar
1 Tbs. honey
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. cumin
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 lemon, juiced
1 Tbs. tamari
1/2 cup almonds, chopped
2 oz. goat cheese, crumbled (I like this one by Cypress Grove)
1/4 cup scallions, chopped

1) Heat oven to 400°F. Cut eggplant into small cubes, divide and spread onto two large baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with salt and set aside.

2) Whisk together olive oil, cider vinegar, honey, paprika and cumin. Dab away water that has beaded up on eggplant, the toss eggplant with marinade. Stir in garlic. Roast in oven for 40 minutes (Stir every 15 minutes to make sure it's evenly roasted and not burning.)

3) Whisk together lemon juice and tamari. Add eggplant and lemon juice mixture to a large bowl, and stir in chopped almonds and goat cheese. Top with chopped scallions and serve.

Quinoa Tabbouleh

Sometimes it feels like I'm the only person who truly gets excited about tabbouleh. "Did you see they have tabbouleh!" I'll exclaim to a friend as we dig into the menu at a Mediterranean restaurant. "Oh....nice," responds friend with feigned enthusiasm. Tabbouleh is never the star of a meal — it gets outshined by hummus, baba ghanouj and falafel among other Middle Eastern delicacies. But what I love about tabbouleh, and what many people overlook in my opinion, is that its both refreshing and satiating. The chopped tomatoes, cucumber and parsley give it a satisfying crunch while the wheat bulgur provides a hearty balance. Since the recipe for tabbouleh is more or less the same across the board, the key to a making a great tabbouleh is having high quality ingredients to begin with (it may seem like a no brainer, but I've seen many get it wrong with a mealy tomato or soggy cucumber). I decided to do my own twist on the dish by substituting quinoa for wheat bulgur which provides some extra nuttiness and texture.

Quinoa Tabbouleh 
Serves 6

Ingredients
1 cup dried quinoa

1 English cucumber
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 bunch parsley
1 garlic clove
1/3 cup olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Bring the quinoa, a few pinches of salt and 1 1/2 cups of water to boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce heat to medium, cover and simmer until quinoa has absorbed all of the water and is tender (about 15 minutes). Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
2. Chop tomatoes and cucumber slices into quarters. Combine with chopped parsley and quinoa in a large bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together lemon juice, olive oil and garlic.
4. Toss lemon dressing with chopped quinoa salad. Season with salt and pepper to taste