I found this great site online Vegangela.com where this wonderful woman has some really great recipes. Please visit her site, it is informative and full of tasty ideas. The one that I want to share with you at the moment is a great dish that all the ingredients are coming in to season. So not only will you be able to make this delicious salad but you will be able to use local produce to make it, which is also a very important part of project zen. Remember not only do you help support local farms by buying local but you help reduce your carbon foot print as well. Hope you enjoy it.
(Below taken from Vegangela.com)
Baby kale, it’s so much lighter, and less chewy than regular kale. I actually find that it’s closer to baby spinach. So if you’ve been scared or put-off by regular kale, this could be a great option for you. Is baby kale the “gateway drug” to regular kale? Possibly!
I normally toss baby kale into salads or stir-fries, but today I decided to come up with a special little salad…
- 142 g (5 oz) Baby kale (or substitute with baby spinach or other salad greens)
- 1 cup raw pecans
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp maple syrup
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- salt & pepper
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- In a large bowl, toss the pecans and maple syrup and coat well.
- Spread pecans on a baking sheet covered in foil. (Set bowl aside to make vinaigrette & salad.)
- Bake in oven for 15 minutes. Stir the pecans every 5 minutes so they roast evenly. Watch them carefully, as they can burn quickly!
- When done, remove the nuts from the pan and spread them out on a plate to cool. Don’t wait too long or they’ll stick to the foil.
- In large bowl, whisk all ingredients until blended.
- Toss baby kale into large bowl with vinaigrette. Add pecans and raspberries and gently toss before serving.
Recipe Notes
- This is more of side or starter salad, rather than a meal salad.
- If you can’t find baby kale, feel-free to substitute baby spinach or really any other salad greens.
- The raspberries can be swapped-out by strawberries or blueberries. Even peaches, nectarines or mandarin oranges would work.
Hey Jared,
Have you seen this site (Post Punk Kitchen)? It is my go to for fun, tasty Vegan food.
http://www.theppk.com/
Good luck with your project! I am looking forward to following it :)