Spring Arugula Grapefruit Salad
& a new family member, parasocial relationships, and the cookbook process!
Hi! Welcome to “good mood food” from Kale Me Maybe’s Carina Wolff. If you’ve made it here and aren’t yet a subscriber, come join! You can expect recipes, musings, and faves in your inbox every week! Paid subscribers get even more on Saturdays — right now I’m doing a 30-minute budget meal series! Learn more about the paid tier of my newsletter here. You can also try a week for free!
CATCH UP!
What a big week so far! My sister had a baby, and I got to be there for his birth, which was incredible to witness. There was OBVIOUSLY the Summer House scandal, which had me glued to my phone but also has me a little concerned about people taking parasocial relationships way too far. Sagan turned eight months!! And it even rained a little here in Los Angeles.
Last week, I went to my friend Marissa’s book launch, which was eventful because 1. I rarely get out to West Hollywood these days, and 2. I got to chat with a bunch of my peers about the ins and outs of writing a cookbook. I was with a friend who isn’t in this space, and she was amazed at how much goes into writing a cookbook, and I agree.
The process typically works this way: An author develops and test their recipes, and once they feel good about what they’ve come up with, they send them out to an outside recipe tester. That person goes through each recipe and checks that the instructions make sense, the amounts listed are correct, the cook times are right, etc. Once that’s done, you have to complete the manuscript, which includes chapter introductions, headnotes, formatting the recipe to the publisher’s style guide — the list goes on.
Then there’s the photography of it all, which is usually done towards the end when the recipes are fully complete. In most cases, you’re hiring a food photographer and stylist, and you’re either shooting in your home or on location at a studio somewhere. This is done over the course of a couple weeks! Once all of this is submitted, the design team gets to working, and typically, the book comes out about a year later. Like I said, it’s quite the process!
I think it’s fun to share with people the behind-the-scenes because I don’t think it’s obvious what goes into it. I’m in the thick of recipe development right now, creating the recipes and sending them out to testers! Sometimes I feel behind, and sometimes I’m extremely calm, but I try to take it one month at a time. Regardless, it’s a special project, and I can’t wait for it to make it out into the world, when that time comes.
THINGS I’M LOVING!
I have worn this linen polka dot dress so many times now that I figured it was time to share. Polka dots are considered trendy right now, but I also feel like they never really go out of style, and I, for one, love that they add a little fun to an outfit. The dress is a pure linen and cotton blend, which makes it so breathable for warmer weather, which is mainly why I keep wearing it. The cut is also very flattering, and because it has buttons, I can wear it breastfeeding, which is a huge perk. I also love that it works for both daytime and evening. Hot tip: code FOR YOU gets you $20 off at Sézane through today, April 2 (not sponsored, just sharing the love).
I love how everyone is having so much fun with their matcha flavors, and I saw Foodieeshh make an earl grey milk coffee latte with infused earl grey milk, and I slightly tweaked her milk recipe to use in matcha lattes. I prepare the milk by steeping 5 earl grey tea bags in 3 cups of milk — I find letting it sit overnight for 2 nights gives it better flavor. I also like to mix in a little maple syrup or the Trader Joe’s Vanilla Bourbon Paste. And then I use about 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of the milk in my matcha lattes. The matcha I use and love is called Ikuyo from Ippodo. Nothing beats it IMO.
As someone with curly/wavy hair, I’m always looking for ways to tame the frizz, and This Bumble and Bumble Invisible Oil makes my hair SO soft. A little goes a LONGG way, but it’s not heavy! I’ll comb it through my hair before or after blow-drying, or I’ll use it after airdrying to smooth out my waves.
DISCOUNT CODES!
Supplements
KALEMEMAYBE25 gets you 30% off your first order with Ritual!
Use my link to get up to 45% off Grüns gummy vitamins!
KALEMEMAYBE gets you 15% off Armra Colostrum!
CARINA gets you 15% off Perelel Vitamins
KALEMEMAYBE gets you 20% off your first order at Needed
Food & Drink
KALEMEMAYBE gets you 10% off Fishwife products
DRIZZLE gets you 20% off Little Zing Mustard
KALEMEMAYBE gets you 15% off Kola Goodies tea lattes
CARINA20 gets you 20% off Primal Kitchen products
KALEMEMAYBE15 gets you 15% off Flour & Water products
CARINA20 gets you 20% off Juliet Wine!
CARINAWOLFF gets you 40% off your first order with Hungryroot!
CARINA20 gets you 20% off of Algae Cooking Club
Use my link to get 30% off your first order and a free gift from Thrive Market
KALEMEMAYBE10 gets you 10% off Culture Pop Soda
CARINAWOLFF gets you $30 off your first box + free croissants for life from Wildgrain
KMM25 gets you 25% off your whole order at Ground Up Nut Butters
KALEMEMAYBE gets you 15% off Ippodo Tea (my favorite matcha)!
Home & Other Products
CARINA10 gets you 10% off Starter Kits from Branch Basics!
CW15 gets you 15% off Bon Charge Red Light Therapy
Use my link to get 20% off at Canopy
CARINA10 gets you 10% off at Print Fresh (100% cotton pajamas)
Use this link to get 10% off your order at Tubby Todd!
RECIPE!
This springtime salad could truly not be easier to make. It doesn’t even have a real dressing — I just drizzled on some olive oil, lemon, and honey, and it was PERFECT. The base is arugula, and then you get your protein from crispy chickpeas (clearly my favorite protein option). Then it’s all topped with thinly-sliced radishes, grapefruit, shaved Parmesan, chopped pistachios, and some flaky salt and pepper.
The ingredients below are truly just starting points — they do not need to be followed to a t! Adjust as needed depending on your personal taste. If you don’t like the bitter crunch of radishes, feel free to use less! If you love cheese and nuts, pile them on, baby!
Spring Arugula Grapefruit Salad
Ingredients (serves 2 as a meal, 4 as an appetizer)
1 (14.5 oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 tbsp olive oil, plus more for drizzling
Cumin
5 oz arugula
1 grapefruit, peeled, white pith removed, and cut into chunks
3-4 small/medium radishes, thinly sliced
1/3 cup shaved Parmesan
1/4 cup roughly chopped pistachios
Juice of 1 lemon
Honey
Salt & pepper
1. Preheat oven to 425 F, and line a small baking sheet with parchment paper. Add the chickpeas and olive oil, season with a few dashes of cumin and a pinch of salt and pepper, and bake for 25-30 minutes or until crispy and golden, mixing halfway through.
2. Assemble your salads by adding arugula to 2 bowls or plates. Top with the crispy chickpeas, grapefruit, radishes, Parmesan, and pistachios. Drizzle on more olive oil to coat the salad, squeeze on the lemon, and drizzle on some honey. Finish off with a pinch of salt (preferably flaky) and some fresh black pepper.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT!
Last week, paid subscribers received the 100th (!!!) recipe of my 30-minute budget meal series! This one was a pan-fried gnocchi with asparagus, lemon, parmesan, and a fried egg.
Just a reminder that anytime you become a paid subscriber, you get access to ALL of the past recipes in the archive. You can always do a free 7-day trial as well!