Sweet & Spicy Kale Salad
don't judge a book by its cover
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 Wednesday! Paid subscribers get even more! Learn more about my paid membership here. You can also try a week for free!
CATCH UP!
Hi!! I’ve felt particularly disconnected from everyone this week! I had my phone screen replaced last week before I went up to San Francisco, and something happened during the repair that caused some issues with my motherboard. My phone ended up completely unusable, a pixelated mess. After a weekend without it, I finally got a new one Monday and was back in business!
It was a bit stressful realizing how reliant I was on my phone. I can manage without social media for a few days, but it really showed me how essential these little electronics are to our modern lives. Even if I wanted to tap out of having a cell phone, it’s not like I have a landline or an address book with people’s phone numbers. And I don’t own a map, although with a little studying that could be resolved.
The worst part, though, was realizing how little I could do work-wise without my phone, which has led me to believe it’s time for a work phone. Anyway, that was my saga, one that was quickly resolved and of little lasting impact.
Grant finally came back from his mini tour, and Willow and I were both ecstatic! Our travel plans have finally subsided, so we are going to enjoy an LA summer. I swam in the ocean this weekend, and it was marvelous, so you can definitely catch me in the water for the rest of the summer.
THINGS I’M LOVING!
I love a good basic tee, but I’m also picky about how they look. I first was introduced to this Abercrombie Essential Easy Tee by Sara Tane in her newsletter (quite a while ago), but I just added it to my cart in a recent order. I wish I had ordered it earlier! It’s super comfortable and I love the fit. Everyone needs a nice, white tee in their wardrobe, and this one is one of my faves.
I have been on the HUNT for some classic, wide-leg jeans, but I’ve been struggling to find some that aren’t way too long. Finally, I’ve found the pair! These Wide Leg Jeans are from Gap, and I love that they have a little bit of stretch. Since they’re cropped, they land at the right place on my ankle (I’m 5’6”), and the color is nice as well!
I’ve always loved dates, but I feel like a lot of Medjool dates end up going hard or stale really quickly. I recently started buying Joolie Dates, and I love how moist and sticky they are! I’ve been eating them with a little bit of nut butter on top as a little snack, and they’re perfect for this week’s recipe!
RECIPE!
I knew this salad wasn’t going to be the most attractive when I was prepping the ingredients, but justice for ugly salads!
This week was one of those weeks where I felt like I didn’t have any good ideas, so I decided to do what I do best and mess around with the ingredients I already had in the fridge. I had seen Erin Lives Whole post a sweet and spicy salad last week, and I decided to do my own riff on it with a few of the same ingredients including a Calabrian chili dressing and some chopped dates.
The base of this salad is some massaged kale, and then I threw in some black lentils, roasted potatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, dates, pickled onions, and feta. The dressing is a simple mix of lemon, olive oil, and Calabrian chili, something I hadn’t had before but greatly enjoyed.
Sweet & Spicy Kale Salad
Ingredients (serves 2)
Salad
2 ½ cups diced gold potatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
½ tsp cumin
Salt
4 cups chopped kale
1 ¾ cup cooked black lentils
¾ cup roughly chopped sun-dried tomatoes
½ cup pickled onion (or regular red onion) roughly chopped
4 Medjool dates, pitted and finely chopped
1/4 cup lightly crumbled feta
2 tbsp roughly chopped parsley
Dressing
2 tsp Calabrian chili peppers
3 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Toss the potatoes in 1 tbsp olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, and cumin. Bake for 25-30 minutes until potatoes are golden and crispy. Set aside to let cool slightly.
2. Prepare the dressing by whisking ingredients together in a small bowl until smooth.
3. Add the kale to a large bowl and add a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Massage the kale with your hands to break down the fiber and soften. Add the remaining salad ingredients and toss with the salad dressing. Serve immediately.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT!
Last week, paid subscribers received a recipe for my favorite burger bowl! I added in some pickles and sauerkraut for some probiotic goodness, in addition to the sauteéd onions and homemade Thousand-Island-inspired sauce. Join the list and get access to this recipe and all others in the archive!!!
