Vegan Roasted Garlic Kale Caesar with Crispy Chickpeas, Potatoes, and Pickled Shallots

and thoughts on dramatic life shifts

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 in your inbox every Tuesday!

REMINDER: PAID TIER IS CURRENTLY ON HIATUS UNTIL JANUARY 2023!

After some deliberation, I’ve decided to extend the paid tier hiatus until next year. I am going to take the next few months to finish my novel as well as work on some other structural changes with my brand. I don’t want to charge people for content that isn’t getting my complete attention and focus.

During this hiatus, your membership will remain paused and you will not be charged until the beginning of January when I resume. The free, Tuesday weekly edition of this newsletter will still continue!

Thank you for understanding, and I look forward to coming back next year better than ever!

CATCH UP!

Can you be in a prolonged state of two opposing emotions at once?

Lately, I’ve been feeling so happy, but also so aware of change, which makes me feel a little mournful. I’ve been in a state of contentment for awhile because I’m busy, but busy in such a full way with travel, celebratory events, dinner with friends, time with my husband and new dog. But those same events, those weddings and bridal showers and baby showers, remind me that life is very different for me than it was two or three years ago. And then I’m reminded of how a lot of that time was lost to the pandemic, and it accelerated a life shift that would’ve maybe crystallized naturally more slowly.

I have mixed feelings about it all. I really do enjoy my life now, and I don’t miss some aspects of being young, like more friend drama, heartbreak, and being hungover all the time. It’s just bizarre to see such a universal shift around me, with everyone getting married and starting to have kids and knowing that the past really is the past. We all aren’t going to meet up every Friday night and shoot the shit like we used to.

I guess it just kind of feels abrupt, even though I know it isn’t. But each time I go to a wedding or catch up with a friend I haven’t seen in months who has also been busy with weddings, I’m like damn, our lives have changed. And it’s not that I’m not excited for the change or ready for the change… it just feels… palpable.

I know that’s just life, and I’ll be saying it again in five to ten years whenever that next major shift happens. I think I’m just highly intrigued by my mixed emotions, my excitement at this new time, my joy at being so occupied with social events and feeling connected, but also, my nostalgia for the past, the past I’m not even sure I want anymore, but that I wish I could’ve given a proper farewell.

THINGS I’M LOVING

I’ve been a nail-biter on and off my whole life, and the only thing that has ever helped me is keeping my nails painted. HOWEVER, nails take time to grow, and when you want your nails to look good in a pinch, you can’t wish them to grow longer in a week. I’ve been using press-on nails when I want an instantly beautiful manicure, and although I have been a fan of Static Nails for a while now, I recently discovered some dupes on Amazon that I love equally as much. These Nail Reformation Press On Nails have been a lifesaver for me for events like weddings — or even when I just want to have nice nails in my videos. I will admit, the color selection isn’t as vast as Static Nails, but I have been really into the Good Vibes color, and they last me over a week.

Have I talked about the Maintenance Phase podcast on here yet? I feel like I haven’t which is a travesty. I’m sure you’ve all heard me lament about all the myths and misinformation rampant in wellness, and this podcast has been one of my favorites to listen to when it comes to debunking some of the most popular wellness trends. If you’re a fan of nuance, pop culture history, and a deep dive into science, then I highly advise you to listen in. Even if you’re not, if you at all care about your own health and wellbeing, listen to this podcast. It will help you better understand how to navigate the wellness space, and honestly, it will probably help you breathe more easily. There are so many good episodes, but I recently loved the one on Goop as well as the deep dive into Michael Pollan.

I loooove pottery, and my friend Raven sent me these cute little Bitty Bowls from East Fork. You can use them for many purposes: to hold salt, to carry sauces, but I personally have been using them as dishes for my jewelry. I keep a few on my dresser and by the sink in the kitchen and store my rings and earrings in them when I’m not wearing them. They look very chic in my home!

RECIPE!

This salad recipe is based on a recipe I created 8 years ago!! Back in the early days of KMM, when I experimented MUCH more with plant-based versions of food. I loved this vegan caesar, and I would eat it ALL the time. I recently decided to come back to it but make it even better with the addition of roasted garlic.

I think it’s worth reminding everyone that this obviously isn’t a real Caesar. It’s meant to mimic the flavor of Caesar dressing, but it’s not going to be identical. However, I think it’s a tasty dressing and is a similar vibe, so that’s good enough for me! If it bothers you to think of it as a Caesar, call it a creamy vegan dressing and leave it at that ;).

ALSO, MAKE SURE TO SOAK YOUR CASHEWS OVERNIGHT SO THEY’RE EASY TO BLEND!

Vegan Roasted Garlic Kale Caesar with Crispy Chickpeas & Potatoes

Ingredients (serves 2)

Salad

• 1/2 pound baby gold potatoes, chopped

• 1 (14 oz) can chickpeas, rinsed, drained, and patted dry

• Olive oil

• Onion powder

• Turmeric

• Paprika

• 1 stalk kale, stem removed and roughly chopped

• 2 cups arugula

• 1 small/medium shallot, thinly sliced

• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar

• 1 tbsp sugar

• 1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes

Vegan Roasted Garlic Caesar Dressing

• 1 head garlic

• 1/2 cup soaked raw cashews

• 2 1/2 tablespoons dijon mustard

• Juice of 2 small lemons

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp black pepper

• 1 tbsp water

1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Add potatoes and chickpeas to a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Add a few dashes of onion powder to both the potatoes and the chickpeas. Add a few dashes of turmeric to the potatoes, and mix together. Then add a few dashes of paprika to the chickpeas and mix together.

2. Slice 1/4 inch off the top of your garlic head and remove excess paper. Drizzle with olive oil, and then wrap in foil. Add the garlic to the baking sheet, and then bake for 25-30 minutes or until chickpeas are crispy and potatoes are crispy on the outside but soft on the inside. Leave the garlic in the oven but remove the chickpeas and potatoes, and cook the garlic for another 15 minutes.

3. Make the quick pickled shallots by bringing red wine vinegar and sugar to a boil. Pour over the shallots, and let them marinate while everything is baking.

4. Let garlic cool before handling. When it’s ready, squeeze into a blender or food processor, and add in the soaked cashews, mustard, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, and water. Blend until smooth.

5. Add kale and arugula to a large bowl. Drizzle with a touch of olive oil and a pinch of salt, and massage with your hands to soften. Add the potatoes, chickpeas, tomatoes, and shallots to the bowl. Add the dressing (I used about half, save the rest for later or use as much as you want) and toss together.