This kale salad was inspired by the need for an easy + green meal - and a multi-grain croissant I had picked up at Whole Foods!! It's a go-to recipe for a simple and bright salad, and as always, very flexible with toppings.

I made a base dressing of olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and good mustard (Sir Kensington's is my favorite!). Mix it up well, until the olive oil and vinegarare emulsified with the mustard. I usually shake it up in a well-sealed jar!

Next, massage your kale with the dressing. A hearty kale will will be great after sitting with the dressing for 10 minutes or so - it will become a bit softer. Finally, top with anything you have on hand! I used hemp seeds, carrots, a red pear, and a few almond flour crackers. Delicious for a simple and light meal! It would also be great paired with roasted chicken or shrimp.

Let me know if you try this out, and bon appetit!

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White Balsamic Kale Salad

An easy, bright and citrusy recipe for a white balsamic kale salad that works with any topping – perfect for a quick but nutritious meal!

Course Brunch, Lunch

Cuisine American

Keyword Balsamic, Dressing, Salad

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 2 people

Author Andrea | French Pressed Kitchen

Ingredients

• 6 cups or more chopped kale
• 2 Tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
• 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon good mustard
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of ground black pepper
• Optional toppings: sliced carrots sliced pear, hemp seeds, roasted chicken

Instructions

• Add dressing ingredients to a small jar or Tupperware. Shake vigorously to combine!
• Massage the kale with the dressing, reserving a bit to drizzle on top later. Let sit for 5-10 minutes.
• Add toppings and drizzle with remaining dressing.

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Grain bowls seem to be all the rage (hello Sweetgreen, Cava, NafNaf, Korean rice bowls, etc!). The grains are filling and you can put pretty much aaaaanything on top. If you add veggies and/or lots of greens, it's a different, heartier take on a salad with endless possibilities! I've been using up my pantry grains lately, hence the inspiration for polenta, but you could definitely use barley, oats, quinoa or another grain for this.

Fort his dish I bought a few pounds of tomato "seconds" at the farmer's market that were on their last legs - but for super cheap! They needed to be cooked right away, so I cut them up as soon as I got home and threw them in the oven  with some avocado oil for about 30 minutes until they were nice and shriveled.

Next I made polenta on the stovetop - a quick 5 minute cook in boiling water and salt brings the cornmeal to a good consistency. While that was cooling I sauteed some garlic and power greens (a blend of kale, spinach and various other greens) in a small pan until very wilted. Then, put it all together! Simple as that. You could add a fried or poached egg for an even more filling meal - the runny yolk would be so good on the polenta.

Let me know if you try it out & enjoy! Bon appetit 🙂

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Roasted Tomato and Power Greens Polenta Bowl

An easy polenta meal that’s perfect for a quick meal or snack! Five minute stove top polenta topped with roasted tomatoes and sautéed power greens. Naturally vegan, gluten free and super tasty!

Course Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine Italian

Keyword Greens, Polenta, Tomato

Prep Time 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 35 minutes minutes

Servings 2 bowls

Author Andrea Shome

Ingredients

Polenta

• ½ cup dry cornmeal
• 1 and ½ cups water
• Pinch of salt

Tomatoes

• 2-3 pounds tomatoes I used heirloom
• 1 Tablespoon avocado oil
• Fresh ground black pepper

Greens

• 3-4 cups mixed baby kale and baby spinach
• 1 teaspoon avocado oil
• 2 cloves garlic

Instructions

• Heat the oven to 425F (220C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
• Dice the tomatoes into 1 inch or so cubes (or cut in half if using smaller cherry tomatoes). Add the baking sheet, then drizzle with 1 Tablespoon oil and black pepper. Roast for 30-40 minutes, or until the tomatoes are shriveled and start to dry out. Remove and let cool, then sprinkle with salt.
• Bring the water to a boil in a small pot with the pinch of salt. Add in the cornmeal, then cook for about 5 minutes until mixture becomes creamy. Stir consistently so it doesn't stick to the pan. Set a side and let cool slightly.
• Heat a small pan over medium heat and add 1 teaspoon avocado oil and the garlic. Sautee the garlic until fragrant, then add in the greens and cook until wilted.
• Finally, bring the bowl together! Put the polenta on the bottom, then top with the wilted greens and a scoop of the roasted tomatoes. Add a pat of Earth Balance on top for an extra creamy touch.

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Sometimes I'm in a rush and don't have time to do the whole stove top and fancy recipe for my greens. When you just want something simple and light, this is a great go-to! I love cooking kale this way because you can control how much it cooks (just a tad, not overcooked), and it's so FAST!! Win win.

The trick to this recipe is to dice up your kale - this is a good medium chop, but you can do even finer if you want a nice shredded look. Then just put it in a bowl, sprinkle with some water (a few tablespoons or spoonfuls), and pop into the microwave for 2 minutes (less if you have less kale). I use a microwave splatter cover over the dish to help the steaming process.

Here's my before - it's stacked high in this wide bowl!

After!

Top with some fresh lemon juice + salt and you're good to go for a great side dish. You could also toss it in a light vinaigrette or any other citrus-y sauce for a bright finish.

I had mine for breakfast with sauerkraut + leftover protein (I used steak!) + kale.

Get your greens, and enjoy!

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Easy 2 Minute Microwave Kale

A super simple recipe for 2 minute microwave kale. Make your meal beautiful and nutritious by adding greens!

Course Side

Cuisine American

Keyword Kale, Microwave

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 2 minutes minutes

Total Time 7 minutes minutes

Servings 4 large sides

Author Andrea | French Pressed Kitchen

Ingredients

• 1 large bunch of kale washed and de-stemmed
• 2-3 Tablespoons water
• 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• Salt to taste

Instructions

• Chop (fine or medium is fine - depends on your preference) or shred kale.
• Add all the kale to a large bowl and sprinkle with the water. If you're using more kale, add a tad more water.
• Cover the bowl with a microwave cover and cook on high for about 2 minutes (less if you are using less kale). If you don't have a microwave cover, toss the greens every 30 seconds or so to encourage the steaming process.
• Remove and let cool slightly, tossing a few times with a fork.
• Sprinkle with lemon and sea salt, then toss to combine. Enjoy!

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This colorful + super healthy salad came together on a whim, inspired by some roasted veggie leftovers. It was just so good I wanted to share with YOU! It started wtih a craving for greens: Pedro was away for the weekend and I just wanted SALADS and cruciferous things so I bought all the things (kale! arugula! brussels! spinach!). Normally I throw together what I have with a simple balsamic vinaigrette but I wanted to change it up a bit, especially since I wanted to use kale as a base. I settled on a tahini maple dressing that would go well with the earthiness of roasted veggies. I was inspired by a recipe round up of salads on Cookie and Kate!!

I started with greens - a bag of shredded kale + cabbage + brussel sprouts from Trader Joe's. I suppose that's the shortcut way, but you can also chop up your own greens or use normal salad greens. I diced up red pepper and roasted a spiralized sweet potato for mine, but any type of root veggie would be great (carrots and parsnips!). The tahini dressing is so versatile that it will go with a lot of different vegetables!

I topped it off with a little avocado for healthy fats + some blueberries to complement the sweetness of the maple. YUM. I want to eat this all over again.

Is it talking to you like it did to me? Guys, this salad is legit, and I highly recommend you try it ASAP!! Get pre-shredded veggies to make it quicker, or just dice up some kale // cabbage // spinach and make.it.happen. You won't regret it!

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Kale, Sweet Potato + Blueberry Salad with Maple Tahini Dressing

A simple kale and raw veggie salad with a creamy maple tahini dressing. Vegan, gluten free and flexible for ingredients you have on hand!

Course Dinner, Lunch, Salad

Cuisine American

Keyword Maple, Sweet Potato, Tahini

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 2 -3 large or 3-4 smaller servings

Author Andrea @ French Pressed Kitchen

Ingredients

Salad Dressing

• ¼ cup tahini
• 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• Dash of garlic powder
• 1.5 teaspoons maple syrup
• Salt to taste

Salad Ingredients

• Mixed greens preferably hearty (I used a shredded brussels sprouts, kale and cabbage mix from Trader Joe's)
• ½ of a red bell pepper diced
• 2 cups roasted mixed vegetables sweet potato, brussels sprouts, carrots, parsnips
• Avocado sliced
• Blueberries strawberries, raspberries or grapes would be great too!

Instructions

• Mix salad dressing ingredients together in a jar or small bowl. Set aside.
• Shred or very finely chop up the salad ingredients if not already done (you can also use regular salad greens but will probably need less dressing). Massage the greens with a few tablespoons of dressing, adding more if necessary. Top with roasted vegetables, fruit and sliced avocado. Drizzle on more dressing. EAT!!

Bon appétit!

The post Kale, Sweet Potato and Blueberry Salad with Maple Tahini Dressing appeared first on French Pressed Kitchen.

I suspect this would also make a great breakfast for dinner, as well. You could make this sandwich slightly less intense by including some of the filling ingredients instead of all of them 🙂 but I was so hungry the morning I made this! Layered it all on. I've found that any combination of kale // avocado // egg // sausage // almond butter turns out well. I've tested just egg and almond butter (surprisingly good), as well as the kale // avocado // almond butter combo a few weeks ago (here!). This time around I put them ALL together. Because YOLO right?

Early morning workout meant I was hungrier than usual so I just added all the things...Starting with a toasted bagel, I made an avocado and almond butter base. Already looks great and you could even stop here, ha!

Then I cooked up the kale and sausage (frozen, so pre-cooked!) in the microwave. The microwave steam action has been working great lately. I can multi-task! Then, cooked up the runny egg on the side.

Smashed it all together, added toothpicks to keep it together and gingerly cut it in half, Not an easy feat, but worth it for the cross sectional. Also, there was no way I could bite into the sandwich whole. Close up because NOMS:

I was debating whether almond butter or avocado should go on the bottom. It's kind of a toss up / personal preference like peanut butter and jelly (I always do nut butter first) but I thought avocado seemed appropriate for the base, maybe because it's more savory.

Try out this protein packed green sammie and let me know what you think!!

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Almond Butter, Avocado + Egg Breakfast Sandwich

A power breakfast sandwich featuring kale, almond butter and avocado. Option to add in sausage and egg for a protein packed meal!

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Keyword Almond Butter, Avocado, Egg, Sandwich

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 1 big sandwich

Author Andrea Shome

Ingredients

• 1 bagel or two slices toast
• 1 handful of kale baby or regular
• 1 sausage patty optional if you want to do vegetarian
• 1 egg
• 1 Tablespoon almond butter
• 2 Tablespoons avocado
• Sea salt

Instructions

• Cut the bagel in half and toast both sides. I like mine crunchy!
• Wait until it cools slightly, then spread one half with almond butter and the other with avocado. Sprinkle the avocado side with sea salt.
• Microwave the kale for about a minute with some water to steam it slightly. Let cool and drain if needed. If using frozen sausage, microwave that as well until thoroughly warmed (I did my kale and sausage together). If using fresh sausage, pan fry it in until thoroughly cooked.
• In the same pan, fry an egg until it reaches the consistency you like.
• Layer the sausage if using, kale and egg on top. of the sandwich base. You can also skip the sausage and egg and just just double down on kale, almond butter and avocado for a vegan option!
• Smoosh and enjoy!

Notes

You could make this with two pieces of your favorite bread or even try an open faced sandwich!

Bon appétit my friends!

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