Dining With De Lara

Archives for October 2018

Fall Kale Salad With Dijon Vinaigrette

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Tis the season for this bright fall kale salad with dijon vinaigrette! It is the simplest thing to whip up, taking about 15 minutes and is full of so many wonderful flavors! Mild green kale, crisp apples, carrots, cranberries, and sunflowers seeds makes for a delicious salad that won’t let you down. Top it all off with homemade dijon vinaigrette and you are ready to go!

Any type of kale will work for this salad. I used green curly kale as its texture is more tender than others and its flavor is quite mild. If you pick a type of kale that feels really tough, you may want to massage it with your hands once it has been chopped to soften it up. Kale is a very stubborn, hearty green and can definitely hold its own in sautés, soup, and stews. However, when eating it raw, some types are best massaged so leaves become more tender and enjoyable.

I like to take the stems out of the leaves before chopping- it’s just a personal preference. You can leave them in and chop them up with the rest if you would like a bit more crunch in the salad.

One thing about me, I am very picky about salad dressings. One of the reasons I don’t often eat salads or post about them is because I have such a hard time finding dressings that I like. Store bought dressings are usually a disappointment, cheap or “natural”, expensive ones a-like. Maybe it’s just me?

I am much happier making them at home, exactly how I like them. I get to be creative and save a bit of money at the same time- not too shabby. So here is one of my favorite homemade dressings: dijon vinaigrette. Dijon mustard gives it its flavor, a dash of apple cider vinegar gives it some acid, and a touch of honey sweetens it. Perfection!

Looking For More Salads? Try These Ones:

Fall Kale Salad
 
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Serves: About 8 cups
Ingredients
  • 2 bunches of lacinato kale
  • 2 carrots
  • 1 large gala apple
  • ¼ cup dried cranberries
  • ½ cup raw sunflower seeds
  • ½ lemon
Instructions
  1. Wash the kale, carrots, and apple.
  2. De-stem the kale and chop the leaves into bite-sized pieces. Add it to a large salad bowl. Using a cheese grater, shred the carrots and add them to the kale. Next, Cut the apple in half and take out the core and seeds. Thinly slice each half into ¼ inch slices, then cut each slice into sticks. Toss the apple in the juice of the half lemon so the sticks don't turn color. Add the apple, cranberries, and sunflower seeds to the salad bowl and toss. Enjoy!

 

 

Dijon Vinaigrette
 
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Serves: about ⅓ cup
Ingredients
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons honey or maple syrup
  • pinch of salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. Add all ingredients to a small mixing bowl and whisk for a minute or two until the ingredients are fully combined.

 

Potato Fritters With Zucchini And Feta

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These potato fritters with zucchini and feta are perfect for weeknight meals, breakfast, or after-school snacks. They are satisfying and super easy to make- coming together in about 30 minutes! The shredded potato and zucchini become extremely crispy and, the added feta and scallions add quite a pop of flavor.

The secret to getting super crispy fritters is to use a very simple method. Once the potatoes and zucchini have been shredded, you simply rinse the potatoes, then squeeze as much water as you can out of both them and the zucchini. Rinsing the potatoes will wash the starch off of them and then squeezing will ensure most of the water gets taken out so you don’t end up with soggy fritters. It’s an extra step that you can skip if you need to; however, I definitely recommend taking the time to do it. Fritters that don’t crisp up well and are soggy inside aren’t very appealing.

 

These potato fritters would go great with my

You could make these for any meal, but my favorite has been making them for breakfast. They are fairly quick and keep me full, so win-win! Here some of my other favorite breakfast recipes:

Potato Fritters With Zucchini And Feta
 
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Recipe type: Entree
Serves: 14 fritters
Ingredients
  • 2 medium zucchini, washed
  • 3 medium russet potatoes, washed
  • 6 ounces of Feta cheese
  • ¾ cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 scallions, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
  1. Using a cheese grater or ricer, shred the zucchini. Place in a thin, clean kitchen towel and wring as much water out of them as you can. Put the zucchini in a large mixing bowl and shred the potatoes. Rinse the potatoes with cold water to wash the starch off. Wring the moisture from the potatoes as well and add them to the zucchini. Next, add the feta cheese, flour, eggs, scallions, salt, and pepper. Mix well, making sure no clumps of flour remain.
  2. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the fritter mixture to the skillet ¼ cup at a time. Using the back of a spatula, flatten out the fritter until it is thin and about 3 inches across. Depending on the size of your skillet you could add several to the pan to cook at one time. Cook the fritters for about 4 minutes, or until the underside has turned a deep golden brown, then flip and cook the other side. Place the fritters on a paper towel-lined plate to cool. Repeat with the remaining fritter mixture.

 

Cinnamon And Nutmeg Baked Apples

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Baked apples are a staple come Fall, so if you haven’t tried them yet, it’s time to get on board! And this recipe does not disappoint. Cinnamon and nutmeg baked apples are simple, yet extremely flavorful- just how I like it. They are the perfect pairing with oatmeal, ice cream, waffles, pancakes, or you can enjoy them on their own.

I love to use ingredients seasonally, something i’m sure i’ve mentioned before. With our modern grocery stores, ingredients from all over the world are available at anytime of the year. However, the best flavors and textures come from produce that is grown in its peak season. Even more so if it’s local. Apples are in their peak season now, so get ready for an abundance of apple recipes to come your way! I chose gala apples for this recipe, but any variety of apple will make for a delicious dish.

The first time I tested this recipe for the blog I used a knife to core and slice the apples. Prepping ten apples that way was a little tiring, so the second time around I purchased an apple slicer (looks like this) which made the work so much easier and faster.  I would definitely recommend getting one if you are needing to prep a bunch of apples, or if like me you are going to make a lot of recipes that use apples.

I typically bake them for about 45 minutes because I’ve found that they turn out to be soft, yet still have some structure to them. If you like softer apples then definitely let them bake the full hour.

I have tried this recipe using a small amount of natural sweetener like coconut sugar or maple syrup, as well as leaving it out. Both versions are wonderful, and the apples become quite sweet while they cook so leaving out the sweetener will still produce a nice sweet dish. The choice is yours!

 

This recipe would go great with these other recipes:

Cinnamon And Nutmeg Baked Apples
 
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comforting baked apples are perfect for cold weather, simple to make, and bring Fall right into your home!
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Serves: 6 servings
Ingredients
  • 10 Gala apples (or your favorite variety), washed
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2½ cups apple cider or apple juice
  • juice form 1 lemon
  • 3 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons nutmeg
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • Optional
  • 2 tablespoons coconut sugar or maple syrup
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Core your apples and slice them into ¼ inch thick slices. Place them in a large mixing bowl. Dissolve the cornstarch in a small amount of water and stir until no clumps remain. Add the dissolved cornstarch and the rest of the ingredients to the apples and stir until the apples have been thoroughly coated in the other ingredients. Pour the apple mixture into a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish and cover with tin foil.
  3. Bake the apples for 45 minutes to an hour or until the are soft and done to your liking. Stir them once or twice while they bake, so they cook evenly. Take them out of the oven when they are done and let cool for 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

 

 

 

Wild Rice Bowls With Smoky Red Pepper Sauce

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Wild rice bowls with smoky red pepper sauce are hearty and satisfying and just in time for fall! They are filled with seasonal roasted vegetables like broccoli and sweet potatoes that will help keep you full and energized.

These bowls (all bowls, really) are some of my favorite meals to make because you can:

  • Easily customize them a little differently each time so they never get old.
  • Prep the ingredients in large batches, saving a lot of time and work.
  • Use them for meals all week long because they reheat like a charm!

You can, of course, use whatever roasted vegetables you prefer. However, both broccoli and sweet potatoes are in their peak right now making them more affordable and fresher than at other times of the year.

Wild rice cooks much the same as normal rice, but pay attention to the cooking instructions on the package as the cooking times and water to rice ratios can vary slightly. The ratios for Jasmine and brown rice is 2 cups of water for every 1 cup of rice. However, with this wild rice I only needed 1½ cups of water for every cup of rice.

The way I get perfect rice every time, no mater the variety, is to add a small amount of sea salt and olive oil while it cooks, and then let it steam, covered, for 5 -10 minutes at the end so that it fully softens and becomes fluffy. Give it a try!

 

If you haven’t guessed by now, my love for red bell peppers runs deep. There are so many creative ways to use them! The base of this sauce is red peppers that have been broiled to add more flavor, mixed with some of my favorite spices such as smoked paprika and garlic. The result is an extremely easy, yet flavorful sauce that you could use on just about anything. Try it on a toasty baguette, pasta, or other roasted vegetables like zucchini or cauliflower.

Interested In Other Recipes That Use Red Bell Pepper? Check These Out:

 

Wild Rice Bowls
 
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Wild rice and roasted veggies make for an easy and hearty meal full of amazing flavors!
Author:
Recipe type: Entree
Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • For The Rice:
  • 2 cups uncooked wild rice
  • 3 cups vegetable broth or water
  • ½ teaspoon olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • For The Roasted Vegetables:
  • 4 heads of broccoli, rinsed and trimmed
  • 3 large sweet potatoes, peeled
  • olive oil for drizzling
  • 2 teaspoons sea salt
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Cut the broccoli into roughly 1-inch pieces and place on a baking tray. Cut the sweet potatoes into circles, then half circles and place on a separate baking tray. Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle sea salt over the broccoli and sweet potatoe trays and toss both to coat the vegetables well. Place the trays in the oven. Roast the broccoli for 14 minutes. Leave the sweet potatoes in for longer, letting them roast for about 35 minutes total. Both the broccoli and the sweet potatoes will be done when they start to get brown spots on them and have become soft.
  3. While the vegetables roast, you can start the rice. Place the rice, vegetable broth, olive oil, and sea salt in a medium pot and bring to a boil over medium high heat. When the rice starts to boil, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for 15 minutes, or as long as the packaging recommends. Once almost all of the liquid has evaporated, turn off the heat and let the rice steam for 5 - 10 minutes.
  4. When the vegetables and rice are done, you can assemble your bowls. Divide the rice between 4 bowls and add as many vegetables as you prefer. Top with smoky red pepper sauce (recipe below) and enjoy!

 
Smoky Red Pepper Sauce
 
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Broiled red peppers and smoky spices create a sauce that's deeply flavorful!
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Recipe type: Sauce
Serves: 1½ cups
Ingredients
  • 3 red bell peppers, trimmed and de-seeded
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • juice from 1 lemon
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
  1. Turn the broiler in your oven to high.
  2. Slice the peppers into quarters and lay skin-side up on a baking tray. Broil for ten minutes, or until large black spots appear on the surface of the peppers.
  3. Let the bell peppers cool for 5 minutes and then place them in a blender with the remaining ingredients. Blend until smooth and taste. Add more seasonings if you prefer. Enjoy!