Mexican Kale Salad

It's CSA box season for Angelic Organics shareholders and our farmers' market is in full swing so all restraint has gone straight out the window. Three different varieties of crisp lettuces in addition to arugula and spinach, fresh herbs, broccoli, beets, turnips, radishes, scallions, kale and flats of ripe strawberries have taken over the kitchen, not to mention the peas and tomatoes that are starting to roll in from our own little garden plot. And we're just getting the season started!

This is obviously cause for celebration. Where we live, when it comes to fresh local produce, we get it while we can. Winters are rough. Thank goodness there's no season for chocolate or March would be completely unbearable around here. For now though, we're wallowing like a bunch of baby rabbits in nature's bounty.

But where are we going to put all of this gorgeous organic produce?

Main refrigerator compartment? Door? Crisper drawer? Dark, cool corner of the basement? What's the best place to store those luscious lettuces? For a quick crash course, check out this Freshness IQ Challenge put together by the food storage gurus at Wolf and Sub-Zero. As an added bonus, they'll donate a dollar to FoodCorps for every completed quiz.

So how'd you do? I know enough not to ruin juicy summer tomatoes by putting them in the fridge but I admit to storing fresh fish in the main fridge compartment all these years. Who knew?

Now that we have proper storage out of the way, it's time to put the good stuff to work make something awesome like perhaps...a little Mexican Kale Salad?

This is summer for lunch. Or dinner. Or breakfast for that matter. Starting the day off with a salad is a great way to meet your produce quota and helps ensure all those leafy greens get used. Forget Wheaties. Breakfast salad is where it's at. If you're a traditionalist and need a little more breakfast in your breakfast, try slicing a hard boiled egg on top.

Earthy ribbons of deep green kale play so well alongside buttery avocado, salty Cotija, kicky radishes, and crunchy pepitas but it's the lime that really got the kids. Looly, surprise surprise, picked out the avocado, but all three of the 7-and-unders in this house ate this kale salad. By choice. There was no cajoling. No bargaining. They actually dumped kale salad on top of plain pasta to make their own creation - Mexican Kale Pasta Salad, then had seconds. Those are my kids!

Mexican Kale Salad

For the dressing

1&1/2 tbsp sunflower oil (or canola, olive or grapeseed oil)
1 lime, juice and zest
1 tsp agave
1/4 tsp kosher salt
pinch freshly ground black pepper

For the salad

1 bunch kale, sliced into thin ribbons
1 avocado, cubed
4 medium radishes, thinly sliced
1/2 cup Cotija cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup pepitas

To make the dressing combine the oil, lime juice and zest, agave, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Whisk to combine.

In a large bowl, combine the salad ingredients. Pour the dressing over the top and toss gently. Let sit at room temperature for 15-30 minutes. Toss it again and serve. Garnish with more pepitas, a sprinkle of Cotija, and lime wedges.

Avocado Chocolate Mousse Mini Pies

Say what? Chocolate avocado mousse?

In case you just missed the pinched up face and lolling tongue, Looly detests avocado. But like many red-blooded seven-year-olds, she adores chocolate, which is precisely why Bean, Roo, and I couldn't resist playing a trick on her.

For months (years?) I've seen recipes for vegan chocolate mousse made with an avocado base floating around...so long that I honesty can't remember where I saw it first. Food 52 has a version. I've watched Giada De Laurentiis whip up a batch on an episode of Giada at Home. There's another version here. And here. And here.

Suffice it to say the idea of using creamy avocado as a base for chocolate dessert is decidedly not my own. The evil plot to dupe my own offspring into eating her most despised food, however, is all mine.

Bean and Roo are avocado fiends and any mousse without eggs is bound to be a friend of ours, so it was about time to give this thing a go. We got to work while Looly was busy making dream catchers and rag dolls at art camp. Everything was going along just fine until my avocados started disappearing.  

I think we can safely say who's to blame, but luckily there's nothing like a bowl of melted chocolate to distract a couple of avocado bandits.

Chocolate Avocado Mousse Mini Pies
inspired by Food 52, vegan bakers, Giada De Laurentiis, and the Internet in general


2 ripe Haas avocados
8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup coconut milk (Use the thick part that gathers toward the top of the can. Leave behind the liquid)
1 tsp real vanilla extract
3-4 tbsp agave syrup (or less)
pinch of salt
8 mini pie crusts of your choice. We went with store bought graham cracker, but chocolate cookie crust or traditional homemade pie crust would be lovely too!
1/4 cup flaked coconut

Combine the chocolate chips and thick coconut milk in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in 25 second intervals, stirring in between, until the chocolate is melted. Stir well and let cool slightly.

Place the avocados, vanilla, agave, and salt in a food processor and puree until smooth. Poor in the chocolate-coconut milk mixture and pulse until everything is well-incorporated, smooth, creamy, and delicious.

Put the mousse in a piping bag (or zip top plastic bag with a corner cut off) and pipe into the pie shells. Chill until the mousse is firm, about 2 hours.

Garnish the chilled pies with flaked coconut and fresh raspberries. The decision whether or not to disclose the full ingredient list is yours to make. As for us, we waited until those first few bites were thoroughly savored then...

Guess what, Looly?! Avocado surprise! 

Lucky for me that kid's a pretty good sport. She even went on to finish the mousse and declared that she actually likes avocado sometimes. When it's in other stuff. Like chocolate.

In the words of Bean, "Yeah, Looly. So does everybody".

Black Rice Salad with Sugar Snaps, Avocado, and Lime

Spring has (nearly) sprung woo hoo! Something about longer days and the jauntier slant of sunshine trickling through the windows has me in the mood for crisp green herbs and bright sunny flavors. Enter this yummy black rice salad with sugar snap peas, creamy avocado, lime, and spicy serranos.

This is party food at its best. It's perfect at room temperature, looks great on a buffet, and is just out of the ordinary but plump with plenty of familiar ingredients so as not to scare off less adventurous guests. An ice cold beer, ginger beer, or better yet, a Dark and Stormy - heavy on the lime, will only enhance the experience. Trust me.

Given the dash of heat from serranos, this isn't one for the kiddos...at least, not my kiddos. But as I always say, deconstruct! Black rice was a hit with my usually rice-resistant crew who were happy to suck on lime wedges while putting away plenty of snap peas and avocado slices too - just not all mixed together.

Black Rice with Sugar Snaps, Avocado, and Lime
adapted from Fine Cooking

10.5 ounces (about 1 & 1/2 cups) Chinese Black Rice (I found it at Whole Foods)
3 tbsp sunflower or canola oil
1/2 cup minced red onion
2 serrano chile pepper, with seeds, minced (or less, to taste)
1 tbsp fresh lime zest
3 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
1 tbsp Thai fish sauce
kosher salt
4 ounces sugar snap peas, trimmed and sliced on the diagonal
2 small, firm-ripe avocados (dice one, slice the other)
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
lime wedges for garnish

Put the rice in a large bowl and rinse in cold water 3 times until the water is barely cloudy. Drain the rice and transfer to a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add 2 & 3/4 cups water and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, turn heat to low and cook until the rice is tender, but not mushy, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat, uncover, and let sit at room temperature for an hour or 2, until the rice is cool.

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook a few minutes until translucent. Add the serrano and cook 1 minute more. Remove from heat.

In a large bowl, combine the lime zest, juice, rice vinegar, fish sauce, and 1/2 tsp. salt. Whisk together.

Use a damp wooden spoon to turn the rice out into the large bowl containing the dressing mixture. Add the shallot mixture. Toss gently to coat the rice. Let the rice and dressing sit for at least 10 minutes to let the flavors meld.

Just before serving, stir in the snap peas, the diced avocado, and half the mint. Season with salt to taste. Top with remaining sliced avocado and mint. Serve with lime wedges.

Orange, Chicken, and Avocado Bulgur Salad

Citrus, feta, avocado, whole grain...this is my kind of salad!

I've been trying for some time to expand the wee ones' grain horizons beyond pasta, couscous, and rice. Sadly, quinoa is repeatedly met with staunch resistance. This summer, a deconstructed version of this farro salad was a hit with the KC kids so I'm trying my luck again, this time with bulgur.

Since the 6-and-unders here tend to be purists, I often resort to deconstructing whatever Mufasa and I are eating for them, like this.

Not bad, right? That's bulgur, grape tomatoes, feta, clementine wedges, avocado, and chicken. I only need to prep one set of ingredients and we all end up eating the same thing, just in a different guise.

The verdict is in. With a little help from my friend soy sauce, bulgur is a go with 2 out of 3 KC kids! And that Looly, well, she never likes something the first time, and even she managed a few bites. Victory is mine.

Orange, Chicken, and Avocado Bulgur Salad
adapted from Cooking Light, February 2013

1 cup bulgur wheat, uncooked
3 tbsp orange juice
zest of 1 orange
2 tbsp olive oil
1 & 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
8 ounces shredded, cooked chicken
1 medium avocado, diced
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
6 ounces feta cheese, 1/4-inch diced
2 oranges or 4 clementines, peeled and sectioned
fresh cilantro for garnish (optional)

1. Combine 1 cup bulgur and 2 cups water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer about 10-12 minutes (allow more time for larger, coarsely ground bulgur) until the grain is tender. If any water remains, drain it off. Fluff bulgur with a fork and cool to room temperature. You should have about 3 cups of cooked. Don't forget to set some aside if you're planning a deconstructed version!
2. Combine the juice, zest, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper in a small bowl and whisk to combine.
3. In a large bowl, combine cooled bulgur with remaining ingredients. Toss everything with the dressing and sprinkle with fresh cilantro.

Tuna Tartare Two Ways

We don't eat enough fish. We stopped making it regularly somewhere between the day I wrestled half a filet of lemony whitefish from the cat after Looly chucked it off her highchair tray and the onset of Roo's food allergies.

In any event, Starfish brand fish sticks (don't knock 'em till you've tried 'em) and the occasional salmon fillet round out our current seafood rotation. I've been longing for the return of homemade fish tacos and sauteed scallops and finally decided this week that it's time. Bring on the tuna!

I don't normally advocate lying to kids. My children have a firm understanding of lots of difficult topics...poverty, natural disasters, war, death. They know our beloved cat did not disappear last January to go to live on a farm somewhere. And for the most part, they handle it. But raw fish? Let's just say I didn't send a memo before I put it on their plates.

Tuna Tartare for the Wee Ones (grown-up version appears below)

1/4 pound fresh, high quality tuna steak
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tbsp. canola oil

1. Slice the tuna steak into 1/4-inch cubes and place in a large bowl.
2. Whisk together soy sauce, juice, and oil. Pour over tuna. Marinate in the refrigerator for an hour or more. Serve with rice crackers.

So they didn't embrace their first tartare experience with all the gusto I'd hoped for but miraculously, they each chewed and swallowed an entire quarter inch cube of raw tuna before politely expressing their dissatisfaction - a far cry from the days of "Yuck!" and "Are you trying to kill us?!" All that and no one threw up or even gagged a little bit. That's a victory if I've ever seen one.

Whatever the kids don't finish, just toss into the grown-up version below.

Spicy Tuna Ceviche
adapted slightly from Barefoot Contessa

2 pounds fresh, high quality tuna steaks
1/2 cup olive oil
3 limes, zest and juice
1 tsp. wasabi powder
1 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp. Sriracha sauce
1 tsp. coarse salt
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 cup scallions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup red onion, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
1 avocado, pitted, peeled, and diced
1 tsp. toasted sesame seeds

1. Dice the tuna steak into 1/4-inch cubes and place in a large bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, combine oil, lime juice, zest, wasabi powder, soy sauce, Sriracha, salt, cayenne, scallions, onion, and jalepeno. Stir well. Pour over tuna and toss gently to coat. Marinate in the refrigerate for about an hour. Add avocado and toss gently just before serving. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve with rice crackers, wonton crisps, tortilla chips, or shovel it into your mouth directly out of the bowl with a fork like me.