Author: hajaf

Almond Cake

Todays blog is about almonds, as I have written in many blogs in my opinion the Mediterranean diet is the best diet for health. I talked about this diet in my first blog, but to reiterate it is a healthy eating plan that is based on foods from that region. Those include lots of vegetables, fruits and whole grains, legumes and nuts. Replacing butter with healthy oils like olive oil and using herbs and spices instead of salt to flavor foods. Limiting red meat and adding some poultry and  fish. Last but not least being active and enjoying meals with friends and family.

Nuts are a great snack instead of all the chips, pretzels and other packaged snacks we eat  In many studies nuts have shown to help lower the rate of heart disease but they do have a lot of calories and moderation is key.Personally my favorite nut is the almond its taste is so versatile and it has a long shelf life. Almonds also taste amazing as almond butter and almond flour is delicious in baked goods, especially if its gluten free.

“Almonds Nutrition Facts. Almond is a highly nutritional nut and a rich source of vitamin E, calcium, phosphorous, iron and magnesium. It also contains zinc, selenium, copper and niacin. Compared to all other nuts, they are the most packed with nutrients and beneficial components.”  From the internet

I enjoy almond butter on toast and almonds in granola, but once in a while my sweet tooth convinces me to have a dessert and I love almond cake. I love eating  it with mixed berries with some cream. I know this a wellness blog but its also my personal story, so as long as its only one in a while, I do make it and eat it.  It does contain butter and sugar but my favorite desserts all have butter. The French desserts are the best treats. My younger sister  who does not eat my banana bread loves it and also my mother in law.

Today I made it in  celebration of a friends birthday and I am sharing the recipe.

Almond cake

Ingredients

  • 1 cup almond flour
  • 1/2 cup coconut flour
  • 2 tablespoon flax chia mix
  • 6 tablespoons grass fed butter
  • 1/4 cup whole milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • little less than 1/2 cup sugar

Method

Beat the softened butter and sugar till fluffy add the eggs one at a time. Then add milk and  vanilla extract. In a separate bowl mix the flours, baking powder, ground flax seed and salt. Mix the dry ingredients in the wet ingredients. Pour the combined mix into a greased  loaf pan or a small round 8 inch pan and place in a preheated oven at 350 degrees. Bake for 25 minutes and check that the middle is not soft. Take out cool and serve with berries.

I am a new blogger and my pictures are awful but I am visual so here they are till I learn Photoshop or whatever programs make pictures look beautiful and enticing. If you serve a slice with whipped cream and berries, it does look pretty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dates

Around 2 years ago, after my family and I visited Jerusalem, we bought a lot of dates and after Saniya did a lot of research she started adding dates instead of sugar in her smoothies. She would eat dates as a snack daily.

I myself would eat dates usually only in Ramadan as when eaten, they replenish energy and revitalize the body instantly. For these qualities, they are traditionally served to break the fast during Ramadan month since ancient times.

I decided to do more research and add it to my diet, when I had the urge for something sweet. It helps curb the craving. I still do eat chocolate but I have cut it down.

I carry a few dates in my bag daily with a handful of mixed nuts. Its a great snack  and is full of beneficial nutrients. They are high in sugar and calories, so moderation is key.

The Date is a fruit and is high in  dietary fiber it has 6.7 grams in 100 grams. It works as a laxative, helping with constipation. They contain antioxidants known as tannins, which are  anti-inflammatory.

Dates have a lot of iron, about 0.90 mg/100 g they are excellent sources of potassium. 100 g contains 696 mg.  Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that help regulate heart rate and blood pressure. They thus offer protection against stroke and coronary heart diseases.
Dates  have 54mg of magnesium helping against anxiety and 64 mg of calcium, helping with strengthening bones.

National Nutrition Month

March is national Nutrition month and this month the  Academy of Nutrition and Dietetic  posts useful  fact sheets. I  am adding the links as I think they are very informative and the ides are great. Todays fact sheet is about how to add more fruits and vegetables in our diet. please read and print as its helpful for parents with young kids.

 

Click to access eat-right-adding-fruits-and-vegetables.pdf

Sweet Corn

Its been a week since I posted, I have been out of town and returned Saturday. Today my son and I went to the DeKalb market in Brooklyn and I highly recommend everyone to visit. We decided to eat Vietnamese Banh Mi sandwiches and they were delicious.

Since I had a heavy lunch, I came home and made a lentil soup, most Pakistani’s call it phiki daal which is bland lentils. I made some cumin rice and corn as that was all I had in my freezer.

The sweet corn is a quick Indian recipe my aunt makes. In a few teaspoons of olive oil add 1 teaspoon of chopped garlic and 1 teaspoon of chili flakes. I add 1/2 cup of coconut milk and a bag of frozen corn. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes. Salt is added to taste.
A lot of people  avoid sweet corn as it is high in carbohydrates. In my opinion every single vegetable can be eaten in moderation. Sweet corn  can be used as a side dish with a meal.  Sweet corn has 3.5 grams of fiber and  5 grams of protein in 1 cup. It has 325 milligrams of potassium and vitamin A.

The lentils were the yellow split moong as that’s my favorite being the lightest on the stomach. I boiled 1 cup of the lentils in 3 cups of water with a green chili and turmeric. It cooks very quickly. Beware of the lentils boiling over. I then added a baghar. In 2 tablespoons of heated ghee, I added a few curry leaves and 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon of garlic and a few dried red chilies. Once everything sizzled, I added it to the lentil soup. Salt is added to your taste. Before serving add lemon juice and cilantro.

The cumin rice took 15-20 minutes to make.  In 1 tablespoon of hot ghee, I added a teaspoon of cumin seeds. After they sizzled, I added 2 cups washed rice,3 cups of water, salt and 1 teaspoon of white vinegar. I let the rice boil for the water to evaporate, then I covered the pan and cooked it on a very low flame for 15 minutes. Open the pan and fluff the rice with a fork. Its a hit and miss with the texture of the rice. The grains should be whole.

The meal was nutritious, comforting and so easy. I use grass fed ghee for some of my desi cooking, but it does contain saturated fat and is an acquired taste. Olive oil or Avocado oil can be used instead.

Most of my recipes are with red chilies and green chilies as my family enjoys spicy food. The spice level can be changed to your taste.

Daals/lentils

I had my nephew over for dinner last night and I didn’t want to go out in the rain, so I decided to make a simple nutritious daal, Daals are vegetarian and can be made into liquid soups that we serve with rice or dry versions with masalas. There are many types of Lentils you can buy, but the four I use the most are-

  1. split moong that is yellow.
  2. split Masoor that is red
  3. Split Chana that is a bigger yellow
  4. Toor which is a split pigeon peas it’s a little smaller than the Chana.

I decided to make the yellow moong as it is the lightest and easiest to digest and least gassy on my stomach, also because I was making it dry, I did not need to make rice. I cook it with a variety of masalas and you can make it as spicy as you want to.

100 gram of this daal dry has 1.2 grams of fat of which only 0.3 grams is saturated. The best figures for health are that it has 12 grams of dietary fiber, 28 milligrams of sodium and 25 grams of protein. It has a lot of B vitamins.

I made it with onions and tomatoes and and olive oil to add some antioxidants. I usually add zucchini, but I had none available.

Recipe

  1. 1 cup moong yellow daal washed well.
  2. 3 Tablespoon olive oil
  3. 1 tomato chopped
  4. 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
  5. 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  6. 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
  7. 1 small onion chopped
  8. 1 teaspoon chili flakes
  9. 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
  10. 1 large green chillie
  11. Salt to taste
  12. 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Method

Boil the daal in 1 cup water with turmeric. The daal should be soft but not mushy. It should hold its shape. You may need to add more water as it does stick to the pan. Leave aside.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet add the cumin and mustard seeds let them pop and then add the onion, salt and chili flakes. Sauté the above till the onion is translucent and the spices have some aroma, then add the tomato and green chili. Cook for a few minutes till the tomato is softened, you may need to add water to help it mix.

Once the onion mixture is ready add the cooked daal. Mix it well so it absorbs the flavors, add the chopped cilantro and lemon juice. Cover and let it steam for 5-10 minutes.

Serve it with any type of bread you want.

I roasted green beans and fried some chicken kebabs. The lentils were the best for the rainy gray day.

Bread choices

Yesterday, I was talking to a friend about the best type of bread to buy. I decided to blog about my opinion on the most nutritious bread for good health. I am not an expert on gluten or allergies, so this is for people without any wheat problems.

First and foremost all brown breads are not healthy. Many brown breads have caramel color that makes them brown.

Secondly the word Natural, healthy or light should not be your reason for choosing that bread. Reading the ingredients should be the most important.

As a Nutrition Educator, on the label the words 100 percent whole wheat should be the first or second ingredient. That means the bread is made with the whole wheat grain. Wheat flour is not the same as 100 percent whole wheat. Wheat flour is whole wheat processed, the bran and the germ of which are the outer layers of the whole grain are removed. The flour is now light and fluffy and not coarse. That’s why wheat or white bread melts in your mouth. That processed flour is then enriched with the vitamins that are missing and that’s called “enriched flour.” If it’s white it’s bleached.

The bran or outer layer has the most nutrients like fiber, vitamin E and all the B vitamins. Bread like 12 grain or seven grain also have wheat flour as their first ingredient.

Lastly the bread should have very few ingredients, the more ingredients the more it’s been processed.

Breads from fresh bakeries are great but their only negative is the shelf life. Having no preservatives means the bread will not last long.

I love hearty breads as they fill you up and keep you fueled. After 100 percent whole wheat, they can have flax, oats and other grains. That’s a personal choice. Flax seeds have omega 3 the healthy fats.

Watch out for the sugar, fat and sodium too.

Remember all bread is a carbohydrate, but in moderation is okay, it has fiber, which we lack in our diet and fiber is shown in studies to help against many diseases.

So if you are choosing to eat bread, I hope this helps.

I always think it’s important to make small changes otherwise they do not last. Switching from white to whole wheat is a huge taste difference. So go slow.

Blueberry crumble with Walnuts.

After writing a blog on sugar, I had a craving for sugar and opened up my fridge to eat some fruit instead. I took out the container of blueberries and ate a few, but they were soft.

So I decided to make a quick healthy dessert. I love a crumble, so I mixed oats and almond flour and coconut. I added cinnamon and walnuts. I had to add some Sugar, so I added less than 3 Tablespoons brown sugar.

I mixed the butter with the flour mixture and added a handful of walnuts. Once it was crumbly and all mixed, I sprinkled it on the blueberries in a baking dish. I baked it for 30 minutes. It was delicious. It satisfied my sweet craving.

I got a lot of antioxidants from the blueberries and vitamin C and fiber. From the walnuts, I got omega 3 fats.

1/4 cup of almond flour has 6 grams of protein and 3 cups of fiber and without wheat, the recipe is gluten free. If the Oats are gluten free too.

This dessert is not necessarily low in calories, but its full of nutrients, low in sugar. Once in a while its a great treat.

Here is the quick recipe,

Ingredients

2 cups blueberries

1/2 cup regular oats

1/4 cup almond flour

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 -3 Tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 Tablespoon butter melted

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

3 Tablespoons shredded coconut

1 1/2 Tablespoon corn starch

1 tablespoon raw honey

Method

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the oats, flour, sugar and cinnamon and coconut.

Pour in the butter and mix all the ingredients till crumbly. Add the walnuts and mix again.

In a loaf pan mix the blueberries with the cornstarch add a tablespoon of honey and and lightly toss the blueberries.

Sprinkle the topping on top of the blueberries and bake for 45 minutes.

sweet potato and Quinoa

My family and I love potatoes in all forms, but since they are usually fried or mashed, they have a high Glycemic Index, which is how quickly the food raises your Insulin. That being said potatoes that are baked with the skin or made into a vegetable do have lots of vitamin C and the skin has fiber.

The star root vegetable is the sweet potato.  The Vitamin A , fiber and potassium are amazing as my earlier post noted, we are  usually   low in potassium and fiber and that’s due to the processed foods which have more Sodium.

Since, I had no meat at home, I decided to use the sweet potato with quinoa.   1/4 cup of quinoa has 6 grams of protein. It was a quick on the spot meal, but Amir loved it. I added Zucchini and green chilies and cilantro to add color. Here is the  recipe and below  are the actual nutrition facts of a sweet potato taken from the Nutrition Data website.

Ingredients

  • 2  sweet potatoes peeled and cubed( this took the longest time)
  • 2 green zucchini chopped with the skin on
  • 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
  • 1 teaspoon cumin powder
  • 1 teaspoon chili flakes
  • salt to taste
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup white quinoa
  • 2 cups water or chicken stock or vegetable stock
  • 1 green chili, either whole, slit
  • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro.

Method

In 2 tablespoon of olive oil, add 1/2 tablespoon of garlic and then half the spices, then add the sweet potato and saute till the potatoes absorb the flavors and get caramelized. For the sweet potatoes not to stick or burn add a bit of water and let them cook in some steam. The sweet potatoes should be soft but not mushy. Take it out in a dish. In the same pan saute the zucchini in the left over oil and  the same left over spices in the exact same way, they should be crisp not soft.

Cook the quinoa according to the directions, I added chicken stock instead of water for added flavor.

When your ready to eat the meal, in a large skillet drizzle some olive oil add the quinoa saute for a few minutes then add the sweet potatoes and zucchini. Mix it all up, then add the  green chilies and cilantro a few tablespoons of water and let it steam in a covered pan for a few minutes.

Before serving add some lemon juice. Beware of the quinoa sticking to the pan.

IMG_03945358.jpgIMG_03955360.jpg

Amount Per

Calories 114
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0.1 g 0%
Saturated fat 0 g 0%
Polyunsaturated fat 0 g
Monounsaturated fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg 0%
Sodium 73 mg 3%
Potassium 448 mg 12%
Total Carbohydrate 27 g 9%
Dietary fiber 4 g 16%
Sugar 6 g
Protein 2.1 g 4%
Vitamin A 377% Vitamin C 5%
Calcium 4% Iron 4%
Vitamin D 0% Vitamin B-6 15%
Vitamin B-12 0% Magnesium 8%

Sugar on a food label

Sugar is a hot topic, we all know that too much sugar is harmful for our health in many ways, but as I keep saying moderation is important. As all my friends know, I love desserts and chocolates, but I do try to only eat home made deserts and avoid any boxed desserts. The problem with many desserts, especially the processed packaged ones is that they have a lot of sugar substitutes.I am not talking about sugar free substitutes, I am talking about other names for cane or refined sugar. All these other types of sugars are still being tested on their effects on the body.

When you read  the ingredients on a food label, its important to know, where the added sugar comes from.  Here are some of the sneaky names sugar has:

  • Common Names For Sugar

“According to the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, added sugars show up on food and drink labels under the following names: Anhydrous dextrose, brown sugar, cane crystals, cane sugar, corn sweetener, corn syrup, corn syrup solids, crystal dextrose, evaporated cane juice, fructose sweetener, fruit juice concentrates, high-fructose corn syrup, honey, liquid fructose, malt syrup, maple syrup, molasses, pancake syrup, raw sugar, sugar, syrup and white sugar. Other types of sugar you might commonly see on ingredient lists are fructose, lactose and maltose. Fructose is sugar derived from fruit and vegetables; lactose is milk sugar; and maltose is sugar that comes from grain.”

As you can see, sugar is hidden in many foods and reading the food ingredients is a wise thing to do if you have the time.

Some foods that I find a lot of sugar in that we don’t realize are, flavored yogurts, sugary sodas, sugary drinks and salad dressings and tomato sauce. If the drink does not say 100 percent juice, then it does have added sugar.

A few changes in my diet have helped reduce my excessive sugar consumption:

  • Swap salad dressings with plain olive oil and balsamic vinegar and add some spices for a kick. The reduced fat dressings usually have the most sugar, unless they are made with sugar free substitutes.
  • Swap sugary sodas and drinks with water and tea. I try to add lemon or oranges to my water and keep it in a jug in the fridge. A little bit of fruit juice to seltzer water is another idea. I also try to drink more herbal teas in the day.
  • Swap flavored yogurts with low fat yogurts as a little bit of fat helps lower the sugar without affecting the taste. Or buy plain 2 percent fat yogurt and some fresh fruit or honey.
  • Beware of sugar in the bread you buy. I just discovered “Bread Alone”it has only 6 ingredients and 2 grams of sugar, which comes from honey. There are many great brands available.

Its very hard to totally cut out sugar from the diet, but every small change makes a difference. Its important to start slow and make baby steps.  Sugar is addictive and we need to be aware of the foods that we find it in. There is a lot of science, showing us how sugar can affect our bodies through Insulin production. Which plays a role in a lot of the major diseases.

On a positive note, if  we read the Nutrition Facts Panel on the food label and see the amount of added sugar that in itself is a step in the right direction.

 

 

Food Labels and the word “Natural”

One of my favorite things to do in Chicago was grocery shop. My husband and kids thought I was crazy and wasting money.  I can spend hours in a grocery store that is clean, large and not crowded. I hope I find one of those near where I live.

Anyways, I love reading food labels.  I enjoy finding food products that are healthy and have less preservatives and added sugars so I can substitute them for  products that a have a whole list of ingredients that can harm my health.  We have so many choices in the grocery store, that it can take ages to accomplish this.

Teaching nutrition for over 20 years, I have realized that learning how to read a food label should be a requirement once kids learn to read. Every single person, should know what they are putting in their body, especially if its packaged.

The Food and Drug Administration or FDA are responsible for the regulation of the food labels in this country, and they do a pretty good job with the basics. The latest addition of separating natural sugar from added sugars  is great as its so important for us to know how much sugar is added to the product. Natural sugars are the sugars found naturally in the food, like the sugar found in fruits and milk.

The food label can sometimes be misleading too and  last Tuesday after going to a talk at the Hunter College New York Food Policy Center , I  decided to talk about the word “Natural”.  “Natural” as defined by the FDA, means the food contains no added colors, artificial flavors or synthetic substances.

Foods that say “natural” can still have added sugar, pesticides and a host of other ingredients that you have never ever heard off. Foods that say “natural” are not necessarily foods that are good for your health.

Try not to only read the front of a package, read the Nutrition Facts Panel at the back and read the ingredients. If a food has a lot of ingredients you have never heard off, then think twice before putting it in your cart.

We all have our favorite foods and its not easy to change, but educating ourselves is very important.

 

 

 

Healthy Yogurt

I love yogurt and cheese, but I am aware that both of these foods are high in saturated fat and sugar. I grew up in England and somehow the yogurts  and cheeses there always tasted better than the USA.

I started researching why, saturated fat is found in natural milk so obviously both yogurt and cheese will always contain fat, unless you buy low fat. Once the fat is removed that food is processed and different ingredients have to be added for it to taste good. Secondly, I feel the hormones in milk can affect the taste, so grass fed milk, yogurt, butter and meat always tastes better. That does not mean,  we have no healthy options, also this is my personal opinion.

Doing my own research by looking at food labels, I decided that some fat in yogurt is fine.  Moderation is key also the fat allows it to be more satisfying and the sugar can be lowered without affecting the taste.

The brand, I am recently hooked on is Siggi. Its got 140 calories, 12 grams of protein and 8 grams of sugar, which is 2 teaspoons. Many yogurts have over 4 teaspoons of sugar. It does have 3 grams of  fat, I feel that adds to the the creaminess. There are fat free ones available too. My favorite is the 2% fat variety. One container of this yogurt  has only 5 ingredients and it has no fructose syrup. I will talk about Fructose corn syrup another day. Unlike many yogurts available it has 2% Vitamin A.

Please try it and give me your feedback.

Butternut Squash

I went to a vegetable market in Brooklyn with my husband and since starting this blog, I am really trying to be adventurous with my vegetables.

I decided to buy a butternut squash as I had recently had an amazing soup.

I looked up recipes for soups and nearly all the recipes has some sort of cream, I also had no idea what to serve with the soup. In my pantry, I had a box of Penne Pasta that was high in protein, so I decided to use the squash as a pasta sauce and serve it with a salad and sauteed Broccoli.

When I looked up the nutrients in one cup of butternut squash, I was Blown away by the amount of vitamins, minerals and fiber.

Butternut squash pasta sauce

Ingredients

  • 1 medium size butternut squash peeled cubed
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 1 teaspoon red chili
  • 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 box pasta
  • 2 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 Tablespoon grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese.

Method

Heat the olive oil in a skillet and add the onion and garlic, once the onion is translucent then add the chopped squash and the spices. Then saute for 5-10 minutes, so that the squash absorbs the flavors. The add the broth and cook on low heat till the squash is soft and mushy. Use your spoon to soften the squash further. Keep stirring with a wooden spoon as the mixture does stick to the pan. Boil your pasta, once it is cooked then add to the squash mixture and toss well , add your cheese and serve hot. I Loved it and will make it again. I looked at lots of recipes and took out ingredients and added some to get it my taste, many said to puree the squash, but I liked the chunky soft texture. I have copied the table of Nutrients in the butternut squash below.

Amount Per serving

Calories 63
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0.1 g 0%
Saturated fat 0 g 0%
Polyunsaturated fat 0.1 g
Monounsaturated fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg 0%
Sodium 6 mg 0%
Potassium 493 mg 14%
Total Carbohydrate 16 g 5%
Dietary fiber 2.8 g 11%
Sugar 3.1 g
Protein 1.4 g 2%
Vitamin A 297% Vitamin C 48%
Calcium 6% Iron 5%
Vitamin D 0% Vitamin B-6 10%
Vitamin B-12 0% Magnesium 12%

Antioxidants

In this blog, I also want to explain the meaning of some of the terms I use. I have been teaching college level nutrition for 25 years and I read Nutrition journals and articles. So explaining Nutrition concepts in simple language is very important to me.

The word antioxidant is very important and useful for health and wellness. Examples of natural antioxidants in our foods are Vitamin A,C,E Remember ACE.

Our  body produces produces Oxidants or free radicles, to fight off viruses and other foreign bodies that can cause major diseases. These Oxidants are needed in the short run but the problem occurs if we are chronically producing oxidants.  Too much oxidation over time plays a huge role in chronic diseases such as heart disease and Cancer. Unfortunately these oxidants are also found in the environment. We get them from pollution, cigarette smoke and Ultra Violet rays from the sun.

Antioxidants can help prevent that oxidation process, but the most important thing to remember is to get them from wholesome foods. I do not believe in popping Vitamin A,C,E just to prevent diseases, unless prescribed by your doctor.

We should try to get these three Vitamins from the colorful foods in our diet. The deeper and darker the color of the food the more antioxidants in that food.

So try to make your daily meals as colorful as possible. I found this image on google images, but you can see what I mean about colorful foods being good for our bodies. 

kale Salad

Today, we had our cousins visiting from Abu Dhabi and Amir decided to order Iranian  Chicken kebabs. The meat usually comes with some whole tomatoes and onions. Sadly the vegetables are only for decoration and not always eaten. We ordered the yogurt and rice as a side.

 

I felt the meal was very incomplete in its nutrients, so to add some Mediterranean foods for  good health and well being, I decided to make a kale salad and add the nutrients we were missing.

I used Tuscan kale as it has the most antioxidants. I added sun dried tomatoes, Fuji apples with the peel, goat cheese for some creaminess and sun flower seeds and  sliced almonds.

The kale gave us a high intake of vitamin A, C and K. The nuts gave us calcium, zinc and Iron. The sun dried tomatoes also had lycopene another very important antioxidant for  preventing diseases. The whole salad had fiber too.

For the dressing, the  Cider vinegar, olive oil and some raw honey were the three major ingredients. I added  salt, pepper and sumac for a kick.

Kale Salad with Apples and Sun-dried tomatoes

Ingredients

  • 4 cups chopped Tuscan Kale, hard stems removed
  • 1/3 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes in olive oil
  • 1/4 cup sunflower seed
  • 1 Fuji Apple chopped
  • 1/4 cup sliced almonds
  • 2 ounces goat cheese
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon Cider Vinegar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon raw honey
  • 4 tablespoon extra Virgin Olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon sumac
  • salt and pepper to taste

Method

Whisk the vinegar, honey sumac and olive oil add salt and pepper. Keep the dressing aside.

In a big bowl, put the chopped kale, chopped sun dried tomatoes and sunflower seeds. Massage the dressing into the kale to soften the tough fibers and allow the dressing to permeate. This should be done for at least 5 minutes then let the salad sit for 15-20 minutes. Then add the sliced apples, almonds and goat cheese and mix again.

For Thanksgiving, I usually add dried cranberries.

The salad was a great addition to the meat, yogurt and eggplant dip we ordered.

The dressing may need to be tweaked if its too sour. A lot of recipes use a teaspoon of Dijon mustard, so instead of the sumac you can do that.

Quick Meal Idea

If the chicken is left over, the next day I chop the onions and tomatoes and saute them in olive oil with garlic and red chili flakes. I add the left over chicken  chopped into small pieces and I have a new dish that tastes different. The kale salad stays well for two days.