Salmon Kale Tacos

Kale

Good ol Kale...

The beloved cousin to Collard Greens makes a lot of appearances in my kitchen. Kale is robust, healthy and marries well with just about anything else in the kitchen. Did I mention that it's really healthy?

I just love a good taco and usually my shells are lined with iceberg lettuce, cheese and tomatoes, but one day I experimented by swapping out my usual ground turkey for Salmon and my usual iceberg lettuce with Kale. The result was unexpectedly delicious and the robust flavor from the Kale and my Siracha Crema made the tacos extra tasty. I love a little extra crunch, so I served them with a side of fresh radishes.

Kale has a rougher grittier texture than other greens, so massaging them with Aioli, Crema, salsa or your favorite condiment helps. My favorite trick is to put the hot salmon on the kale to slightly wilt and soften it. This works out perfectly for tacos because you don't want the kale to be rough and overpower your other ingredients.

Are you ready to try some Salmon Kale Tacos?

Start with fresh wild Salmon

 

lime

 

Curly Kale

Fresh radishes

Sour Cream

 

 

 Mayonnaise

 

Siracha for a little kick

And Corn Tortillas

 

Ingredients

 

1 pound wild salmon

1 Lime juiced with 1 tablespoon lime zest

3 tablespoons Siracha

1 Tablespoon olive oil (approximately)

Pink Himalayan sea salt to taste

2 cups curly Kale

6 corn tortillas

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup mayonnaise

 

Directions 

 

For Salmon

Preheat oven to 425

 

lightly oil a baking sheet with the olive oil. Mix 1 tablespoon of the siracha, and lime juice and pour over salmon. Sprinkle with a little sea salt and broil for about 15-20 minutes. 

 

For Kale 

 

Rinse Kale and cut into thin shreds. 

 

For Shells 

 

For extra crispy shells, fry them in a bit of oil until crispy. For a healthier shell, spray a baking pan with cooking spray and the tortillas and bake in a preheated oven of 425 for 10-15 minutes.

For the Siracha Crema

Mix the sour cream, mayonnaise and remaining Siracha until smooth and well combined. (you can add more Siracha to make it spicier)

 

Assemble the tacos by filling each shell with flaked salmon, kale, and a generous helping of Siracha Crema. Serve each taco with fresh radishes and your favorite side dish

 

Bon Appetit!

Kale Salad with Brussels Sprouts and Cranberries

I didn't grow up eating Kale, but this leafy green is enjoying a moment in the sun. Kale is the current darling of the salad world and with good reason. It is full of great nutrients and it is a great base for amazing salads. Kale marries well with so many other vegetables and this salad is a nice mix of sweet, sour and crunchy with Kale, Brussels sprouts, cranberries and toasted pepitas and a lemony poppy-seed dressing. Perfect for fresh and healthy eating and a great main dish if you add chicken or fish and it is the perfect side.

Start with Fresh Kale (any type of Kale works beautifully)

Brussels Sprouts

Cranberries for a nice touch of sweet and tart

The final touch is toasted Pepitas

Ingredients

1 pound Brussels Sprouts

1 large bunch of Kale chopped finely with stems removed

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds) 

Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing Ingredients

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup lemon juice 

2 teaspoons diced onion

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

For the salad: wash the Brussels Sprouts and Kale. Use a cheese grater to get fine shreds of brussels sprouts or cut in thin ribbons. For the kale, roll it and cut into fine thin shreds. Combine the kale and sprouts in a a large bowl.

For the dressing: Put all ingredients into the blender except the oil and poppyseeds. Process until blended and then slowly add oil in a slow stream until it is emulsified. Add the poppy seeds and blend for a few seconds until well combined.

Add the dressing to the kale and massage into kale for a few minutes. Add cranberries and toss until well combined. Refrigerate salad for an hour to allow flavors to soak in. While salad is chilling, preheat oven to 350. Spread pepitas on a baking sheet and cook for 7-10 minutes. Once salad has chilled and pepitas have cooled off, add pepitas to salad, toss and serve. Makes 6 servings

Bon Appetit!

Kale Cranberry Apple Salad

This salad is full of good stuff and perfect for the Holiday season. Apples, cranberries, pecans and a melange of crispy veggies balance nicely with the robust kale. If you are looking for a great holiday salad for your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, this is it!

Kale is a very robust salad green and can handle a lot more dressing than the typical salad. Massaging some of the dressing into the kale takes away some of the harshness that kale can have and the longer it sits with the dressing on it the better it tastes. Another great trick to make kale salad even better is to warm the vinaigrette and let it slightly cook the kale and take some of the rough edge out of it. This salad has a nice sweetness, a little tartness, crunch and lots of flavors that blend well together.

 Start with fresh kale and chop the leaves as small and thin as possible

Red Cabbage adds some flavor and texture

Carrots add more color and a little sweetness

Dried cranberries add so much flavor and more sweetness that balances well with the kale

Apple marries well with all of the other ingredients. My favorite apple to use in salads is granny smith or pink lady, but your favorite one will work perfectly

Pecans add that delicious crunchiness that we love in a good salad

This is so good, you will want to eat it all the time. Try making this for the holidays

Ingredients

1/2 cup pecans

8 ounces of kale 

1 carrot

1/2 cup chopped red cabbage

1 granny smith apple

1/2 cup dried cranberries

Dressing Ingredients

6 tablespoons oil

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons honey

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 and spread on a cookie sheet or baking pan and bake for about 5-7 minutes. Wash kale and remove the stems. Chop the kale into bite size pieces/  Sprinkle a dash of sea salt over the kale and massage by the handful by scrunching with your hands gently. Set aside.

Grate the carrot and chop the red cabbage into thin shreds. In a small bowl, whisk the salad ingredients together. Take a couple of tablespoons of dressing and massage it into the kale. Add the carrots, red cabbage, apple, and cranberries. Toss the ingredients and let sit for 20 minutes. Add the pecans and toss once before serving.

The apples are so good in this salad and you can swap the apples for pears and it works beautifully

 

This is a great way to get your fruits and veggies in one meal

What are you waiting for? 

Bon Appetit!