KALE is one of the most nutrient-rich leafy green you could ever eat, and we’ve been eating this super food every which way possible, all in an effort to take better care of our body and soul in 2012. When Maggie asked me to do a post on a winter salad, I knew it had to be kale.

Not only is kale a winter-hardy veggie to grow in your backyard (yes! it will survive winter with very little help), we are even growing kale “micro-greens” and sprouts indoors.

Sorry for the slight detour, but it’s so great to be puttering in my “garden” while it’s snowing outside. Who needs to wait till spring to be growing fresh greens again?

Now back to the salad… Cut your kale into bite-size pieces. Be sure to trim off the tough center stem (and feed it to your critters).

Thinly slice a small radicchio and finely chop half of a shallot.

Shred a large carrot and cut up a blood orange. I love citrus in a salad; look at that color! Toss it all in a large salad bowl then make your dressing.

This dressing is creamy, rich and big on flavor. Combine equal parts of tahini, miso paste (I used red, but you can use any kind), and ginger syrup. We’ve been loving the ginger syrup from Eat Boutique’s gift box (thank you, Maggie!). If you don’t have, then substitute with honey and a bit of grated fresh ginger instead.

Add a little water and a squeeze of citrus to thin it down to a thick pourable consistency. Wasabi almonds found in the back of my fridge added a nice crunch to this salad.

This winter salad is heavier than your typical light green summer salad. It is chewy, “meaty” and hearty enough to be a main meal, or a perfect side to grilled salmon or chicken. This would be phenomenal in a fish taco with some fresh cilantro thrown in.

Winter Salad with Miso & Ginger Dressing

Ingredients:

• 1 small bunch of kale
• 1 small radicchio
• 1 small shallot
• 1 large carrot
• 1 blood orange
• Sprinkle of almonds

Dressing (start off with 1 heaping tablespoon of each):

• 1 part miso paste
• 1 part tahini
• 1 part ginger syrup (or honey with 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger)
• Water and squeeze of citrus juice to thin

Directions:

1. Wash, slice, chop and trim your salad ingredients and place in salad bowl.
2. In a small bowl, thoroughly mix dressing ingredients together, adding a squeeze or two of citrus juice, and water to thin to a thick pourable consistency. Pour over the salad, toss and serve.

All photos styled and photographed by Jill Chen.

Eat Boutique is an online magazine + market for food enthusiasts to celebrate the best pure, local + comforting handmade foods. We call it: food that hugs you back. Looking for the perfect gift? Eat Boutique sells gift boxes filled with handmade sweet and savory treats. Send a gift box of handmade food today.

This is a wonderful time of year. Farmer’s markets everywhere are brimming with the vivid colors of the early Fall harvest. This Beet & Apple Salad is not only delicious and so pretty, the crisp combo of earthy sweetness from the beets and tarty sweetness from the apples is a perfect way to bid farewell to Summer and say hello Autumn!

Oh, it’s also very good for you. (I use raw beets because cooking removes some of its nutrients, nutrients that have endless health benefits from lowering cholesterol to normalizing blood pressure.) And please don’t throw out the beet greens; they are also chock full of vitamins and great chopped raw in a salad or cooked as a side dish, like swiss chard or spinach.

My friend France (not the country, but from the country!) shared this easy recipe with me. Frankly, I am salad-challenged. I was raised on Chinese food and never ate salad. “Frahhhh-nce” (she’s French, you know) was sweet enough to come over and make me this fresh, colorful and beautiful salad. She used to be a chef so she eats well, as do I when she visits, and now creates beautiful handmade dog couture at Molly & June.

Let’s get straight to the recipe tips! Begin by slicing the beets into matchsticks. Look at this gorgeous color. If you have golden beets, use them too for contrasting color.

Toast your walnuts in the oven or on the stove. Sip some wine.

Also peel and cut up your apples into matchsticks. In a separate bowl, make the citrus vinaigrette.

Toss beets and apples in vinaigrette, and plate individually, each on a bed of arugula or mixed greens. Spoon some extra dressing on top.

Add crumbled feta or goat cheese (I love how my apron matches the salad).

Top with toasted walnuts and voilà!

Beet & Apple Salad with Feta & Walnuts
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 4-6 raw beets, peeled and cut into matchsticks
• 2 granny smith apples (I didn’t have so substituted with gala) peeled and cut into matchsticks
• Arugula or mixed salad greens
• 8 oz goat or feta cheese, crumbled
• Toasted walnuts
• 6 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice (you can also use white balsamic, apple cider vinegar, or you favorite mixed citrus juice)
• 3 tablespoons of best-quality extra virgin olive oil
• A little fleur de sel (if you are using goat cheese; no salt, if you’re using feta cheese)

Directions:

1. Wash, peel and cut your beets and apples. Reserve in a large bowl.
2. In a medium bowl, make your citrus vinaigrette by adding lemon juice, olive oil, and fleur de sel. Whisk together, taste and adjust to your liking. If you want a sweeter flavor, use less citrus and more olive oil. Drizzle over beets and apples and toss with pair of tongs.
3. Plate individually by making a bed of salad greens, top with pile of beet mixture, and garnish with cheese and walnuts.

Eat Boutique is an online magazine + market for food enthusiasts to celebrate the best pure, local + comforting handmade foods. We call it: food that hugs you back. Looking for the perfect gift? Eat Boutique sells gift boxes filled with handmade sweet and savory treats. Order a gift box of food today.

Lately I feel like a poster child for the Canal House Cooking series. I promise I’m not on their payroll; I just tend to gush when I’m truly in love.

The Lentils with Roasted Beets dish from the spring version (volume 6) of Canal House Cooking impressed everyone on Easter, which only deepened the love. It’s hard to serve ham, albeit gorgeous artisanal ham, to four almost full-time vegetarians. These lentils and some fish cakes loaded with fresh local flounder definitely saved the day.

Now while I love Canal House, I do prefer to change up recipes, mix and swap up ingredients, in order to entertain the specific palettes around my table. I come from a family of spunky Latinas who cringe when there isn’t cilantro in something. I replaced the parsley with cilantro and it totally worked in this dish.

If you hate cilantro – and I don’t know if we can be friends if you do – just replace it with fresh parsley. But seriously, the cilantro was so good. And the best part, besides the cilantro, is that I’ve got lunch for the week.

Pardon all the gratuitous photos. I just adored all the lovely colors. Some shots of the dinner table below… as well as the recipe.

Lentils with Roasted Beets

Adapted from Canal House Cooking, Volume 6, page 67

Ingredients

Part 1:

• 8 medium-sized beets
• Extra virgin olive oil, 1-2 tablespoons
• Salt, to season

Part 2:

• 3 cups lentils
• 1 large onion, peeled and quartered
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 small handful of thyme branches
• 1 small handful of cilantro, chopped
• 3 large scallions, chopped
• 1 lemon, juiced
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to season

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Part 1: Put on some rubber gloves and, with a vegetable peeler, peel the beets. I used red and orange beets that were about 3 inches around. Cut each beet into 4 even quarters. Wrap 4-6 pieces in large rectangles of aluminum foil, but sprinkle with a bit of salt and olive oil just before sealing them tightly. Roast them on a sheet pan in the oven for about 45 minutes, or until a fork can easily pierce the beet. Once cooled, chop each beet into tiny imperfect cubes. Set aside.

Part 2: While the beets roast, rinse 3 cups of lentils in cold water. Put the lentils in a large pot with 6 cups of water, the onion, garlic cloves and thyme branches. Bring to a boil over medium heat, reduce heat to low, and gently simmer until all the water has been absorbed and the lentils are tender, about 1 hour. Add more water if you need to, I did. Use tongs to fish out the onion, garlic and thyme branches. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Spread the lentils into serving dish. Add the red beets and then orange beets. Garnish with the cilantro and scallions. Drizzle with a generous amount of olive oil and the lemon juice. Serves 12.

Looking for the perfect gift for Mother’s Day? Eat Boutique offers a gift box filled with handmade sweet and savory treats. Send food that hugs you back today.

Eat Boutique contributor Jessica Merrill is like a member of the family, literally. She just happened to marry my cousin and it was pretty much true love. With me, of course! While she was visiting for our annual Thanksgiving extravaganza last week – which included 12 people, three days, two shelves of homemade liquors and too many bottles of bubbly – we were getting excited for the holidays, thinking about all the recipes that we just had to cook. Oh, and soothing quite the hangover. Still, she managed to put together her top five list of recipes she’ll be wishing to make this month. Thanks, Jessica! — Maggie

Black Pepper Breadsticks – I usually buy packaged crackers to serve at my annual holiday party with a dip like horseradish cheddar or warm goat cheese and leek, but this year I plan to impress with these homemade breadsticks.

Israeli Couscous with Squash, Dried Cherries and Pistachios – This could be a great side for a holiday meal, but I think I’ll use this recipe for a comforting weeknight dinner by the Christmas tree.

Figgy Pudding Butter Cookies – I always make classic frosted Christmas cookies and molasses cookies (from a recipe Maggie passed my way) this time of year, but I like to experiment with at least one more. This is my pick. And yes, the brandy sugar glaze does have something to do with it.

Roasted Cauliflower with Cumin – Roasted cauliflower is just so darn good and so darn easy to make that it’s almost too good to be true. Add cumin, a dollop of yogurt and sprinkling of fresh mint, and how could this not be the perfect light lunch to offset all that seasonal cookie-eating and cocktail-drinking?

Chocolate Dipped Vanilla Caramels – My candy thermometer is waiting. I want to make these salted caramels – perhaps with some wintergreen patties or candied orange peel – to give away to family and friends.

Photo credits:

• Figgy Pudding Butter Cookies photo, via Food52.com (Sarah Shatz)
• Israeli Couscous photo, via Jennifer Perillo
• A Christmas Tree in Brooklyn photo, via cherrypatter.com
• Holiday Lights photo, via Chiot’s run

This week’s bottle definitely is a special one. Not necessarily for its taste but rather for its provenance, New Mexico. Although this is the oldest wine growing region in the United States, few people know about it and New Mexican wines are quite rare on the east coast. Gruet, probably the most famous winery in New Mexico, is known primarily for its sparkling wines.  But our local shop recently started carrying their Pinot Noir, which we picked up about one month ago and had been eyeing on our shelf ever since.

In the end, it’s a good thing we waited. You see, this past weekend has been a bit tough. We’re not 20 anymore but somehow, when we spend time with our siblings, we seem to forget that. This usually leads to extremely pleasant weekends where we consume huge amounts of wonderful wines, great beers, amazing cheeses and plenty of home cooked meals. This past weekend was one of those and we knew from the start that our Sunday night dinner would be very light.

We had stocked up on escarole and put together a winter salad of roasted butternut squash, dried pomegranate seeds and smoked pork tenderloin to pair with the 2007 Gruet Pinot Noir.  We hoped for a light but comforting wine for a light, feel-good meal. We made up the recipe but loosely based ours on Not Eating out in New York’s Tuscan Kale Salad (although we dropped the mustard dressing) and threw in roasted butternut squash based on Heidi’s Farro and Roasted Butternut Squash recipe.

Very light in color, the wine boasts a light, cranberry fruitiness with a strong presence of oak coming through. It is relatively short and simple in the mouth, but a very pleasant and palate-friendly taste. Although it is a very one-dimensional wine (no earthiness or minerality to speak of), it was absolutely perfect for a detox style meal.

The last few wines we’ve shared here truly shined when paired with food, which is often typical of European wines. Gruet’s Pinot is good in a completely different way. It is what we would call a porch wine: just open the bottle, pour a glass… sip… enjoy… repeat.  We also thought it would be a perfect picnic wine – light and refreshing.  Particularly on a warm summer day just as the sun is slipping below the horizon.  Don’t despair, it’s only a few months away!

Although simple, this is definitely a crowd pleaser and while the wine geeks will enjoy the novelty of drinking a Pinot Noir from New Mexico, the amateurs will be charmed by its purity of fruit and fantastic drinkability. The only issue? Its price.

2007 Gruet Pinot Noir | $24 at Dandelion Wines, 153 Franklin Street, Brooklyn

Goose Cove Gardens is one of Gloucester’s best treasures, a garden nursery with the healthiest plants and the nicest Karma.  Barbara, the lovely straw-hatted owner, is always protecting me from myself: “Do you really need five new Russian Sage, Heather?”

Ever the educators, Barbara and the ladies from Goose Cove Gardens are offering a midwinter course in growing one’s own micro greens.  Don’t we all want a little pile of fluffy, nutrient-packed baby lettuces this time of year?

Their workshop will be held on Sunday, February 28, from 1-3pm at Goose Cove Garden headquarters. For the small sum of $30 ($35 after February 15), you can learn from some true masters. Email gcgarden@verizon.net or call 978-281-7816 to sign up.

Heather Atwood is a columnist for the Gloucester Daily Times. Her latest column can be read here.

Sometimes I look in my fridge and I feel like I got nothing. Some carrots, some ketchup, a jar of peanut butter but nothing that could make a pretty first course. I had put all my eggs in one basket; I spent the afternoon braising some beef short ribs in a mirepoix of vegetable goodness and a full bottle of Zinfandel, and had neglected the first course.

Short ribs take forever to cook, especially if you opt to smoke them for an hour before burying them in the carrots, onions, celery, garlic, thyme and wine for two more solid hours. I was so distracted by the short rib goodness wafting through the air that I forgot to even think about a first course.

When the hubby popped into the kitchen to “help” (which also means “I’m hungry”), the ribs still had another hour to go. I told him to eat an apple and some cheese. Not recognizing my sarcasm, he indeed pulled out the cheddar and started slicing. I had an epiphany as he sweetly pulled together his snack. Could I get my hubby to eat a salad if I loaded it up with thick wedges of cheddar cheese and thin slices of apple? I was about to try…

The greens were fresh from the farm that day – a combo of arugula and radicchio – cleaned and tossed with olive oil, thyme-cider vinegar and salt. I quickly toasted some walnuts. I made a big mound of  greens and simply placed the cheddar, apples and walnuts on top. What are those specs of pepper doing on my three co-stars? I neglected to pepper the greens (again, my brain was on the ribs!) and decided a quick twist of the pepper mill on the finished product was better than leaving it out.

People, let me tell you how scrumptious this salad was. No, wait. I won’t tell you. You probably have all the ingredients on hand, just assemble. Hmm, you may not have my homemade thyme-cider vinegar but a light splash of apple cider vinegar or champagne vinegar will also work. The hubby ate this and gave it a big thumbs up. I’m guessing yours will too.

I abhor traditional cole slaw. I know that’s strong words for a simple shredded salad, but supermarket delis have really spoiled traditional cole slaw for me. It always tastes the same – too creamy, heavy and, well, just like a big tub of mayonnaise with a few, sparse veggies.

Today, I prepped burgers for some friends and wanted a nice seasonal accompaniment. The big head of cabbage stared me down. I was tempted to retreat but decided to give my own slaw a whirl. The food processor helped me shred up the cabbage, carrots and turnip (so yummy raw!) I added in some manually sliced celery and parsley, and then set forth on the dressing.

Every slaw needs mayo, just not so much that you’re bathing in it. I whisked together 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, 3 tablespoons of mayo, 1/2 cup of buttermilk, 1 tablespoon of honey, a nice dose of salt and a hefty pile of freshly-ground black pepper. (Black pepper and buttermilk just go well together.) After a quick toss with the greens, my version of cole slaw was ready to share the plate with some gooey cheeseburgers.

Everyone loved the slaw, and I now have a go-to recipe for all my summer cook-outs. I always love a happy ending.

I am so in love with Mark Bittman and his cooking escapades. I have all of his books, except the latest vegetarian one (hint, hint) and read his articles, recipes and blog posts regularly. Alas, he’s had other foodie-types posting on his blog as of late, which sometimes diverts my attention toward other foodie-type contributors to the The New York Times.

During my search, I’ve developed a little crush on Jill Santopietro. I’ve read her articles for a long time now, but she just started this video series called Tiny Kitchen which permits the viewer to watch as she tries recipes in her very tiny kitchen. It’s adorable. She’s adorable. In fact, I was even more thrilled to discover that Jill and I are connected via a mutual friend, so I plan to meet her someday and flourish these compliments directly. (hint, hint)

As I watched her series the other evening, I became inspired to make a salad from whatever I found in my fridge. While I’m famous for my Kitchen Sink Salads where I basically slice and toss all my remaining fresh veggies into a big bowl loaded with lemon juice and olive oil, I am still learning superior dressing-veggie combinations. Well, I may have figured out a winner here…

This salad combines delicate frisee, slightly bitter radicchio, parsley leaves and ripe pear chunks with a very young tarragon vinegar that I made and bottled during the Fall. A few turns from a pepper mill and a sprinkle of sea salt brightened all the flavors. (This salad would be equally delicious with a touch of champagne vinegar and/or a nutty olive oil like walnut or hazelnut.)