Autumn Squash, Apple, and Kale Salad

The genesis for this salad is the seasonal menu at Taylor Gourmet, which features butternut squash-based salads in both main dish and side dish form. When I happened upon the menu earlier this week, I knew that I could create something similar at home.

Some of the measurements below are a bit imprecise. Just go with it - you'll need to figure out some of the quantities on the fly, depending on your own taste. I promise it will be worth it.

Autumn Squash, Apple, and Kale Salad

1 medium butternut squash
Olive oil
Apple cider vinegar
Salt
Pepper
A sprig of fresh rosemary, finely chopped
A few stems of Italian parsley
A handful of kale from the garden
1 granny smith apple
3 green onions
1/2 cup dried cranberries
4 oz. blue cheese crumbles (gorgonzola or goat cheese would also working, depending on your preference)
Sunflower seeds (shelled)

1. Peel the squash, cut it in half and remove seeds, then cut into small (1/2 inch) cubes.

2. Preheat oven to 400F. Toss squash cubes with a few glugs of olive oil and apple cider vinegar (enough that the squash is well-coated), salt, pepper, and rosemary. Spread out squash in a single layer on one or more cookie sheets or baking dishes.

3. Roast squash for ~25 minutes at 400F, stirring about halfway through. Depending on the size of your cubes, you may need to roast for a longer or shorter time. Cubes should be soft but not mushy.

4. While the squash is roasting, remove stems and thick center vein from kale leaves, then slice into thin strands. Dice the apple into 1/2 inch cubes and slice green onions into small rounds.

5. Remove squash from oven and toss (while still hot / warm) in a large mixing bowl with kale, apple, and green onion. The heat from the squash will soften the kale and apple a bit.

6. Mix in parsley, cranberries, and blue cheese. If desired, add olive oil and/or apple cider vinegar to taste.

7. Place in serving dish and top with sunflower seeds. Serve while still warm or refrigerate for later.

Kale Slaw

Spring is in the air (or at least it was, until we got a load of sleety rain yesterday, which brought a chill just in time for the start of astronomical spring) - and fresh produce is in the mind, if not yet abundant in the stores and farmers markets. But fear not - kale is a perfect vehicle for springtime veggie lust.

This slaw doesn't require much time or equipment to prepare - just a large bowl (if you have one with a lid, that's even better), a smaller bowl, a good chef's knife, a cutting board, and a fork. Of course, if you want to get fancy and use a food processor or mandoline on the carrots and cabbage, that's okay, too. Also, you may need to play with the proportions of ingredients based on the size of your kale bunch, how much you like particular ingredients, and desired amount of dressing, but this is a good start. The slaw keeps well in the refrigerator for a few days, so don't be afraid to make a big batch - you might find it disappears pretty quickly.

Kale Slaw
1 bunch curly kale
3-5 green onions
1-2 carrots
1/8-1/4 head red cabbage
1 15 oz. can chickpeas, drained

Dressing
1/4 c. mayo
1 T. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. poppy seeds
salt and pepper to taste

1. Chop kale, onions, carrots (julienne or shred), and red cabbage (finely chop or shred). Add chickpeas and toss in a large bowl.

2. Stir together mayo, red wine vinegar, poppy seeds, salt, and pepper until combined. Add to slaw and toss. If desired, make more dressing and repeat.

3. Serve up a big helping and enjoy!

Black Bean and Corn Salad

Hello there, faithful readers (if there are any of you left)! I've been offline for a while, at least as far as The EmT Plate goes, but that doesn't mean that I have abandoned the kitchen. I'll try to catch up with some recent recipes over the next few days...starting with today's contribution.

With summer in full swing here in DC, I've been making a variation on the following salad almost every week to serve at potlucks, pack in lunches, and complement dinners. The base for this salad (black beans + corn + cilantro lime dressing) can be mixed and matched with celery, bell peppers, green onions, red onions, chickpeas, red beans, green beans, or whatever else you have handy. And if there are things on that list that you don't like, just don't include them in your salad - it will still be great. Also, the amount of dressing to make will depend on how big a salad you make and how much dressing you like in the salad - if you are using all of the ingredients for the salad, make more dressing.

A couple of weeks ago I found a package of red sweet corn at the grocery store. When cooked, the kernels fade a bit on the outside, but they are still a beautiful scarlet once you cut them from the cob and thus make a colorful addition to this salad. If you are using fresh corn, boil it for about 5 minutes in lightly salted water, then let it cool before cutting off the kernels. If you are in a hurry, you can run the corn under cool water to speed the cooling process.

Black Bean and Corn Salad (a good size for a picnic or a few days worth of lunches)

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

2 T. fresh cilantro, chopped OR 1 T. dried cilantro

1-2 T. lime juice

1-2 T. white balsamic vinegar or white wine vinegar

1-2 T. olive oil

1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed thoroughly

2 ears sweet corn, cooked and removed from cob OR 1 can (15 oz.) corn, drained and rinsed thoroughly

5-7 green onions (use the white bulb + some of the green stalk), sliced thinly OR 1 small red onion, diced

5-7 stalks celery, diced

1-2 bell peppers (red, yellow, orange, or green), diced

Optional: 1 can (15 oz.) chickpeas, red beans, or green beans

1. Combine garlic, cilantro, lime juice, vinegar, and olive oil in a small bowl and allow to sit while preparing ingredients for remainder of salad (15-30 minutes).

2. Combine beans (black + any optional ingredients), corn, onion, celery, and bell pepper in a large bowl.

3. Pour dressing over salad and stir thoroughly. Ideally, allow salad to sit for at least half an hour before serving to allow flavors to meld.