Green Detour: Southwest Kale and Romaine Super Salad

And now, for a break from your regularly scheduled baking - it's dinner, it's lunch, it's an awesome salad that will actually leave you feeling nourished and satisfied! After months of being forced to eat out frequently due to inordinate amounts of time spent in the library, I've been on a mission to cook my own meals on my own terms. I love eating fresh, green things because not only do they make me feel great, but I know I am getting the nutrients I need to stay energized and healthy! Now, I've never met a cookie or pastry I didn't like, but you can't survive on flour, sugar, and chocolate alone!! Balance is key. And I'm here to keep it delicious whether it came from a friend's backyard garden (Thanks, D!) or out of a piping hot cupcake pan.

This dish was dreamt up while perusing various food websites and recipes. I especially like bonappetit.com because even though they sometimes use lots of fancy ingredients and I don't even think I've ever tasted fennel (sad), everything is test kitchen prepped and I can use their proportions to create my own creations. I started this salad off with a corn and black bean salsa, which I will include the recipe for below. It's great by itself or with a good chip, but i decided to rinse and chop some fresh greens (use whichever you like), top with half an avocado, dump a hearty serving of salsa over top and finish with some chopped almonds for crunch.

My salad philosophy is pretty simple: start with fresh greens with a high nutritional value (romaine, spring mix, spinach, all types of kales and chards and whatnot), and go crazy from there! I am always trying to spice it up with mix-ins that are yummy, fun in your mouth plus hearty and healthy, and will continue to (try to) inspire some salad fever in you, dear reader, with my creations.

Southwestern Salsa 
(makes enough for 8 servings)

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups corn kernels (fresh from 2 ears corn, or thawed from frozen)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup diced seeded bell peppers (I used mini sweet ones)
2 or 3 small hot peppers, diced (to taste - you can use jalapeno, poblano, chiles, etc)
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
juice of half a lemon

Instructions:

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add corn, black beans, hot peppers, and bell peppers. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté, mixing only occasionally, until vegetables are just tender, 6 to 7 minutes.

Scrape into a large bowl.

Add green onions and cilantro, and toss in lemon juice.

Look at all that flavor

Viola! You have a yummy salsa to top a hearty dinner salad and take as a midday snack with chips the next day. Or to bring to a picnic and serve to the great friends and hungry ants that attend. A great alternative to regular old tomato salsa, or make that as well as some guacamole and you have a tri-dip party! Stay healthy, my friends.

-Ki

Homemade Stuffed-Crust Pizza

Hello foodies! It's been a while since my last post because I've been super busy with my recent graduation and a trip to Singapore this week! I'll be there for three weeks and I promise to report back with a lot of saliva-inducing photos of all the delicious Asian fusion food I am soo ready to eat!! Until then, I will leave you with this American twist on an Italian classic - stuffed crust pizza.

This isn't my first foray into the pizza-making arena. I've been making my own pizza using all sorts of ingredients and toppings, with the foundation of my favorite Trader Joe's pre-made dough. But a few weeks ago my friend suggested creating a pizza creation with a stuffed crust - what a genius idea!! Here's a fairly simply set of directions on how to do it, but if you'd like to stick to a traditional style pizza just skip the stuffing and pile on your own mix of toppings!

Here's What You'll Need:

Pre-made Pizza dough (16 oz - I used Trader Joe's!) You can also make your own if you're ambitious.
Flour (for rolling the pizza dough onto)
8 oz Mozzarella Cheese - add or subtract to preference
1/8 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup Pasta or Pizza sauce
Toppings - Whatever you want! I used:
        Andouille sausage
        Pepperoni
        Green Peppers
        Garlic
String Cheese for the stuffed crust - I used Colby Jack

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Prepare the dough according to package directions. Sprinkle flour on your working surface. With a rolling pin, roll out the dough into a circular pizza pie. For the stuffed crust you will want to roll your dough as evenly as you can so that the pie will support the heavy crust.

Lightly grease the baking sheet/pizza stone you will bake your pizza on and lay the crust onto it. This will make it easier than piling your unbaked pizza high and then having to transport it to the baking sheet.
Here is the part where pictures come in really handy. Take the cheese sticks and line them up around the circumference on your pizza pie. Take the outside edge of the dough and pull it over the cheese stick, closing the seal with a fork and pressing with your fingers.

Do this until you have gone around the whole pizza.
Next, you can finally top up your pizza with sauce, cheese, and all your toppings!

Bake it for about 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted, sauce is bubbly and crust is browned.

Viola!!! You now have delizioso pizza!! My roommate said she was having a love affair with this pizza, that's how good it was. Try it for yourself and enjoy!!