Kale and Avocado Salad

I love kale. I've been eating it pretty much every night. My prediction is that I live forever. I think that's realistic.

I found a simple raw kale recipe on Pinterest, that called for cleaning the kale by holding the stem in your dominant hand, and pulling off the leaves with your non-dominant hand. It uses just enough force this way. (Why did I ever doubt? It was ON PINTEREST.) I was the kale (which is often sandy) in my salad spinner. And then I spin it! Spin it! Spin it!

The recipe I found called for sprinkling the kale with vinegar next, and that works well... But I found that I like to use the juice of a lime. Then squish a ripe avocado on it, and sprinkle it with salt and pepper. Then you rub it. Massage that kale. (I envisioned this step taking longer than it actually does, rubbing avocado into each individual leaf, and having to answer the kids, "What do you want? I'm massaging the kale!" But squishing it all together actually takes about a minute.) Keep squishing it all in your hands for a moment until all the kale is covered. The avocado becomes the fat in the dressing.

I like it on its own, or mixed in with romaine or other mixed greens. I've also put nuts and dried fruit in it, or put blackened tofu on top, as in the above picture. Great on its own, or because of the avocado and lime, it's also great on tacos.

Lasts two or three days in the fridge, dressed. Once a week on my produce run, I buy two heads of kale, and one ripe, and one under-ripe avocado. That way, I can make it twice a week with only one trip to the store (I told you I love kale!)

Breakfast Savory Crepe Burritos

I have a stepsister who lives in Washington state. If you can believe it, I don't think I've ever actually met her in the 25-some years my mom has been married to her dad. I do know, however, through my mom that she has been a dedicated vegan for many years. She gave me a great vegetarian crepe recipe, which involves chick pea flour and several ingredients. I've had them when my mom has made them for me, and they are very good. However, I have yet to buy any chick pea flour, and I don't often like too measure too many ingredients. So I came up with a "quickie crepe" recipe for savory crepes that is pretty good, and has fewer ingredients, and no measuring at all. The numbers listed are for "parts" - so, however much you like, in the following proportions:

• 1:1:1/2 parts Bisquick, whole wheat flour, and nutritional yeast, respectively 
• 1-2 Tblesp. miso paste, whisked smoothly into a little veggie broth, then added
• water and veggie broth until the mix is fairly thin 

So, that's one part Bisquick (vegan! Yay!) to one part WW flour, to a half part nutritional yeast. I just dump some Bisquick in the left side of a bowl, then add an equal part of the flour, then a half part nutritional yeast. Totally "eyeballed." The resulting crepes are just a little "puffy," and not as paper thin as a true crepe would be. However, they are satisfying and great for filling. I made breakfast burritos out of this batch, filled with a western-style tofu "scramble," lentils, and vegan cheese.

Tofu Scramble

1 diced baked potato (a leftover)
one diced bell pepper
one small diced onion
one package sliced mushrooms
1 block of pressed and crumbled tofu
garlic powder or blackening seasoning, salt and pepper
about a cup of cooked lentils, which I had withheld from my lentil mushroom loaf

I peeled my cooked potato (I make 5 or so baked potatoes at a time in the oven, so that I have them throughout the week for use in cooking, or to top for a quick lunch) and toasted it on high heat in a little vegetable oil until well-browned. Then I added and sautéed the pepper, onion, and mushrooms first, then added the tofu and lentils just to warm them through, and seasoned the mix. I put a little filling down the middle of a crepe, and added vegan cheeses on top. I folded them up, and decided that half would be plenty for a single breakfast!

I first folded them in Glad Press and Seal, then in aluminum foil. They "peel" more easily out of the freezer this way, are protected against freezer burn, and I can drop them in a bowl and re-use the piece of Glad wrap to re-heat them (about 2 minutes a side, covered and on high power).

Mmmm, steamy.

Now I have a hearty breakfast stockpile for the next several months, since I save these for my hurried work mornings.