Persimmon Kale Salad

Just like the rest of the world, I am cutting back on calories. As much as I love food, the holidays test my tolerance of eating and drinking excessively. Frankly, I am tired of overeating.

Cooking healthy does not have to be tasteless and boring. After cooking for so many years I have discovered that cooking fresh and seasonal is the easiest way to eat healthy and flavorful. Produce at its peak makes the job of conscious eating actually desirable.

The even better news is that this recipe is beyond simple. The trick to making a delicious salad at home is making your own dressing. I always make my dressing in my small food processor, and this recipe is no different.

I take fresh seasonal persimmons, puree them, then throw in the rest of my dressing ingredients. A quick chop of walnuts, kale, and pear results in a super easy and super healthy dinner.

You can add protein or cheese for an even more delicious variation. To really cut down on the bitterness of the kale, I let the kale sit in the dressing for at least thirty minutes before serving.

Persimmon Kale Salad

Category: Savory Recipes

Persimmon Kale Salad

Ingredients

For Dressing:
Two Persimmons
1/2 Cup of Champagne Vinegar
1/2 Cup of Olive Oil
1 Clove of Garlic
1 Tablespoon of Honey
Salt and Pepper, to taste
For Salad:
2 Pears, peeled and sliced
1 Cup of Toasted Walnuts
1 Bunch of Kale

Instructions

Make the dressing at least one hour before using.
Start by peeling the persimmons and removing the tops. Next, puree the persimmons in a food processor.
Combine remaining ingredients with the persimmon puree and shake or vigorously mix until the dressing is fully combined. Set aside.
Wash, devein, and chop the kale.
Place the kale in a large serving bowl and toss with dressing. Allow to rest, in the fridge, for at least thirty minutes.
When ready to serve top with walnuts and pears.
*Cheese and protein optional.

https://epicuropedia.com/2020/01/07/persimmon-kale-salad/

This recipe is copyrighted

Here is another delicious salad recipe

Butternut, Collard, & Pear Pizza

Featuredby Lindy MoodyLeave a Comment

As a long time home cook it is often extremely difficult to come up with new recipes, especially quick and easy weekday meals. If you are anything like me you find yourself cooking the same chicken dish over and over. Inspiration can be hard to find.

A few weeks ago I took a gamble. I ordered a box of fresh vegetables and fruit from Misfits. The idea is way different than those meal delivery kits. For a few bucks you get an assortment of fresh produce. Each week the box is a surprise. The best part, it has actually inspired me to come up with the recipes.

This recipe is a result of a Misfit Box. One week I received a whole bunch of mismatched fall vegetables and could not think of what to do with them. So, I roasted them and threw them on a pizza. Ta-da, a unique and new recipe.

Like most savory recipes, this one is up for interpretation. You can exchange out the vegetables for whatever is in your fridge or for whatever is seasonal. It would even be cool to go to your local farmers market and use what you find there.

I threw on the pear for a pop of sweet crunch. The onion and collards add a deep umami flavor, and the base of goat cheese adds a real punch. The crust is thin as to not overcrowd the entire dish. Hope this inspires you.

Butternut, Collard, & Pear Pizza

Category: Savory Recipes

The finished pizza

Ingredients

For the pizza crust:
3 1/2 Cups of All Purpose Flour
1 1/2 Cups of Warm Water
2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
1 Teaspoon of Sugar
2 Teaspoons of Salt
1 Packet of Active Dry Yeast
For the pizza:
1 Small Butternut squash, peeled and sliced
1 Onion, peeled and sliced
1 Bunch of Collards, washed and stems removed
2 Cloves of Garlic, diced
2 Pears, peeled and sliced
1 Cup of Chicken Broth
1 Lemon
8 Ounces of Goat Cheese
Salt and Pepper
Olive Oil
Parmesan to finish

Instructions

Start by making your pizza crust.
In a small bowl, pour in the warm water and sprinkle over the yeast.
Allow to sit and bloom for five minutes. It should smell like yeast and have bubbles.
In a mixing bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and pour in the yeast mixture.
Kneed by hand until the dough forms a smooth ball. If the dough is too dry, add more olive oil a teaspoon at a time.
Coat the dough in olive oil and place in a bowl. Allow to rise, covered, for at least one hour or until doubled in size.
While the dough rises, prep your pizza.
In a small mixing bowl, combine goat cheese, diced garlic, lemon juice, and the zest from the lemon. Mix until combined. If the mixture is too stiff you can add a tablespoon of olive oil to loosen it. Set aside until ready to use.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
Coat the butternut squash in olive oil, salt, and pepper and roast for 20 minutes.
Once roasted, remove from the oven and set aside.
In a small pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat until rippling.
Sauté your onions and collards until golden brown. Once caramelized, pour in the chicken stock and reduce the heat to medium. Salt and pepper as needed.
Cook the vegetables in the stock until the stock has dried up. Once cooked remove from heat and set aside.
At this point your pizza should be risen.
Gently remove the dough from the bowl and form into the shape of your pizza.
Place the dough on a sheet pan, then drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle on salt and pepper.
Evenly spread on the goat cheese mixture.
Layer on all your vegetables and the pears.
Bake the pizza at 425 degrees until the crust is golden brown on the edges. Approximately 20-30 minutes.
Finish the baked pizza by generously grating fresh parmesan over the top.

https://epicuropedia.com/2019/12/19/butternut-collard-pear-pizza/

This recipe is copyrighted

Recipes

Asian Pear Pie(s) + Coconut, Ginger, and Almond

March 12, 2018March 12, 2018by Lindy MoodyLeave a Comment

This week Pi Day (not actually as in the baked good, but as in the mathematical constant) is among us, so instead of making one delicious pie, I made six mini pies. I get it, what does Pi have to do with Pie, and other than a name, nothing really. It is just a good excuse for the lovers of baking to bake ooey gooey pies.

Although I do have a confession — I didn’t even know Pi Day was a thing among bloggers and bakers until my friend and fellow blogger Maria [A Common Connoisseur] mentioned baking some hand pies for it. So in the word of Barney Stinson, “Challenge Accepted!”

Of course like most, I was keen on baking one of the classics: apple, peach, or pecan. Especially considering no matter how you prepare a classic, they rarely disappoint. But really where is the fun in that? I believe you should always try to challenge yourself when given the opportunity. Per usual, my inspiration for this recipe came about from seasonal ingredients I had handy around the house.

I absolutely love Asian Pears, they are crisp like an apple yet much juicer. Normally cooks feature them in salads because they pair delightfully with savory flavors, but the firmer flesh make them ideal for baking.

As for the flavor profile of the pie, I could not in good conscious add in a bunch of spices and mask the delicate flavor. Spring is almost here, so the combination of coconut and almond felt right, and there was no better way to add those flavors than through a crunchy buttery crumble on top.

The recipe calls for 6 mini pie pans, but if you did not have any mini pie pans this recipe would adapt perfectly into one large pie.

Coconut Pie Crust

Ingredients:

1 Cup of All Purpose Flour
1/8 Cup of Cold Butter
1/8 Cup of Coconut Oil
1 Tablespoon of Light Brown Sugar
A Pinch of Salt
Ice Water for Binding

Directions:

In a medium bowl, mix together your flour, sugar, and salt.
Into the dry mixture, cut in your butter and coconut oil with a pastry mixer. The end result should resemble course sand.
Pour in enough water to bind the mixture into a dough.
Cover and refrigerate for no more than thirty minutes before using.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Once ready to use, flour your hands and divide dough into 6 balls.
One at a time, roll out each ball to a width slightly larger than the pie pan. Then place each rolled out piece of dough into each pie pan.
After placing the dough inside of the pans, fill each pan with parchment paper then pie weights.
Par-bake the crusts for about 10 minutes to ensure the bottoms are not soggy.

Pie Filling

Ingredients:

3 Asian Pears, peeled and cut into large chunks
2 Tablespoons of Coconut Cream
2 Tablespoons of Light Brown Sugar
1 Teaspoon of Pure Vanilla Extract
1 Teaspoon of Flour
A Pinch of Salt

Directions:

In a medium bowl toss together all of the ingredients, stir until fully combined.
Set aside and let rest while you prepare the rest of the ingredients

Crumble Topping

Ingredients:

1 Cup of Almonds, roughly chopped
1/2 Cup of Candied Ginger, finely chopped
4 Tablespoons of Cold Butter
3 Tablespoons of All Purpose Flour
1 Tablespoon of Light Brown Sugar
A Pinch of Salt

Directions:

In a medium bowl, combine the almonds, ginger, sugar, salt, and flour.
With your fingers, work in the cold butter until the mixture comes together as coarse chunks.

Asian Pear Pie

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
Divide your pie filling evenly among all six par-baked pie crusts.
Equally top each pie with your prepared crumble topping.
Bake for 35 minutes, or until the crumble topping is lightly golden brown.

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