Day 960 : Fast, Easy, Fresh Meals

I recognize that its been a while since we've done some cooking together my Fromagical friends! So how about my favorite raw kale salad?

What is in this fantastic salad?

1 bunch of raw kale
1 avocado
Handful of Roasted Almonds
Grated Parmesan
EVOO
Dash of lemon
2 diced kumato tomatoes
1/4 of a fennel bulb diced
Fresh Thyme
Mozzarella
Sea salt
Black Pepper
Crushed Red Pepper

Yes I know you are thinking, gosh that is a lot of ingredients for a raw kale salad but trust me it works all together. First off, for the kale, tear into small pieces, drizzle with olive oil, lemon, Parmesan, sea salt and mashed avocado. Then with your hands, blend and massage the kale until each leaf of kale is equally coated with olive oil, lemon, Parmesan, and avocado. Top with roasted almonds, black pepper, and crushed red pepper. Let the kale soak everything up for ten to fifteen minutes -- it will give each morsel more of a depth of flavor.

Meanwhile dice up your tomatoes, fennel, and mozzarella in a separate bowl, drizzle some olive oil and fresh thyme over the mixture, and then combine. Add sea salt and pepper.

Combine both bowls and serve with a nice Cotes du Rhone.
Simple, flavorful, light and delightful -- it will brighten your dreary Wednesday!

Day 836 : Cocktail hour chez moi

Last night I had a few friends over for rose wine and summery nibbles -- light, flavorful and fresh food accompanied by crisp fruit forward rose and great company.

So what did I make?

To start off I made a strawberry, cherry tomato, and basil burrata salad topped with a drizzle of EVOO and some sea salt. This was accompanied by some rosemary olive oil infused crackers, a melange of olives and roasted walnuts.

What else did we have?

A homemade flatbread pizza topped with Vermont Butter & Cheese's herb chevre, sliced zucchini and yellow summer squash, roasted walnuts, basil, and aged Parmesan topped with a drizzle of EVOO, crushed red pepper and sea salt. Rustic, aromatic, and flavorful yet bright, light, and fresh. The perfect summertime flatbread!

Here's to a great weekend folks!