Pear & Kale Salad

One of my favorite lunches are salads, they are good for a light meal and can be filling depending on what all goes in it, such as nuts, croutons, meat, cheese, fruits and vegetables. They are fresh and packed full of nutrients and antioxidants.

Until recently, I always made salads with lettuce whether it be romaine, bibb, red leaf, etc. The only living creature in my house that ate kale was our rabbit, Opie, who was an 18 lb. French Lop who thought he was one of the dogs.

I start off with freshly washed kale leaves that I separate from the stem by holding the stem firmly in one hand and grab the leaves like a claw on each side of the stem with the other hand then pull down. I chop the leaves into bite size pieces then toss them with a French vinaigrette.  Yes, I seem to have lots of recipes with French vinaigrette, it is so versatile, easy to make and works well with so many different salads and makes a good marinade. I try to make a practice of tossing greens with the dressing before adding other ingredients so you use less dressing.

I top the salad with bleu cheese crumbles, walnuts and a sliced pear.  This salad has it all, tons of texture, pungent bleu cheese, sweet pear and tart vinaigrette.  It is great for a light meal and also a great side salad as well. While the nutritional data provided seems high, the fats in this salad are good fats coming from walnuts and olive oil, saturated fat is low (<9).  This salad contains more than 100% of your recommended allowance of Omega-6 oil and nearly 200% of Omega-3 oil.  Also over 100% for vitamin A and copper and packs nearly 300% of vitamin K. 

Pear & Kale Salad
Serves 1
Prep Time
10 min
Total Time
10 min
Prep Time
10 min
Total Time
10 min
Ingredients
  1. 2 cups kale, chopped
  2. 1 ripe pear, sliced
  3. 1 oz. bleu cheese crumbles
  4. 1 oz. walnuts, chopped
For the Dressing
  1. 2 tablespoons white or red wine vinegar
  2. 1 tablespoon olive oil
  3. 1 tsp. whole grain mustard
Add ingredients to shopping list
If you don’t have Buy Me a Pie! app installed you’ll see the list with ingredients right after downloading it
Instructions
  1. Start off my combining all the ingredients for the dressing, mix well.
  2. Place kale in bowl or plate, toss with dressing.
  3. Sprinkle top of salad with bleu cheese and walnuts.
  4. Arrange pear slices on top and serve.
Calories
556 cal
Fat
41 g
Protein
13 g
Carbs
37 g
Print
Healthy Southern Cooking https://healthysoutherncooking.com/

Apple & Red Onion Slaw

I created this slaw to go on top of pulled pork but it works good with any sort of barbecue or picnic and would be good topped on many different sandwiches, fish tacos and hot dogs.  Not only does this slaw have a burst of great flavors; sweet, tart and savory but a great crunch.

This slaw starts out with shredded green cabbage and shredded carrots.  If you are short for time or if you prefer, you can use the already shredded cabbage mix in the produce department, most also have red cabbage as well and that will just add more color to this slaw.


Thinly sliced red onion and matchstick size julienned apples are added to the cabbage mix.  As far as apples go, you can use sweet or tart or a mix of both.  For presentation purposes I would use an apple with reddish skin but it is totally up to you or what you have on hand.

The slaw is then tossed with a simple French vinaigrette which is olive oil, apple cider vinegar, whole grain mustard and a tad bit agave nectar.

Toss and serve as a side or as a condiment!

 

Apple & Red Onion Slaw
Serves 8
Prep Time
30 min
Total Time
30 min
Prep Time
30 min
Total Time
30 min
Ingredients
  1. 3 cups green cabbage, shredded
  2. 1 cup carrots, shredded
  3. 1/3 cup red onions, thinly sliced
  4. 3 medium apples, julienned matchstick size
For the Dressing
  1. 1/4 cup olive oil
  2. 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  3. 2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
  4. 1 to 2 tablespoons agave nectar
Add ingredients to shopping list
If you don’t have Buy Me a Pie! app installed you’ll see the list with ingredients right after downloading it
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl combine cabbage, carrots, red onions and apples, loosely toss to mix.
  2. Cover and keep cabbage mix cool in refrigerator until ready to serve.
  3. In a small bowl or cruet, combine all the ingredients for the dressing. As far as the agave nectar goes, depends on how sweet you would like it. I suggest adding one tablespoon and mix then sample and see if you need more.
  4. Pour dressing over slaw and toss.
  5. Serve cool.
Notes
  1. Nutrition facts are based on 2 tablespoons of agave nectar.
Calories
119 cal
Fat
7 g
Protein
1 g
Carbs
14 g
Print
Healthy Southern Cooking https://healthysoutherncooking.com/

Apple Pie

What’s more American than apple pie?  Well, with that being said, apple pie is actually from Western Europe but given that many of the settlers that came to the United States were from there, it makes perfect sense. Do you remember when your mama or gammy would bake apple pie, that aroma would fill the air and it seemed like forever until it was time for dessert after you smelled that sweet cinnamon all day long. Imagine the settlers, they came to America and all we had were tiny, tart crabapple trees so they had to plant apples and wait for the trees to mature and produce fruit, kind of dwarfs the few hours you had to endure to get your slice. Continue reading “Apple Pie”

Southern Butterbeans

So what’s a butterbean, you may ask.  It refers to the larger, flatter, paler lima bean which when cooked has a buttery taste and texture to it. The other variety of lima bean is a baby lima which is small, firmer and greener.  To try to simplify this, a pot of lima beans that are large, beige or pale yellow, served alone as a side dish are butterbeans.  Succotash, which is another Southern favorite, consists of sweet corn and small, green, firm lima beans.

Lima beans have been cultivated since 2000 AD, mainly in Central and South America.  They originated in Peru and when they were introduced to Europe and America, the crates were labeled from Lima, and that is how both varieties of these beans got their names. Continue reading “Southern Butterbeans”

Sweet & Sour Meatloaf

Meatloaf is known as a comfort food, it is satisfying, inexpensive and easy to make and the possibilities are endless.

Meatloaf can be cooked in a loaf pan, as the name suggests or can be formed into a loaf and cooked on a baking sheet.  Alternatively, meatloaf can be cooked in muffin tins, which is handy when you are short on time as it cuts the cook time in half.  You can also form it into meatballs and serve them as an appetizer or a main dish served on top of pasta, vegetables or rice.  Another option is to form it into patties, like hamburgers, and serve it on a bun or in a salad. Leftover meatloaf slices are often served warm or cold as a sandwich.  

I came up with this recipe because I had some leftover bell pepper and canned pineapple from use in other recipes and it instantly screamed to me, sweet and sour. Continue reading “Sweet & Sour Meatloaf”

Olive Oil, Walnut & Garlic Spaghetti

When you want something to fix that is easy, this is a good go-to dish that is wholesome whole grain and packed with flavor that is also low in saturated fat. It makes a great side or main dish and the best part, most of us have all the ingredients in our pantry so no special trip to the market.

I start off with whole wheat or whole grain spaghetti, you can certainly substitute any type of pasta you want for this recipe; bow tie, elbow, fettuccine, etc. will all work fine.  The pasta is cooked to al dente, which is firm to the bite but not hard.  Al dente in Italian means “to the tooth”. Continue reading “Olive Oil, Walnut & Garlic Spaghetti”

Peanut Coleslaw

Many people associate coleslaw with the South but it actually comes from the Netherlands where it is known as koolsla.  Here in America it is often a staple for barbecues, a topping for pulled pork and goes well with fried chicken.

Peanut coleslaw is something I had at a barbecue restaurant, I loved it so much more than regular or traditional coleslaw.  It was crunchy, tangy and very satisfying, I looked forward to it more than I did the rest of the meal.  Of course the restaurant wouldn’t give out their recipe so I had to play around with it until I could make a copycat version of it, which after some tweaking, I preferred more than theirs. Continue reading “Peanut Coleslaw”

Lemon & Thyme Roasted Asparagus

Growing up I was never forced to eat vegetables, in fact, for the most part they were never cooked.  My mama on occasion would cook herself green beans, cauliflower and cabbage.  Always when my papa was not around, either on a business trip or at work.  I wouldn’t try it, papa said they were nasty and the smell was nasty too. It turns out that my papa’s mama would force him to sit at the table and eat a pile of vegetables he hated which with his stubbornness usually ended in a stand off that lasted hours.  The only vegetables he would eat was succotash, green peas, corn, potatoes and green salad.  It wasn’t until I was around 30 did I try broccoli, cauliflower and asparagus.  Cooked the right way, I loved them all.

Asparagus, by far, is my favorite vegetable.  I love when spring hits and the grocery stores are full of fresh asparagus, the small pencil like size.  Although I have bought the larger ones and surprisingly, some turned out tender as the narrower ones.  When in season, asparagus is really cheap, grocery stores and farmer’s markets run some really good deals on them. Continue reading “Lemon & Thyme Roasted Asparagus”

Banana Nut Bread

What smells better than the fragrance of banana nut bread baking in the oven?  That sweet delicious aroma penetrates every room of the house.  Banana bread was created in the United States and gained popularity in the 1930s with the increasing use of baking soda and baking powder.

Banana bread is great for breakfast, brunch, dessert or just as a snack.  It is a very versatile recipe that you can add other ingredients to. I add walnuts to make banana nut bread but you could add any nut of your choosing.  You can add other ingredients such as oats, raisins, peanut butter, chocolate, etc., the possibilities are endless. Continue reading “Banana Nut Bread”