One of my favorite Valley chefs, Kevin Binkley, was the teacher at Les Gourmettes this week. I’ve mentioned Kevin and his stellar restaurant, Binkley’s, many times before on this site.

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Kevin was able to do something that no one else has done, make me a kale salad lover – as long as it’s this salad! I could eat it every single day for lunch and dinner and be a happy camper.

Kevin calls it a crushed kale salad. It is the same technique you’ll find all over the internet, only they are calling it massaging the kale instead of crushing it. One thing he does differently is to tear the kale into bite-sized pieces instead of cutting it into ribbons or chiffonade.

In this video, I’m holding the camera with my left hand and only using my right to massage the kale. You’ll use both hands.

So why crush or massage the kale? Because doing so helps break down the very strong cell structure of the leaves. After a couple of minutes, you’ll notice a visible difference as you massage the kale; the leaves darken, they shrink and wilt and become quite silky, and most importantly, palatable. Raw kale is bitter and tough, massaging or crushing is key to enjoying it uncooked.

One big takeaway for me from the class was the way Kevin toasts nuts. Instead of spreading them on a dry baking sheet, like I usually do, he tosses the nuts in a little oil and salt. If you’ve ever toasted nuts before, you know that when they are done, they are dry. So dry that salt, sugar, or spice won’t stick to them. Tossing them in the oil and seasoning before toasting is so much better!

Two points I need to make: You’ll notice the recipe calls for raspberries, I didn’t have any, but they are a beautiful, colorful, and yummy addition to the salad. Also, be sure to buy bunches of kale, not the bagged chopped-up variety. The bagged stuff has the center ribs included, you don’t want the ribs. I used one bunch of dinosaur or black kale and one bunch of curly kale. A mix is a nice way to go.

Oh, and if you’re interested in learning more about Kevin Binkley – enjoy this great documentary.

Binkley’s Crushed Kale Salad

Toasted Walnuts

• 1 cup raw walnut halves
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Balsamic Vinaigrette

• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• Egg yolk from 1 small egg (or 1/2 yolk from a large egg)
• 1 tablespoon peeled and diced shallot
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Salad

• 2 bunches kale (a mix of dinosaur, curly, and/or red)
• 1 ½ cups finely shredded Parmesan, divided
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3 navel oranges
• 1 container raspberries

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The other night, two of Marissa’s best friends, Kaley and Lindsey, were over. They wanted to cook or bake, but my cupboards are currently pretty bare.

I had been thinking of baking up a batch of Chai something. Not sure what, but I’ve really been craving Chai lately. So we settled on Chai Granola, mostly because I had everything needed so no trip to the grocery store would be necessary.

They threw it together while I instructed (bossed them around) and snapped photos.

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These quick and easy appetizers may be shaped however you like; as tartlets, purses, or turnovers. The recipe below describes how to make into tartlets. For purses, completely enclose the filling and brush the entire outside surface (except the bottom) with egg-wash. For turnovers, chop the apples and nuts into smaller pieces and fold into triangles, crimp the edges with a fork and brush all over with egg-wash. Personally, I prefer the tartlets for two reasons; you can see exactly what is inside and there is a higher filling to pastry ratio when the filling is not fully enclosed. It gives you more bang for your buck. Any version of these may be used to top a salad, but once again, I think the tartlets are the best option for that application as well.

I also prefer to use Trader Joe’s puff pastry for this recipe. The sheets are in a perfect square, without any folds. Pepperidge Farm is the other easy-to-find choice and will also work. The end product will be shaped slightly different, as their pasty comes folded in thirds and is a rectangular shape. It is also thinner, so no need to roll out, but you will need to thaw according to package directions before unfolding.

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Although I use and like mayonnaise, I am not a fan of it in potato salads, coleslaw, and such. It’s just too heavy and kind of just sits there and globs altogether. This salad is light, tangy, and fresh-tasting – so much better than that big mayo-mass of stuff served at picnics, and it’s safe to leave out in “the weather” too!

Just add some shredded chicken to this and you’ll have yourself a main-dish salad supper (use purchased rotisserie chicken or roast a chicken breast, or two, alongside the potatoes). Other great add-ins include; thin red onion slices, chopped Kalamata olives, cherry tomato halves, minced parsley, chopped sun-dried tomato, etc. Or switch out the cheese; maybe some shaved smoked Gouda, Parmesan, or Manchego. How about pecans, almonds, or hazelnuts in place of the walnuts? You get the idea, make it our own and be sure to let me know how you mixed it up!
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This is our traditional Thanksgiving soup. Back in the day, I went all “Martha” and hollowed out miniature pumpkins and served the soup in those. Hey, it only took about 4 or 5 hours to cut and hollow out 8 of those little guys! I am thankful that I eventually recovered my mind and my sanity and purchased and now use darling orange and green ceramic pumpkin bowls instead!

Butternut squash can be difficult to cut, but luckily many stores (including Costco and Trader Joe’s) sell packages of already peeled and cubed squash. If you can’t find them, look at the “Tip Index” on this site and learn how to correctly (and safely) cut butternut squash.  Save the oil the sage leaves are fried in to use in place of olive oil for just about any Thanksgiving recipe, especially those that have herbs included in them or to saute vegetables.
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