Squash, Red Pepper and Kale Tacos

Tacos are insanely time consuming when I make them.  I often marinate meat, make a special spice blend when I include Italian sausage, roast vegetables, make homemade tortillas, or sauces to go on them...  Basically, tacos are a huge production in our house.  You would think I would save them for special occasions, but I make them all the time, and love doing it.  Thankfully Adam is a big taco fan, too, and he will try any new taco flavors I throw at him. He is also a huge sport and almost always makes the tortillas.  

These tacos are considerably less time consuming than my average homemade taco, and if you bought the ranch (but you really should make it!) and the tortillas, it would be an incredibly fast and easy dinner.  These are also some of the best tacos I have ever made.  They have very few spices, but the flavors go together marvelously, and the lack of spices really showcases the vegetables.  We couldn't get enough of them!  They really were marvelous! 

If you make them (or any of my recipes) and post them on instagram, I would love it if you  would tag me (@measureandwhisk), so I can see them in action on your table!

Squash, Red Pepper and Kale Tacos:
makes 8 medium sized tacos

1 Tbs olive oil
1/2 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
1 1/2 - 2 red bell peppers, seeded, cored and diced
salt and pepper, to taste
2 cups of kale (3 or 4 chopped leaves), destemmed and chopped
1/4 cup cheese (cheddar, mozzarella or monterey jack will work), shredded
1/2 cup ranch dressing
8 tortillas

Heat a large frying pan, on the stove over medium heat.  Pour in your oil, then add your squash.  Stir for a minute, ensuring that squash is well-coated in oil, then cover with a lid and let cook for 3 or so minutes.  Uncover and stir, then let it cook, stirring around every 30 seconds to a minute.  Once the squash is beginning to soften, add your diced red pepper and lightly salt and pepper the mixture.  Cover again with the lid, and let cook for another 2 minutes, lifting the cover 2 times to stir.  Check to make sure the squash is soft, then remove from heat.

Build your taco by first shredding cheese over a warm tortilla.  Add your squash/bell peppers, add your kale, then top with ranch dressing.  Enjoy!

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Caramelized Onion and Kale Quiche

Did you see my vlog post about menu planning?  I mentioned in the accompanying blog post that I was going to post 5 of the 6 recipes here.  Why am I not posting all 6 recipes?  I didn't end up making the pesto panini, because we ran out of flour this week, and then I ran out of time to make the wheat bread after I ground some whole wheat into flour.  So sadly, no panini.

By the way, not only did we run out of flour this week, but we also ran out of butter and I just about lost my mind.  I felt like I couldn't make anything.  No bread, no muffins, no cookies.  How can anyone live like that?!  It was sort of horrible.

Anyway, this quiche is the first of the five.  It was an experiment because I decided to try putting a little cornmeal in the crust, and it was surprisingly delicious!  I would definitely recommend it.

I tend to be the type who plays it safe in the kitchen, but blogging is forcing me to try new things and experiment. It has been fun, but kind of terrifying.  Every time I try something new, I expect the worst, but am pleasantly surprised when it turns out well.  This is such a fatalist attitude, but it keeps me from being really bummed when something doesn't turn out.

Do you play it safe in the kitchen?  Is there anything you have been wanting to try but have been afraid to go through with it?  Something that maybe I would enjoy trying?

Caramelized Onion and Kale Quiche:

makes one 8" quiche

Crust: 

1/4 cup cornmeal

1 cup white flour

1 Tbs sugar

1/4 tsp salt

8 Tbs (1 stick) butter, cold and diced

2 -3 Tbs cold water

In a stand mixer or large mixing bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, sugar and salt.  Add your diced butter, and turn on the stand mixer and let the mixer run for about a minute, or with two knives, cut the butter into small pieces.  You want the butter to end up resembling small peas.  Add 2 Tbs of water and mix again until the dough starts to come together.  Add the 3rd Tbs if the dough is still a little dry.  Once it has formed into a nice mass, wrap in plastic and place it in fridge for at least 30 minutes.  Preheat your oven to 350°F and remove the crust from the fridge about 10 minutes before you need to roll it out.  Once it is warmed up slightly, flour a clean countertop and roll out the dough into a large, thin circle, big enough to fill your pie pan.  Gently lift it off the counter and put it in the pie pan.  Pinch the edges of the crust.  Place it in the oven to cook for about 15 minutes, or until the dough no longer looks shiny.  Do not let it brown.  Make the filling while your pie crust is in the oven.  Once your crust is out of the oven,  set it aside until you have finished the filling.  

Filling: 

1 Tbs butter

1/2 onion, diced

1 cup kale, destemmed and ribboned

1 cup milk

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp basil

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

3 eggs

1 Tbs wheat flour

In a large frying pan, melt your butter and add your diced onion.  Cook for 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent.  Add the kale and cover the pan for about 3 minutes, until the kale is wilted.  

In a separate bowl, combine the milk, eggs, oregano, basil, salt, pepper, eggs and wheat flour.  Whisk until combined. 

Once your crust has finished cooking, place the onions and kale in an even layer across the bottom of the crust.  Pour the milk mixture over the top.  

Place in the oven and let it cook for 25-30 minutes, or until the middle of the quiche is set.  Remove from the oven, let cool for 5 minutes, and enjoy!  

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Sweet and Tangy Winter Salad

I have a serious love for good salads. Typically when I plan our menu for the week, one of the meal spots is filled with a variation on "salad and bread," and thankfully, Adam is one of those lovely individuals who believes that salad can be a main dish, so I take full advantage of that and make them often (It helps when I have a delicious loaf of homemade bread, or tasty muffins to accompany it). I have a few salads that I make regularly because they are easy and we love them, but this one was new for us.  I have made salads similar to this before, but this one was the best variation that I have made.  Quite quick, very delicious and extremely easy!

Sweet and Tangy Winter Salad:
Adapted from Oh She Glows and A Hint of Honey
makes 4 medium servings

Salad: 
1 bunch of curly kale
1/4 tsp olive oil
1/2 pear, diced
1/4 cup dried cranberries
2 oz shredded parmesan cheese
1/8 cup pepitas (raw pumpkin seeds)

Dressing:
2 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs apple cider vinegar
1 Tbs balsamic vinegar
1 tsp real maple syrup
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp salt
a pinch of black pepper

Wash the kale, remove the stems from the leaves and discard the stems. Chop the leaves into thin ribbons, and place in a large bowl. Pour 1/4 tsp olive oil over the kale and gently massage kale with your hands, rubbing the oil into the leaves until the leaves are softened and turning bright green (if you feel like that is not enough oil, pour a little more over it, but be sparing, because you don't want your kale to get soggy). Add pear, cranberries, parmesan and pepitas and toss.

In a jar, combine dressing ingredients and shake to combine.  Pour over salad and enjoy!  It will keep for a day or two in the fridge, particularly if you keep the dressing separate, and pour on the salad when you serve it.

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Sweet Potato and Kale Salad

I love my salads.  We have a salad for dinner every other week or so, and it feels sooooo good!  I love getting all those leafy greens in, and feeling full, but light after dinner.  This kale salad has become one of my favorites.  The mustard/lemon dressing gives it a freshness, the apples give it crunch and the sweet potatoes lend some warmth to the flavor.  It really is quite divine!  

Sweet Potato and Kale Salad:

(Original Recipe by Real Simple, slightly modified by me)

2 Sweet Potatoes cut into 1/2" cubes

6 Tbs olive oil

salt and pepper

3 Tbs lemon juice

2 Tbs Dijon Mustard

2 bunches of Kale

1 Pink Lady, Fuji or other sweet apple, thinly sliced

1/4 cup roasted almonds

parmesan shavings

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  With your hands, toss the sweet potatoes in 2 Tbs of the oil until coated.  Lightly salt and pepper them and then stick them in the oven for 18-20 minutes until tender.  You might want to toss them once halfway through.  Once they are cooked, let them cool slightly. 

While the sweet potatoes cook, whisk the lemon juice, mustard and 4 Tbs of oil and 1/4 tsp of salt and pepper in a large bowl. 

Add the kale and with clean hands, rub the kale leaves with the lemon/mustard oil to coat and soften the leaves.  add the apple slives, the almonds and the sweet potatoes and toss them to combine.  Put cheese shavings on top.  

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