More Green for Me: Kale Ginger-Berry Salad

     If you've read one of my earliest posts, "A New Dark Leafy Green for Me...", you already know of my new love of kale, especially when paired with fruit and citrus.  I just never tire of that orange-apple-cumin kale slaw.  The change of season has also changed the availability of some key ingredients for my beloved kale slaw.  Oranges are not a summer fruit and those available are not very tasty.  The same can be said for the apples - just pretty ho hum until the new fall crop comes in.  It was time to try something new.  

     The citrus is an important element since the acidic juice helps to soften the somewhat tough kale leaves.  I chose to substitute a lemon for the orange since I usually have some in the frig (they're so versatile) and used strawberries for the apple, since I had those on hand, too.  Those two flavors are great together - I usually add lemon zest to a simple yellow cake recipe when I make strawberry shortcake.  Last weekend I passed on the cake part and served fresh strawberries that had been macerated in lemon juice, lemon zest and Splenda and they were scrumptious!  

     I now needed to find a flavor that added a punch like the cumin did in the original version - cumin was just too earthy for the summery marriage of lemon and strawberry.  Then, on my kitchen counter, I saw the container of candied fresh ginger I had bought for cookie-making and there was my answer!  This new version which I call Kale Ginger-Berry Salad is beautiful to look at, has a slightly sweet citrus tang, juicy bites of summer strawberry and a heat/warmth from the fresh grated and the candied gingers.  It's perfect for summer and I hope you'll try it for yourself!

Another dark leafy green for me, Kale Ginger-Berry Salad.

Kale Ginger-Berry Salad

Ingredients:

• Fresh strawberries, rinsed and halved
• A bunch of kale; rinsed, de-ribbed and cut into thin strips
• A lemon, zested and juiced (about 1 teaspoon of zest and 2-3 tablespoons of juice)
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh grated ginger or ground ginger
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Half an ounce of candied fresh ginger, chopped finely

Keep ginger root in your freezer, peel then grate frozen, as needed.

Look for candied fresh ginger in your store's produce, baking or bulk foods sections.

Putting It Together:

     Rinse the individual leaves of kale; fold each leaf over onto itself (like a Valentine), grip the two sides and rip away from the woody spine and set aside.  Stack the de-ribbed pieces on a cutting board and cut into thin strips; place in a large serving bowl (I estimated 5 cups of cut, packed kale).  Sprinkle over 1/4 teaspoon salt, the fresh lemon zest and half of the freshly squeezed lemon juice.  Using your hands, toss and massage the kale strips and set aside.

Time to massage in the salt and lemon.

     Rinse and de-hull the strawberries; halve or thickly slice the berries and set aside.  I had about 1-1/2 cups of halved/sliced berries.  In a small bowl combine the remaining half of the lemon juice, grated fresh ginger, coriander, Dijon mustard, pinch of salt, a few grinds of pepper and the honey; whisk to combine.  Add the sliced strawberries and chopped candied fresh ginger to the massaged kale, pour over dressing and gently toss to combine.  Check and correct the flavor if necessary - may need more sweet or sour or heat.  Refrigerate salad for a minimum of three hours to allow kale to continue to soften, flavors to mellow, strawberries to macerate. 

The candied ginger really adds some zing to this salad.  The kale is already beginning to darken and soften.

     Weight Watcher's Recipe Builder totaled 10 Points Plus for this recipe when made as described above.  That would make each of 5 servings 2 Points Plus.  The fresh grated and candied ginger do add a punch of heat which I love, but if you are new to using ginger I suggest starting with less, tasting and adding more if needed.      

My husband and I agree, the Kale Ginger-Berry salad is our new favorite!

Cold Summer Supper: Tuna Pasta Salad

     It has been a very rainy July so far and I really needed a break from grilling in the rain!  I decided to make an old favorite, a cold tuna pasta salad.  In the past I cooked about 6 ounces of pasta for the salad and baked fresh-fruit muffins for extra carbohydrates for my husband, but this summer I needed to cut out some of those carbs.  
     Again, my husband gave me his target range which I combined with my Points Plus value range and came up with 3 ounces of uncooked pasta shells (which with my brand was 63 total carbohydrates).  That is not much pasta so I needed to bulk the dish up with more vegetables than my usual celery, onion, sweet pickle and a bit of bell pepper.  If a little bell pepper is good, more should be even better - and it was!  

     The shots of colorful veggies throughout the dish are visually appealing and the crunch is very satisfying - a winning combination.  Some delicious fresh fruit replaced the muffins and added a sweet and juicy compliment.  We Weight Watchers are able to enjoy fresh fruit for "free" but fresh fruit comes with a low price tag for everyone; an ounce of fresh melon, watermelon, pineapple or strawberries is only 2 carbs - so indulge and enjoy summer's colorful bounty!

Crisp vegetables, tender pasta shells and canned tuna in a tangy dressing.

Tuna Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

• 3 ounces uncooked medium shell pasta (cook until al dente and hold in ice water)
• A 12-ounce can of chunk-style water packed tuna, well drained
• 6 tablespoons Light Miracle Whip (my preference)
• 1 generous teaspoon Sriracha
• Bread and Butter Pickle Chips, chopped (6 chips)
• A small red onion, sliced into thin crescents
• Half a red pepper, sliced into thin crescents
• Half a green pepper, sliced into thin crescents
• Half an orange or yellow pepper, sliced into thin crescents
• 2 ribs of celery, cut on the diagonal into thin slices

For eye-appeal cut your raw veggies into approximately the same size and shape, whether sliced or diced.

Putting It Together:

     Put your pasta water on (a covered pot heats faster than uncovered) - don't forget to salt it.  Measure out your pasta and have it at hand.  F.Y.I: This recipe could easily handle twice as much pasta.  Do not overcook the pasta since it softens a bit as it mellows in the frig - overcooked pasta will get even mealier in the refrigerator!  Rinse the cooked pasta and hold it in a bowl or pot of ice water until you're ready to assemble the salad.   

     Rinse, trim and cut your vegetables in a similar size and shape for better eye appeal; place in a large serving bowl.  After all, it is said that we eat with our eyes first.  I've found that raw onion can be a bit too harsh (even red Vidalia), so to mellow the flavor, place the cut raw pieces in a bowl of ice water for a few minutes.  Just drain the onion pieces onto a paper towel before adding them to the other veg.  

A healthy balance of ingredients, all ready to combine. 

     Cut and add the pickle chips (I love the sweet-sour tang with the heat from the sriracha), the well-drained pasta, the drained tuna (averages about 8 ounces after drained), the light Miracle Whip (or your choice of mayo, yogurt, etc.), sriracha and a little salt and black pepper to the bowl.  Stir gently to combine, check your seasoning and heat, adjust if necessary.  I like to spoon the pasta salad onto old-school crispy iceberg lettuce - reminds me of tuna salad sandwiches!    

A summer's bounty of Power Foods!

     Weight Watcher's Recipe Builder estimated a value of 21 Plus Points for the entire recipe (made as written above).  The recipe made 5 cups of pasta salad, each 1-cup serving equaling 4 Plus Points.  With the lettuce base and side of fresh fruit with this Pasta Tuna Salad, there's no worry about fulfilling daily fruit/veggie Power Food guidelines!