Shredded Kale Caesar Salad

This recipe video was such a riot to make. I was initially going to use kale from our garden, which is very nice (though a little chewed up by some hungry deer), but then I caught a glimpse of my friend Kelly's monster kale patch, featuring the biggest lushest green leaves I've seen and I opted to use his kale instead. While we were filming the kale harvest, his dog Lucy bounded over begging for a bite and some very enthusiastic kale-eating madness ensued. This dog LOVES kale! I've never seen anything quite like it. Take a look for yourself.

The other reason this video was so much fun to make is that I was able to use a song from The Good Lovelies, a folk trio from Ontario that I've adored ever since I saw them perform live a few years ago. Thank you Good Lovelies!! 

(Look at how cool these ladies are! I love them.)

Now about kale. I'm curious, did any of you eat the stuff pre-2000's? I mean did people even eat kale in the 80's and 90's?? Because I sure didn't. And I grew up with a prolific gardening mom, eating everything from purple kohlrabi to obscure French lettuces. But no kale. And then suddenly, boom! Kale was as trendy as UGG boots and yoga pants. Kale is so big now it's even the center of a lawsuit, with a fast-food chain suing the guy who makes those popular t-shirts sporting the slogan "Eat More Kale" on the grounds it infringes on their slogan "Eat Mor (factory-farmed) Chickin". SERIOUSLY??!

Kale is even so popular that it's seeing some friendly backlash (hey, what about us other greens?!). But from what I've read, kale is most deserving of its superstar status. It's been shown in numerous studies to destroy cancer cells and it's packed with nutrients whose powers are truly unleashed when it's eaten raw. This kale Caesar salad is the perfect way to do that. It's a recipe I learned at one of Salt Water Farm's amazing cooking classes last summer. I was already making raw kale salads at the time, but this one became an instant favorite. I make it often and when I don't have time to make the full-out Caesar dressing, I make it with my sister's quick & easy eggless aioli instead. Either way, it's simply delicious and you should definitely try it!

Find my recipe on PBS Food. Let me know if you make it! 

Minty Cucumber and Cantaloupe Salad

I'm working my butt off today, scrambling to finish tomorrow's video which I'm soooo excited to share with you...  starring kale and the most kale-loving canine creature you'll ever meet. So I'll keep this one super short other than to say I think you'll love this minty refreshing salad! 

It combines cucumbers, cantaloupe, feta, plenty of mint, and a honey-lime dressing. And it's a great way to use up cucumbers which can be a little prolific this time of year... 

Perfect for a late August afternoon. Find the recipe on my post at PBS Food. Enjoy!

Raspberry, Pistachio, and Vanilla Semifreddo

My latest video was supposed to spotlight raspberries.

But cream is such a hog for fame and glory and that it had to get in on the action.

Oh cream, you will always have my heart, even though you can be very vain and selfish. Here's the video, CO-starring raspberries and cream (pistachio and vanilla have supporting roles):

I am going to keep this one short and sweet other than to say this: semifreddos are my new summer obsession. I love them because you don't need an ice cream maker to make them. I love that you slice them like a piece of cake. I love that they contain an ungodly amount of cream. Last night, I devoured a rhubarb semifreddo at a local restaurant. It was divine (of course) and inspiring. I look forward to a lifetime of making every imaginable semifreddo flavour I can think of.

Now, if this Bon Appétit-inspired 3-tiered delight seems a little too daunting and time-consuming, I've provided a simplified variation of the recipe where you don't make the 3 separate layers. It's so easy to make and every bit as delicious, so please don't be swayed from making this dessert. Here's what the quick version looks like:

Here's where you can find both versions of my raspberry, pistachio, vanilla semifreddo recipe.
And here's my coconut rose petal semifreddo recipe.

Now dear beloved reader, go forth and make semifreddo.

Mango Salsa and my August Giveaway

Hey! How did August sneak up on us like that? Summer's flying and it's already time to announce July's giveaway winner as well as my August giveaway. Thank you so much to everyone who entered the draw for the book "Cooking With Flowers", I loved reading all your comments explaining why you're inspired to cook with flowers. I wish I had a copy for every single one of you! But I only have one, and Sarah Fisher you are the lucky winner. Enjoy this magical book!

Now a little drumroll for my August giveaway... 

One of the perks of being a food blogger is that every now and then, companies send me food samples to try. Which I love. And recently a company called Way Better Snacks sent me 5 different flavours of their corn chips. Holy yum! 



Now. Let me first say that I am someone who is extremely picky about corn chips because they are usually made with genetically engineered (GMO) corn and canola oil, which I avoid like the plague. To find out why, you can read this post and this post. But these particular corn chips are certified GMO-free by the non-GMO project. Hurrah! PLUS, they are very unique in that they are made with sprouted seeds such as flax, chia, broccoli, and daikon which increases vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, digestibility and nutrient absorption. 

I was so enchanted with my 5 bags of chips that I gobbled them up faster than I'm willing to admit here. They were all delicious, though my favourite flavour is Sweet Chili, sooooo addictive! I wanted to share the fun with you all, so Way Better Snacks has kindly agreed to send 5 bags (1 of each flavor) to 3 lucky Kitchen Vignettes readers at the end of this month. All you need to do to be entered in this giveaway is leave me a comment below telling me why you'd like to try these chips. Or share their photo on my facebook page. The contest is open to residents of Canada and the US. 

At this time of year when there's fresh tomatoes and peppers in the garden to turn into tons of salsa, well, it's just really nice to have guilt-free chips around the house. Here's my recipe for fresh and delicious mango salsa. Enjoy!

MANGO SALSA

2 large ripe mangoes
2 ripe medium-sized tomatoes
1 small red onion (or half a medium-sized one)
1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 sweet bell pepper, finely diced
1 small hot pepper, seeds removed, finely minced
1 small bunch of cilantro (about 1/2 cup chopped)
1/2 tsp. cumin
Juice of 1 big lime (or 2 small limes)
Salt to taste

Very finely chop all ingredients and mix together. Salt to taste. Serve with your favorite (hopefully non-GMO) corn chips. *Note: I prefer chopping everything by hand because it yields a less "soupy" salsa. It may seem like it will take a lot longer, but when you factor in washing the food processor, it doesn't take that much more time. It took me no more than 30 minutes to prepare this salsa, chopping everything by hand.*