Kale Salad with Sesame Dressing

Kale is an odd vegetable. I’m not completely sold on it yet. I do like it certain ways but this was the first time I tried to cold/raw. It has a very distinct flavor and texture but it is packed full of nutrients.  This salad is very crisp and refreshing. It is also very simple to make. The dressing really accentuates the bold flavor of the kale. This would be a good, healthy addition to your holiday meal – swap it for something not so healthy (maybe the cheese ball??)

8 oz of fresh kale (organic is best)

½ cup shredded carrots
½ cup shredded cabbage (we used red)
Dressing
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil (you really need this to get the full flavor)
¼ cup rice vinegar
1 tsp sugar or honey
1 tsp sea salt
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp ground ginger
1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds (heat in a skillet for about 5 minutes to toast seeds)

• In a large serving bowl, combine kale, carrots and cabbage.
• In a small bowl, combine dressing ingredients.
• Drizzle dressing over salad and refrigerate for about 30 minutes before serving.

Cranberry Pear Crisp with Lavender Crumble

If I could bottle the smell of this dish, I could make millions! This dessert smells absolutely wonderful cooking and tastes even better! I love a good fruit crisp. They are so easy to make and very versatile. I’ve already posted a couple crisp recipes – Cherry Rhubarb is one of my favorites also! I haven’t made a pear crisp before but I needed a quick dessert one evening and my mother-in-law brought over TONS of fresh Asian pears so I thought I would try. I love the combination of pears and cranberries. I also like adding just a little something extra and I thought that lavender would complement the fruits nicely. It turned out great! This would be a perfect addition to your holiday menu!

6 pears, peeled and sliced into ¼” slices

½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup chopped pecans
1 Tbsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp allspice
¼ cup coconut sugar
2 Tbsp GF all purpose flour
1/3 cup fresh pear juice (or apple juice)
Topping
1 cup GF oats
¼ cup potato starch
¼ cup rice flour
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ cup butter or coconut oil
1 tbsp fresh lavender, finely chopped

• In a large bowl, mix together pear slices, cranberries, pecans, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, coconut sugar and flour. Carefully mix with your hands until fruit is coated with dry mixture.
• Pour fruit mixture into a greased 3 qt baking pan or a 9x13 pan and drizzle fruit with juice.
• In a separate bowl, combine oats, potato starch, rice flour and cinnamon. Cut in butter or coconut oil.
• Blend butter and flour mixture with a pastry blender until it resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in lavender.
• Sprinkle topping mixture evenly over fruit.
• Bake at 350°F for 50-60 minutes or until crumb topping is slightly brown. Let cool for about 10 minutes. Refrigerate leftovers.

Rhubarb-Cherry Crisp

This recipe was kind of a brilliant mistake. We were going to dinner at a friend’s house so I decided to make a dessert the night before. I made my traditional strawberry-rhubarb crisp but I had a LOT of extra crumb topping leftover so I decided to make another small batch. Only problem was I was out of strawberries and apples. I did have a BUNCH of cherries that needed eaten and a couple pineapple slices. That’s how this lovely concoction was made. It is just the perfect amount of sweet and tart flavors and really just screams summer with the fresh fruit taste.

Filling

2 stalks of rhubarb, diced (about ¾ cup)
2 cups of cherries, halved (pits removed – could also use 2 cans of cherries)
2 slices of fresh pineapple, chunked (about ½ cup)
1 Tbsp honey or other sweetener
1 tsp cinnamon
Topping
¼ cup coconut flour
¼ cup GF all purpose flour (or omit coconut flour and use ½ cup all purpose flour)
½ cup GF oats
¼ tsp salt
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp coconut oil

• Mix together filling ingredients in a greased 9” pie plate.
• Mix together the topping ingredients into a small bowl until it crumbly.
• Sprinkle crumb mixture over fruit evening and bake at 350°F for about 20 minutes or until bubbly and brown on top.