Ingredients
Spiced Pecans:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 cup pecan halves

Spinach Salad:
2 teaspoons mustard
¼  onion, minced
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
Pinch sugar
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (5-ounce) package prewashed baby spinach
1 cup chopped tomatoes

Directions
Pecans: Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Stir in all the spices and the pecans. Stir and toast the pecans for about 5 minutes. Transfer them to a dish to cool.

Salad: Whisk together the mustard, onions, and balsamic vinegar in a small bowl. Drizzle in the olive oil in a continuous stream, whisking to emulsify. Season with a pinch of sugar, and salt and pepper, to taste.

Add the spinach to a large serving bowl. Toss the greens with the prepared dressing,  tomatoes and spiced pecans.

Beet Salad is bright red and beautiful!  Beet salad is a hit in our home and is gobbled up by all of our children.  Please give beets a try!

Ingredients

• Steam or boil beets at least 1 bunch of beets  (I slice mine before steaming/boiling into halves or large chunks)  When they cool you can slip the skin off by pressing your fingers against the skin.  The only draw back to beets is that they can be very messy. Work quickly – if they are thoroughly cooked, the skins will slip off easily.  Cut into bite size pieces.
• 1 bunch of beets (prepped as instructed above)
• Slice or finely chop 1/4 onion
• In a bowl add 1/4 cup organic lemon juice,
• ¼ cup or less extra virgin organic olive oil
• 2 pressed cloves of garlic
• 1 tsp of sea salt

Instructions

1. Mix well and pour over beets.  chill.  Serve cold.
2. My friend Christine gave me this recipe and she uses red wine vinegar instead of lemon juice and she also adds feta cheese at the very end.

Hope you enjoy this nutritious dish!

Kale is dark green and one cup is bursting with approximately 5 grams of fiber!  If you haven’t tried it, please run right out and buy some.  Really. ..don’t wait!  You have no idea what you are missing!  Your body will love you for it.  Kale is exceptionally nutritious and hardy.  When you make kale salad, you can make a large batch because it will last and last in the fridge and make nutritious eating easy because you don’t have to make a new salad every day.  Spice this one up as much as you like!

Ingredients

• 1-2 bunches bunch organic kale, rinsed and cut with scissors into small pieces (skip the stalks if you want or cut them very thin, in rounds)
• 1 organic lemon juiced
• 1/4 cup Nama Shoyu or Tamari (healthier versions of soy sauce)
• 2 Tbl. organic onion minced (or 1/4 medium onion sliced) Purple onion is great here
• 1 Tbl. organic extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/8 tsp sea salt

Instructions

1. Mix ingredients together and toss with kale.  Let marinate for at least 30 minutes.

This recipe was sent to me over a year ago by a great hostess, Cori S.  I’m sad to say it took me a long long time to post!  Cori went the extra mile to share all her tips for successful kimchi.

from Cori  “This is the recipe I used for my Kimchi and I have really enjoyed it!  I have also shared the recipe with quite a few friends who have made it and enjoyed it as well.  I have included some notes before the recipe:

1. I have never bothered to get napa cabbage for this.  I always use the green cabbage I get in the co-op.  You just have to crush it up a bit by hand with some salt before soaking it.  This softens the leaves so that you get a good texture.
2. Throw some bok choy in too. (I don’t soak the bok choy.)  It has a great flavor and texture and we get this in the co-op!
3. Organic is better!  The natural organisms that aid in fermentation have not been killed off through the use of chemicals.
4. Use uniodized salt!  This is very important!  Iodine in iodized salt will halt fermentation.
5. I have attached a picture of the hot pepper packet that I use for my Kimchi.  I purchased it at the Hong Kong market at Pioneer and Great Southwest in Grand Prairie.  This is probably the hardest item to find because there is minimal writing in English on the packet.  The recipe calls for 1/3 cup of the powder.  This is just a little less than the packet contains.  I used the whole packet and it was not too spicy.
6. I have attached a picture of the salted shrimp.  These also came from the Hong Kong market and were easy to find in the refrigerated section.  My friends who keep Kosher eliminated these and added a touch more fish sauce to the recipe and were very happy with the results.  I like to use them because I think they are an important part of the “traditional” flavor of Kimchi.
7. I did not have a 2 quart jar, so I pack my Kimchi into two 1 quart jars and it makes no difference.  See pictures.  (This is after I had enjoyed quite a bit of it!  Mine isn’t as pretty, but it tastes wonderful!)
8. Remember to pack the jars tightly!  You want fermentation, not spoilage.  Air space in the Kimchi will promote spoilage.  I used my fist and a wooden spoon to get the Kimchi packed in tightly.
9. Be careful when venting it after the initial setting period.  The pressure inside can blow the lid off.  It will pop and probably startle you.  I still jump every time!  And it may continue to pop like this almost every time you open it. “

Ingredients

• 1 (2-pound) napa cabbage (if using head cabbage crush to soften; can add bok choy)
• 1/2 cup kosher salt
• About 12 cups cold water, plus more as needed
• 8 ounces daikon radish, peeled and cut into 2-inch matchsticks
• 4 medium scallions, ends trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces (use all parts)
• 1/3 cup Korean red pepper powder
• 1/4 cup fish sauce
• 1/4 cup peeled and minced fresh ginger (from about a 2-ounce piece)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic cloves (from 6 to 8 medium cloves)
• 2 teaspoons Korean salted shrimp, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar

Instructions

1. Cut the cabbage in half lengthwise, then crosswise into 2-inch pieces, discarding the root end. Place in a large bowl, sprinkle with the salt, and toss with your hands until the cabbage is coated. Add enough cold water to just cover (about 12 cups), making sure the cabbage is submerged (it’s OK if a few leaves break the surface). Cover with plastic wrap or a baking sheet and let sit at room temperature at least 12 hours and up to 24 hours.
2. Place a colander in the sink, drain the cabbage, and rinse with cold water. Gently squeeze out the excess liquid and transfer to a medium bowl; set aside.
3. Place the remaining ingredients in a large bowl and stir to combine. Add the cabbage and toss with your hands until evenly combined and the cabbage is thoroughly coated with the mixture. Pack the mixture tightly into a clean 2-quart or 2-liter glass jar with a tight-fitting lid and seal the jar. Let sit in a cool, dark place for 24 hours (the mixture may bubble). Open the jar to let the gases escape, then reseal and refrigerate at least 48 hours before eating (kimchi is best after fermenting about 1 week). Refrigerate for up to 1 month.