Posts tagged pumpkin seeds
sautéed apple & kale salad

when i started catering almost three years ago i had NO CLUE what i was doing. sure, i could cook, but cooking for the masses is a different story. and even more than that, cooking for the masses, taking it somewhere else, unpacking it, serving it and then cleaning everything up to go back and clean up the original space on top of cooking delicious food is OVERWHELMING. but, wes followed my crazy lead and we did it anyway. and through out the years, we’ve gotten quite good at it.

in the beginning, the hardware house didn’t really have a “menu.” every single event we were coming up with new dishes tailored to the client. but now, we actually have a bank of delicious dishes to choose from and i am currently working on finalizing proper menus for brunch, lunch and dinner options.

i realized as i went through the best of the best that there were so many delicious dishes i hadn’t shared yet. this salad is a brunch best. we specialize in beautiful brunches and in california, even brunch has a salad. this salad is hearty, healthy, gluten free & can quickly be made vegan by omitting the goat cheese.

sautéed apple & kale salad

serves: 2 dinner size or 4 side salad servings

prep time: 10 minutes

cook time: 15 minutes

total time: 25 minutes

ingredients: 8 oz finely chopped kale (if you find kale to rough you can always pick up the baby version, it is much more tender). 1 pink lady apple (or other sweet/sour pink apple). 1 red onion, halved and sliced .25 inch thick. .5 cup goat cheese crumbles. .25 cup roasted & salted pepitas (pumpkin seed kernels). 3 tbs olive oil. 3 tbs lemon juice (about the juice of 1 juicy lemon). 1 tbs whole grain mustard. 1 tsp kosher salt. .5 tsp freshly ground pepper.

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start by pouring 1 tbs of the lemon juice over the kale and toss with the goat cheese. preheat a pan over medium heat. combine the remaining lemon juice, the olive oil, half the salt and pepper and the whole grain mustard in a small bowl.

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whisk together until everything is combined.

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when your pan is hot, add in the onions and 2 tbs of the vinaigrette.

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cook your onions until they begin to soften and turn translucent, about 5 minutes. add in the apples and season with the remaining salt and pepper.

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cook until the apples are browned and tender, stirring every couple minutes. about 8 minutes. while you are cooking your apples down, add the pepitas and the remaining vinaigrette to the kale and toss well.

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when your apples and onions are cooked, add them straight from the hot pan onto the kale salad.

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toss well allowing the hot apples and onions to melt the goat cheese a bit and slightly wilting the very hearty kale.

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serve immediately or you could allow it to cool completely and chill it for a more refreshing summer version.

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xo, a

sautéed apple & kale salad

serves: 2 dinner size or 4 side salad servings

prep time: 10 minutes

cook time: 15 minutes

total time: 25 minutes

ingredients: 8 oz finely chopped kale (if you find kale to rough you can always pick up the baby version, it is much more tender). 1 pink lady apple (or other sweet/sour pink apple). 1 red onion, halved and sliced .25 inch thick. .5 cup goat cheese crumbles. .25 cup roasted & salted pepitas (pumpkin seed kernels). 3 tbs olive oil. 3 tbs lemon juice (about the juice of 1 juicy lemon). 1 tbs whole grain mustard. 1 tsp kosher salt. .5 tsp freshly ground pepper.

start by pouring 1 tbs of the lemon juice over the kale and toss with the goat cheese. preheat a pan over medium heat. combine the remaining lemon juice, the olive oil, half the salt and pepper and the whole grain mustard in a small bowl. whisk together until everything is combined. when your pan is hot, add in the onions and 2 tbs of the vinaigrette. cook your onions until they begin to soften and turn translucent, about 5 minutes. add in the apples and season with the remaining salt and pepper. cook until the apples are browned and tender, stirring every couple minutes. about 8 minutes. while you are cooking your apples down, add the pepitas and the remaining vinaigrette to the kale and toss well. when your apples and onions are cooked, add them straight from the hot pan onto the kale salad. toss well allowing the hot apples and onions to melt the goat cheese a bit and slightly wilting the very hearty kale. serve immediately or you could allow it to cool completely and chill it for a more refreshing summer version.

tips & tricks: roasted gourd seeds

it’s the season for ALL the gourds. every store you go to has a big bucket of pumpkins and squash ripe for the picking. many of you are at home cooking up butternut squash for soup, making pumpkin pies, and roasting acorn squash for salads. or some other combination that requires you to scoop out the seeds from your specific gourd.

now before you go ahead and throw out all those good seeds, check out this weeks’s tip.

gourd seeds are not the only good seeds to roast, they are packed FULL of nutrients, healthy oils & fiber. they are awesome as a tasty on the go snack and even better atop a fresh salad.

below is a recipe for a pumpkin spice roasted gourd seeds, but for something simpler, you can use the olive oil and just salt and pepper. you could even spice them like my favorite spiced pistachios.

pumpkin spiced roasted gourd seeds

serves: .5 cup gourd seeds

prep time: 5 minutes

cook time: 20 minutes

total time: 25 minutes

ingredients: .5 cup gourd seeds (seeds from 2 butternut squash, 1 acorn squash or seeds from a smaller pumpkin). 1 tbs olive oil. 1 tsp brown sugar. .5 tsp kosher salt. .5 tsp cinnamon. .5 tsp ginger. .25 tsp ground cloves. .25 tsp nutmeg. parchment paper. baking sheet.

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start by preheating your oven to 275 degrees f. line your baking sheet with parchment paper. wash your seeds removing any extra pulp and dry very well.

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lay your seeds out on the baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil.

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sprinkle your seasonings over the top and toss well till everything is lightly combined. roast them in the oven for 18-20 minutes until crispy. remove from the oven and allow them to cool till you can handle them.

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eat as is or pop them into your favorite salad.

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xo, a

pumpkin spiced roasted gourd seeds

serves: .5 cup gourd seeds

prep time: 5 minutes

cook time: 20 minutes

total time: 25 minutes

ingredients: .5 cup gourd seeds (seeds from 2 butternut squash, 1 acorn squash or seeds from a smaller pumpkin). 1 tbs olive oil. 1 tsp brown sugar. .5 tsp kosher salt. .5 tsp cinnamon. .5 tsp ginger. .25 tsp ground cloves. .25 tsp nutmeg. parchment paper. baking sheet.

start by preheating your oven to 275 degrees f. line your baking sheet with parchment paper. wash your seeds removing any extra pulp and dry very well. lay your seeds out on the baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. sprinkle your seasonings over the top and toss well till everything is lightly combined. roast them in the oven for 18-20 minutes until crispy. remove from the oven and allow them to cool till you can handle them. eat as is or pop them into your favorite salad.