Spring time Kale Salad- Delish!

Oh boy did I hit the jackpot with this recipe.

Barely off the plane and back at school and I'm already feeling the spring time fever!

Honestly the pictures on the recipe site do this salad better justice than my own. Wow. So many fresh ingredients and such a flavorful but simple dressing! Love, love, love this salad.

Kale
Peapods
Carrot (I never thought of using a vegetable peeler to cut it!)
Edamame
Avocado
Shallot
Thai Basil (oh my gosh this absolutely made the salad! Almost died just smelling it)
Cilantro
(and I forgot to buy the bell pepper)

And the dressing is so flavorful!!!!

olive oil, rice vinegar, grated ginger, soy sauce, lime juice and minced garlic

http://cookieandkate.com/2013/chopped-kale-salad-with-edamame-carrot-and-avocado/

I made the salad last night and shared it with my housemate and then had it for lunch again today. And now it is gone! That is the only sad part.
I will admit that this salad requires quite a bit of prep work, and some of the ingredients (herbs especially) are a bit pricier than your average salad ingredients.

But so worth it! I am definitely gonna try out some other salads this lovely spring season.

And here is my own pic, just because. But seriously, her pictures on the website truly show the awe inspiring beauty of this salad.

One tip I recommend. I let the salad sit in the dressing for about 20 minutes. I think this helps soften the kale. Also, always remember that ingredients can be prepped ahead of time! 

Cauliflower crust pizza!!

If you're looking for more evidence that cauliflower is pure magic, look no further than the cauliflower crust pizza. I originally wrote this post in 2014 but I felt I didn't do it justice, so decided it was time for an update.

I originally used this recipe, which is absolutely delicious (see the mouthwatering photo below), and mainly just cauliflower and mozzarella cheese (doesn't get much better).

More recently I tried this recipe, which happens to be dairy free! Instead of a cup of mozzarella, it uses a bit of nutritional yeast, almond flour, and olive oil to hold it together! We even topped this one with vegan cheese, and it was delicious! A flavorful sauce and lots of veggies does wonders.

But you really can't go wrong with either recipe. The main trick is to make sure you have a large clean dish cloth so you can squeeze out as much water as possible. 

Also, whenever I've made this pizza, it's always been a knife and fork affair. Part of this may be due to how much water was squeezed out. But I think it also has to do with how much you prebake the crust before adding the toppings. Don't be afraid to let the edges get a bit toasty. It will be delicious either way, but it might be worth it to sacrifice a bit of crust so that the rest of the pizza gets firmer, and you may even be able to pick it up! 

In summary, if you make any recipe on my blog, please let it be this pizza. 

Quinoa Veggie Mini Frittatas

Yum! Realized I hadn't used quinoa in awhile so made some protein packed mini frittatas!

Filled with broccoli plus some peas, onion, spinach and tomato! Then quinoa and sharp cheddar cheese. Lastly some egg to hold it all together.

The quinoa blended in really nicely and they were delicious! I would have preferred a ton more cheese, but at only 100 calories each they were quite remarkable. And perfect for muffin tins. 

Perfect for a quick dinner or on the go breakfast!