Tuscan Kale Salad

~:~ meant to be ~:~
it almost seems that
if it’s meant to be,
all things in the universe conspire to get you there
and if it’s not,
all things in the universe conspire to not get you there.
a lot of times in life, it is so.
i tend to believe it’s meant to be,
the path taken.
- Elvin Ng, MediaCorp Artist

Today, I tried making a salad with Kale and it turned out very nice! It's something new in our cafeteria and people came back for seconds. :)

Inspired by True Food Kitchen Restaruant's visit few weeks ago, this Tuscan salad is made with strips of Italian kale, fresh lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, crushed garlic, red pepper flakes, brown sugar, grated parmesan cheese and bread crumbs. These bright, refreshing flavors combine to bring the sunny flavors of Tuscany to your tastebuds. :)
Kale is among the most nutrient-dense commonly eaten vegetables. One cup provides 1,327 percent of the Daily Value (DV) for vitamin K, 192 percent of DV for vitamin A, and 88 percent for vitamin C. With such rich nutrients, it is a waste to use it as a salad bar decoration.

Ingredients
2 bunches of kale, sliced leaves, midribs removed
6T lemon juice
8 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
salt, pepper, sugar to taste
hot red pepper flakes, to taste
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2/3 cup freshly made bread crumbs

Steps: 
Whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and a generous pinch (or more to taste) of hot red pepper flake, 2/3 of bread crumbs, 1/2 cheese. Pour over kale in serving bowl and toss well. This will help to "break down" the vegetable and make it easier to chew. Let salad sit for at least 15 minutes. Add bread crumbs, toss again, and top with remaining cheese.

Cooking Demos

It is always a treat to watch Cooking Demos because every person has a distinctive flair of cooking and brings a different dimension to a dish. Since I had the day off, I took the opportunity to go down to The Market @ Santa Monica Place for their Grand Opening where delicious chef demonstrations were held @ Gourmandise School of Sweets and Savories throughout the day. The first one was an Indian Cuisine with Chef Kaumudi from Uncurry restaurant. She made two delicious, easy-to-prepare dishes and here are her recipes! :)

Muttari Chi Usal ( Lemony Green Summer Peas) 
This is a lovely bright green dip that has the texture of a hummus dip, with an Indian touch of spices. It went really well with crackers. She mentioned that she even uses it as pesto on pasta.
Ingredients:
2 cups shelled fresh peas
1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 white onion, minced
1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp tumeric
1/2-3/4 tsp salt
pinch sugar
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp lemon/lime juice
a few sprigs of cilantro, washed and finely chopped
Method:
Rinse the peas and drain well. Heat oil in a skillet. When it is almost smoking, add the mustard seeds and let them pop. Brown the onions slightly, 2-3 minutes. Stir in the green peas. Cook covered 1-2 mins. Stir in cumin seeds, tumeric, salt, sugar and chili powder. Cook for several minutes until peas are tender but still bright green. Stir in lemon juice.
Pease can now be served as a side dish, garnished with cilantro.
To make dip: Cool peas slightly, then grind them to a smooth paste in the food processor, using more lemon juice or water if needed. Taste and correct the seasonings. Garnish the dip with cilantro and serve at room temperature or chilled.

Carrot Peanut Slaw ( Gajrachi Koshimbir)
A healthy low-cal alternative to a mayo based coleslaw, the flavor comes from lemon juice and spices. Use fresh curry leaves, not the dried ones.
Ingredients:
3 large carrots, grated ( or combination of finely chopped cabbage and carrots)
1/2 tsp white onion ( minced)
1/2-3/4 tsp salt
pinch of sugar
1 1/2 tsp grated coconut (OPT)
1 1/2 tsp vegetable oil
1 tsp cumin seeds or mustard
2 green chillies, sliced
1 branch fresh curry leaves
1 tsp lime or lemon juice
3 Tbsp peanuts, coarsely ground
few sprigs of cilantro, washed and finely chopped
Directions:
Place carrots ( or cabbage ) in a bowl. Toss with sugar, salt and coconut . Heat oil in a pan. When it is almost smoking, add in cumin/mustard and let them pop. Add tumeric and chillies. Stir well, add in curry leaves and let them sizzle. Immediately mix the spice seasoning into the carrots. Add lime juice and salt. Stir well and garnish with cilantro. Now....here's a candid shot of me at the photo booth :)

After this Indian Cooking session, it was on to Ahi Crudo Appetizers Demostration with Chef Lisa Browne. Followed by Sustainable Chocolates and Demo with Patricia Tsai of ChocoVivo and special guest.

Lastly, Pastry Chef Ruth Kennison did a chocolate demonstration where she demonstrated how to make yummy chocolate truffles! :) She had different types of coatings for the truffles- toffee, pretzels, cocoa powder, and pistachio powder. Several chocolate flavor variations were demonstrated- infused fresh lavender, balsamic, and white chocolate.....will have to talk more about it next time, if I have time :) It's time to sleep.......:) Good night! :)