As much as I love creamy pasta dishes like bechamel-rich lasagna, macaroni and cheese, and baked pastas, that combination of ultra-rich dairy and pasta is a ticking tummy time bomb, so I try to avoid it unless it’s really, truly worth it. Instead, I typically get my creamy noodle fix by tossing al dente strands with sauces made from non-dairy alternatives like cashew cream, almond butter, or, in this case avocado. It might sound a bit odd, but when blended up with miso, garlic, a touch of lime juice, and olive oil, avocado transforms into a rich vegan sauce. Paired with nutty soba noodles, ribbons of kale, and crunchy sesame seeds, it makes for a guilt-free, totally-craveable dinner option.
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kale
Squash, Pinto Bean, Corn, and Kale Mason Jar Salad
Thanksgiving leftovers are pretty epic on day one, but by day two, I tend to get a little bored by the mild flavors and starchiness of it all. That’s where this rainbow of a salad comes into play. A celebration of fall produce — ok, corn is not really in season, but thawed previously-frozen kernels work great here — it is a fiber-packed antidote to holiday overindulgence, and a great make-ahead option.
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Cauliflower Fried Rice With Kale and Kimchi
This past spring, I had the pleasure of working with SELF.com’s team on a series of step-by-step recipe videos. As a food stylist, my role was primarily to bring these dishes to life in an enticing manner, but a few involved a bit of recipe development work, as with the site’s take on cauliflower rice. At the time I was a bit of a cauliflower rice skeptic, but eager to try out this low-carb alternative. Because I love Korean food, and also had an inkling that cauliflower’s strong flavor would play well with other bold ingredients, I got to work coming up with a version that paired the grated cruciferous vegetable with kimchi, soy sauce, scallions, sesame seeds, and a runny-yolked poached egg.
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Spinach-Stuffed Sweet Potato
When you start referring to your fridge as “the cheese fridge,” it is both a sign that you’re living your best life, and that your diet could perhaps use a slight tune up. These past two weeks, Andrew and I have been eating our way through Paris, and as the previous statement suggests, it has been a deliciously hedonistic time thus far. After a whirlwind of baguettes, Bordier butter, squab (or pigeon, as it’s called here), wine, chocolates, pâté, macarons, steak tartare, and the aforementioned cheese, my body is practically shouting for a leafy-greens-heavy meal (or two).
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Kale, Pancetta, and Sundried Tomato Scramble
Aside from dessert (let’s be real), breakfast is my favorite meal. So much so that eating it just once a day is often not enough. When I’m left to my own devices for dinner, I nearly-always end up going this route, be it with a couple poached eggs and a pile of vegetables, or a simple scramble, like this kale, pancetta, and sundried tomato situation.
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Kale and Sweet Potato Soup With Cumin
In our pantry, you’ll pretty much always find a package or two of instant ramen stashed away. While it serves well as dinner in a pinch, especially when dressed up with a poached egg, sliced scallions, and sriracha, it’s really there for when either Andrew or I are sick with a cold. (Some might crave chicken noodle soup, but I prefer the sinus-clearing heat of instant ramen and other spicy soups.) Andrew recently had the flu, so our stockpile of instant ramen was raided. I only wish I had discovered this kale and sweet potato soup recipe before then, as ramen — while tasty — isn’t exactly the most nutritious option, and this would’ve been the perfect supplement to that.
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Kale Salad With Walnuts, Golden Raisins, and Toasted Breadcrumbs
One of the biggest hurdles I ran into while launching this blog was choosing a name that represents myself and the type of content I’ll be sharing here. Ideas ranged from the completely-ridiculous (e.g. Yuppies Live Here, after a somewhat-accurate spray-painted tag left on our apartment) to the at-least-semi-viable (I Am a Cupcake, because, as my friend Ally says, I look like one). Finally, after weeks of anguish, I narrowed it down to two contenders, and polled my friends for advice. Now, it’s pretty obvious A Modest Feast won out, but as a tribute to the runner-up — Not Only Kale — it seemed fitting to have the first recipe I share here feature that leafy green.
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