Finding Inspiration
Everyone has that person in their life they look to inspiration in the kitchen. Maybe it’s a friend or relative, maybe it’s a favorite food blogger or Pinterest board you always visit when the question of “what’s for dinner” or “I’m having this gathering, what do I cook” comes up. I definitely have my favorite food blogger (melskitchencafe.com — everything she makes is amazing and my kids have eaten every recipe I’ve tried of hers—her coconut curry shrimp is to die for!) and I find myself headed to her site often when I need an idea of what to cook. However, probably the person who is my favorite to go to for a recipe recommendation is my little sister. Megan is a great cook. I wouldn’t necessarily say she’s a fancy cook, although there have definitely been meals she’s served me that have impressed me, but in terms of ordinary weeknight meals and gatherings with her friends she is my go to source for inspiration, and I bet she didn’t even know that until now. She loves healthy food and helping her girls develop a love for things like kale salad, roasted Brussel sprouts and quinoa has always been a priority for her. She’s never ever given into a toddler whining about not liking their food, what she puts on the table is what’s for dinner and that’s it. Period. There are no peanut butter sandwiches being made just because someone doesn’t like what’s offered. She’s been far better at that consistency than I have, that’s for sure, and as a result her 6 and 8 year olds will inhale quinoa cakes with whipped feta spread, salads in all forms, steaks and turkey burgers topped with goat cheese. I love going to her house because I know I’m going to love whatever she’s cooking even if my little picky eaters aren’t!
Megan and Nathan do a fantastic job of feeding their family each evening. They’re both busy and have girls in evening activities so often it’s a simple freezer meal but she always manages to find recipes that have a great combination of flavors (well except for the freezer meal flops they’ve had, and she’s definitely had her share!). The thing I’ve learned from her more than anything is to ask the question, “how can I take this recipe one step further?” When I’m with them we might decide to grill burgers for dinner one night and that’s probably where I would have stopped. I would have cut slices of cheddar cheese, put out ketchup and mustard and called it good. But all of a sudden Nathan was in the kitchen carmelizing an onion and Megan was putting out blue cheese and sticking a tray of bacon in the oven and to this day that burger with the onion, bacon, blue cheese and bbq sauce is still the best burger I’ve maybe ever had. She’ll make a salad with a typical array of vegetables and know how to add that feta cheese or chopped nuts for that extra crunch that makes it so much more than just a green salad. Nothing about it was complicated, she just thought outside the typical burger recipe or salad ingredients to find that piece that makes a dish stand out. That’s what I want to do more of—to give myself permission to play with ingredients and take a recipe one step further.
Every Friday night for several years now they’ve opened up their home to their group of friends to come together for a meal and a game night. The kids all play in the basement and the grown ups sit around their dining room table playing all kinds of different games each week. Dinner is always pot luck with Megan often taking care of the main dish and I love hearing what she’s serving for her friends each week. She doesn’t make it hard, she says her favorite meals to do for a crowd are a soup bar with a couple soups simmering on the stove or in crock pots or a baked potato bar with everyone chipping in to bring toppings. What I love is the consistency, people are at their house every Friday and over the years they’ve built an incredible community in their small town. I’ve said it before in this series and I’ll say it again here, I’m a recovering perfectionist who is trying to learn hospitality does not have to be fancy or hard! There is nothing fancy about throwing 10 baking potatoes into the oven and opening packages of shredded cheese or cans of chili. Yet, when people walk in out of a chilly day to find a kitchen full of warmth and the smell of potatoes cooking they honestly don’t care if there are toys left on the living room floor. I’m constantly getting texts from her on Fridays as we chat back and forth and she’s putting soup ingredients in a crock pot at 10 am, or chicken breasts and a bottle of bbq sauce for bbq sandwiches that will be ready to serve that evening. I’ve been there for their Friday night dinners before, when kids are running up and down the stairs and burgers are being thrown on the grill and someone else is tossing a quick salad together in one corner of the kitchen. It’s comfortable, simple, the food simply creating space for the relationships to grow deeper as they gather around her table week after week.
I've taken lots of recipes from her over the years that I adore. Her homemade pizza dough, butternut squash quesadillas, "fancy" burgers with bacon and caramelized onion, and her shepherds pie are all dishes I've added to my repertoire over the years. But the dish I always think of that is quintessentially Megan in my mind is a fantastic salad. Salad has been her favorite food for as long as I can remember. I remember when they were planning their wedding they didn't understand why they couldn't just do a big salad bar for dinner--my folks maybe insisted meat and potatoes were also necessary in a buffet. She's made me lots of delcious salads over the years but my absolute favorite is her kale salad. Now before all of you stop reading right here and tell me how much you hate kale I have to ask, have you ever had it prepared well? Not just piled on a plate with some ranch dressing on top of it. That sound terrible. That is NOT a kale salad! Megan taught me kale has to be softened before it's good, massaged is the word she uses. I promise if you try this it won't be like any kale salad you've ever had!
Kale and Quinoa Salad
2 cups water
1 cup quinoa
10 leaves kale, cut into small pieces
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground sea salt
1 cup pecans (I use slivered almonds)
1 cup craisins, raisins or currants
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese or goat cheese
*The best thing is you can ADD anything else to this salad once the basic pieces of the vinaigrette, a cheese, a crunchy nut and a fruit is present. I always add sliced strawberries, goat cheese, diced avocado, chopped tomatoes and bell pepper in addition to the ingredients listed above.
Start by cooking your quinoa--this will add protein to your salad making it a great lunch. Rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer and then place in 2 cups of boiling water. Stir quinoa into the boiling water, reduce heat to medium-low, place cover on the saucepan, and cook until water absorbs into the quinoa, about 12 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and let rest covered for 5 minutes. Remove cover and allow quinoa to cool completely. (I'll transfer it to a plate and let it sit in the fridge to cool until the rest of my salad is ready)
Put kale in a large mixing bowl. Make sure all the tough stem pieces are removed and kale is torn into bite sized pieces. Sprinkle the kale liberally with salt and massage the leaves until they turn brighter green and begin to soften. You will be able to tell when this happens--the salt helps break down the toughness and bitterness of the leaves.
Now make your dressing. Whisk olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, garlic, pepper, and salt together in a bowl (or shake it in a mason jar like I do); drizzle over kale. Add cooled quinoa, nuts, currants, and cheese to the dressed kale and toss to incorporate.
