My latest Gluten Freedom post is up at tuja wellness, where I deliver a few tips on gluten-free pasta, and include a recipe for Mediterranean Fusilli Salad with Grilled Asparagus. You can see the full recipe, along with some gluten-free pasta tips, here.
This kale recipe (sans chickpeas) is one of my favourite ways to prepare the green, especially with the cider vinegar and red pepper flakes… the perfect zing and spice to amp up the kale. Adding the chickpeas gives a bit of a crunch, and I frequently change up the spice combination on the chickpeas to bring in a new flavor.
For the chickpeas:
1 can (15oz/443mL) unsalted chickpeas
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Fine sea or Himalayan salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
For the kale:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 to 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes (to taste)
1 large bunch of kale (about 1 1/4 pounds), washed and chopped
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Fine sea or Himalayan salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
To roast the chickpeas, preheat the oven to 425F. Toss with olive oil. Sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Bake for 25 to 40 minutes, depending on how crunchy you want them, stirring often.
To make the kale, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, cooking until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the kale. Mix well. Add the water and apple cider vinegar. Increase the heat to medium-high, cooking until the water is evaporated and the kale is soft. Season with salt and pepper.
Transfer to a serving dish and toss with chickpeas.
A bit of sweet, a bit of tang, a bit of creaminess, and a lot of flavor. This coleslaw is the perfect canvas for adding in your favourite ingredients. Try sunflower seeds and dried cherries for an alternative to the pecans and raisins. And take the time to grate your own cabbage—it tastes much better than the pre-bagged versions. I love Mutsu apples in here, but I know they aren’t available everywhere, so I made some more common suggestions below.
1 cabbage, about 6 inches in diameter
2 medium carrots
1 red apple (such as Fuji)
1 green tart apple (such as Granny Smith)
4 green onions (just the greens)
1/2 heaping cup pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup raisins
1 large avocado
Juice from 1/2 a large lemon
Sea salt to taste
3 to 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
Using a box grater, mandoline, or the shredder on a food processor, shred the cabbage, carrots, and apples. Toss together in a large bowl. Finely chop the greens of the onions. Add them to the cabbage, along with the pecans and raisins. Toss to mix.
Put the avocado, the lemon juice, a pinch of salt in a food processor. Turn on and process until smooth. With the motor running, add the olive oil, starting with 3 tablespoons, adding an additional tablespoon for a thinner consistency (depending on the size of your avocado). Add the vinegar. Stir to mix, adding additional salt and lots of ground black pepper to taste. Mix with the cabbage mixture, letting the flavours sit for at least a couple hours before serving.
Laurie Sadowski 