Kitchen Ranch

Kale Salad and The Crystal Castle

The above Kale Salad is super delicious...I had it for lunch...then dinner....and yes, finished it off at breakfast.

The Crystal Castle is a tourist attraction not far from where we have landed....tourist attractions are not high on my to-do list usually but this one seemed worthy of a visit.

Before our visit, none of us knew what a Stupa was. A Stupa is a sacred monument built by Tibetan Buddhists to usher in and reflect the process of enlightment. Lucky for us and everyone that visits the Crystal Castle there is an enormous Stupa that has been blessed by the Dalai Lama.

The Stupa

Lotus Flower Mosaic close up (for you Kirstin)

Robert meditating after completing the labrinth

This is Pixel wrestling with Beckett as he trys to steal the offerings to Ganesh that people have made...Ganesh has a sense of humor right?

Tomato and Onion Salad

To round up the wedding week festivities, the ladies that traveled from across the pond fixed all of us dinner.

The menu was a squash curry that was so good we all devoured it before a photo was shot, a delicious salad on the side, Cucumber Mint Yogurt Dressing, Naan (store purchased) and plenty of wine.

Here is a sneak at the girls prepping the ingredients:

Tomato and Onion Salad

• Cherry tomatoes halved
• Chopped white onions
• Chopped cilantro
• Lime juice
• Salt and pepper to taste

This salad goes perfectly alongside a curry.

Thank you ladies-this was one of my favorite dinners of the summer!

Lentil Salad

Amazing lentil salad (see below) and I cannot wait until I have the pleasure of eating this again!

Mix this:

One Pound of Cooked Brown Lentils
6 Chopped Scallions
2 Garlic Cloves Chopped
1/2 Pound Feta Cheese
3 Red Bell Roasted and Chopped
Salt and Pepper to Taste
1/4 Cup Fresh dill
4 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
1/2 Cup Olive Oil

and enjoy this lentil salad...

Pesto and Spinach Salad

Counting the days until summer officially arrives...next Friday!

• Spinach leaves washed and trimmed
• 1 10 oz. package of frozen peas thawed
• 1/2 Cup Pesto
• 1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese
• 1 Teaspoon Salt
• 2 Tablespoons Toasted pine nuts

Mix and toss

This recipe is a favorite from cookbook the shelf: Barefoot Contessa  At Home by Ina Garten

Simple Salads

Well, no problem posting that last post so here is round two of this post:

Despite my need to dust off the keyboards and just plain post I have been eating. Summer-ish weather ushers in great simple fresh salads such as:

Mix tomato, red onion, basil and feta...

Or summer bean mixes with lemon, pepper and salt (why is this underlined? I am not underlining this???)



NEVERMIND, I'll post more tomorrow.

Strawberry Salad

As I sit to write this post, I have suddenly realized that there is no existing category for salads...hmph. I also realized my last post was about strawberries...(it is strawberry season in these parts and besides, organic strawberries are ONLY 4.99 a small basket).

Sooo......here is the recipe for a delicious salad...in fact, I would like to dedicate this salad recipe to Lani who is my carnivorous sister in law that sports a prejudiced palate (however, this salad easily found its way to her heart and now I am confident that I can always show up on the doorstep with it without being labeled as a dirty vegetarian hippy).

Strawberry Salad

Dressing

• 1/4 Cup olive Oil
• 1/4 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
• Salt and Pepper

Salad

• Greens (three to four handfuls for each person to be served)
• A handful of strawberries sliced
• 1/2 Cup Toasted Pecans (Preheat your oven to 400 F. Spread pecans out on a cookie sheet and bake for 5-10 minutes-Do not blacken)
• 1/2 Red Onion sliced and diced
• 1/2 Cup crumbled Blue Cheese

Toss the salad with the whisked dressing and enjoy...you CAN take this one home to the in-laws!