Fall Kale Salad with Spicy Garbanzos

I’m back on the kale salad band wagon, but this time, I’ve taken a decidedly Autumn turn with my Fall Kale Salad with Spicy Garbanzos. This salad is definitely hearty enough to eat for dinner and it’s great vegetarian or with the bacon. When I make it vegetarian, I double the garbanzo bean part of the recipe. In fact, I pretty much always make double the garbanzos, or even triple, because whatever is leftover makes a delicious snack. I for one am always looking for ways to make healthy and delicious snacks to keep the munchies at bay. And the spicy garbanzos are definitely a delicious and healthy snack. If you aren’t just adding extra garbanzos and you are indeed using bacon, make sure you keep it separate until just before you’re going to serve the salad. That way it stays extra crispy, which is a great contrast to the squash which shouldn’t be mushy, but isn’t crunchy either. Finally, it’s time to get apple picking, because apples are not just for dessert; they’re great in my Fall Kale Salad with Spicy Garbanzos. I often add fruit to salad, but in this particular Fall Kale Salad with Spicy Garbanzos the … Continue reading

Mushroom and Kale Tamales

Of the three different tamales on my Hot Tamale Dinner Menu, these Mushroom and Kale Tamales are my favorites. That is quite the accolade too, because they’re all amazing. The strong mushroom and kale flavor is perfectly balanced against the dark chile rojo salsa. Even when we make all 30 of each kind, and we’re eating them for months, I never get tired of these Mushroom and Kale Tamales. The only modification I make from the original recipe is to omit the cheese and cilantro. While I’m sure they’re really good as conceived, I’ve never made them that way. To be sure, they are plenty rich without the cheese and it’s nice to have options for guests who are lactose intolerant. This is important to me because one of my favorite tamale builders tends to stay away from cheese. I’m glad I skipped it the very first time, because now I make it cheese free every time. So, so good. That’s all you need to say. While tamales are truly a lot of work, these Mushroom and Kale Tamales will make you incredibly glad you put in the time and your freezer is full of leftovers. … Continue reading