Roasted Kale, suggested by Dara

(From suite101.com)

Of course, any firm leafy green works fine in this recipe. Collard greens or swiss chard could easily be substituted for the kale.

Roasted Kale with Sea Salt

• 4 cups firmly-packed kale
• 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp. good-quality sea salt, such as Maldon or Cyprus Flake

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Wash and trim the kale: Peel off the tough stems by folding the kale leaves in half like a book and stripping the stems off. Toss with extra virgin olive oil. Roast for five minutes. Turn kale over. Roast another 7 to 10 minutes until kale turns brown and becomes paper thin and brittle. Remove from oven and sprinkle with sea salt. Serve immediately.

Makes 2 servings.

Read more at Suite101: Roasted Kale: One of the Tastiest Kale Recipes You'll Ever Findhttp://healthycooking.suite101.com/article.cfm/roasted_kale#ixzz0iq4ogxge

Veggie and Black Eyed Pea Salad, from Dara

The second is this salad that I made the other night to use some of our garden produce and some black eyed peas I had frozen. I am giving approximate amounts I used, but really, I just added everything until the proportions looked good to me.

1 1/2 c. cooked black eyed peas (equivalent to 1 can, drained and rinsed)
1/2 red pepper, diced
1 lg carrot, diced
approx. 1/5 of a 1 lb bag of acini de pepe. I think this would work with any small pasta or grain.

(I am going to try with quinoa next time; I think orzo, brown rice, Israeli couscous, or wild rice blend would work too. I had acini de pepe to use up, but I made too much and so I just put some in the salad and saved the rest.)

1/4 cup fresh cilantro
4 tiny green onions from the garden (maybe 1 - 2 regular size)
salt
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
apple cider vinegar

Cook and drain the pasta or grain. Saute the red pepper and carrot in a pan with some oil for 5 - 10 minutes until softened; I like to get some of it browned. Mix the pasta or grain, black eyed peas, red pepper, and carrot. Add salt, olive oil, and both vinegars to taste. (I add a bit, taste, adjust, etc. I used more balsamic than apple cider vinegar, and used some salt since I cooked the beans without). Then add the cilantro and green onions and mix once more.

Toothpick Caprese, from Dara

All this mention of caprese salad (YUM!) reminded me of something I saw done last year, and did myself at a party this year, to turn caprese into finger food.Get the marinated mozzarella balls (marinated in olive oil and spices, I think), cherry tomatoes, and of course basil. Also get those giant toothpicks. Each toothpick gets a mozzarella ball, a tomato, and a basil leaf. It's a great way to have caprese at a party!