Summer is winding down and, although the end of August into October is really one of the finest times of the year for the San Francisco Bay area – when the fog clears out a bit and the yellow autumn light gives everything an enchanted cast, we are all called back to the regularity of school schedules, fall activities, and planning for the upcoming winter.
This time of year I usually feel ready to fall in to a regime, get into a rhythm with work, get back into a fitness routine and back to eating a bit better. So many festive summer activities, so much travel and restaurant food (I know, poor me!) leave me ready to shift gears and get myself in order. Not in the extreme cleanse-mode I find myself in after the winter holidays, but just a little bit of balance – like adding kale to offset the bacon in a salad!
I also find myself longing for a sense of order and organization that loose summer schedules have shaken off. I find prep work helps a lot toward eating better. I spend a little time each week washing and trimming produce, making grains and spinning my salad greens, so meals can be more quickly made.
For this salad, prep the greens, bacon and dressing in advance. Then, it’s a quick-made salad for lunch for a few days. I heat a serving of dressing first to wilt the greens a bit, and because I prefer it warm, but you don’t have to.
Recipe
Baby Spinach & Kale Maple Bacon Salad
There are still a few out there who just won’t warm up to kale. This simple salad will convert you! The key to this salad is its salty/sweet profile. There are many who believe that bacon makes everything better. I have also done this salad with veggie bacon and, while not exactly the same, a reasonable result is created. Toasted pecans also are yummy in this recipe instead of bacon.INGREDIENTS
- 8 oz. kale, de-ribbed and massaged
- 8 oz. baby spinach
- 8 slices of bacon
- 1 shallot, minced
- 2 medium tomatoes, chopped small
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp. Dijon ground mustard
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- ⅛ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ⅓ cup crumbled goat cheese
- Salt & pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a frying pan, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp. While the bacon is cooking, massage the kale by gently squeezing it in your fingers like bread dough. Doing this makes the kale more tender and easier to chew. Combine the spinach and kale in a large bowl.
- When the bacon is finished, drain and blot away any extra fat. Chop it into bits and set aside. Pour off extra fat from the pan into your kitchen garbage (never the sink drain!) and wipe with a paper towel.
- Reheat the bacon pan on medium and add a teaspoon of oil. Sauté minced shallots until soft, but not browned. Carefully add maple syrup and simmer for 1-2 minutes until reduced a bit. Add vinegar and simmer one more minute. Remove from heat and add rest of oil and salt and pepper. Let cool.
- To serve the salad, toss the kale mix with the tomatoes, bacon bits, and dressing. Sprinkle with goat cheese. Yum!
Quick Prep To Get You Through The Week
A little time invested now can save a lot of time and mess later on. Having everything ready to go will encourage you to make something delicious and healthy – quickly. I find that prep work helps a lot toward eating better. Here are some things you can do to prep ahead of time:
- Trim, wash and dry greens and veggies. Peel carrots, wash and trim radishes, cauliflower, celery. Roast and peel beets.
- Make a salad mix ready to grab and dress or start as a base for a bigger salad meal. I will keep a tub of romaine lettuce, shredded carrot, cabbage and radish salad mix, ready to go, as my son loves romaine and will grab himself some if it is available.
- Pre-cook grains, like quinoa, rice or beans, so they are ready to use.
- Boil eggs.
- Have a sauce or dressing ready-to-go in a jar in the fridge. Something to dress up a salad or grilled meat.
- Salt or marinade proteins you will be using that week – the sooner the better!
- Make a soup or roast a chicken to eat for a few days.
Into Arlychoke recipes lately – thank you for this great resource! Really enjoyed this salad and my hard to please eater reported that there was just enough bacon in this yummy salad! xo