I was wandering in Carroll Gardens after a marathon of a meeting last week, when I stopped in Avlee for a quick lunch. Their Stafele salad was so simple and tasty that decided to recreate it at home. I’m not always a fan of fruit in salad (I blame the warm tangerines that we ate on salads during holidays growing up, sorry family!!), but the grapes add a nice sweetness to the savory gouda and crunch of the walnuts. In theory you could try this fruit-cheese-nuts combo a million different ways and really impress your friends… In fact, I did just that last week!

It’s so hot that I can’t imagine turning on the oven, so it might be salad every meal until September.

Ingredients

– 4 cups Baby Kale
– 1 cup Red Seedless Grapes, halved
– 1/8 Cup Toasted Walnuts
– 3 ounces Aged Gouda, chopped up
– 3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
– 1-2 Tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice
– 1 Tsp Dijon Mustard
– Salt & Pepper

Directions

In a bowl, whisk together lemon juice, olive oil and mustard until combined. Drizzle dressing over baby kale in a bowl, tossing until the leaves are well coated. Season with salt & pepper. Add in grapes, cheese and nuts and combine with kale. Plate and seaons again with salt & pepper to taste.

We moved! We’ve been in the Hudson Valley for 3 months now. Our view is amazing, we have a yard, access to fresh air and trees and all sorts of new things, but last weekend was one of the first we’ve had to enjoy it in full. Once we moved, it took us a lot of focus and energy to get into our groove (which is sometimes still hard to do.) Chris has been commuting into NYC for work 4 days a week and I went straight into wedding season after we finally unpacked. But now… NOW it’s quiet for a couple of months before the Fall busy season. If you want to see what I’ve been working on with Modern Kicks, please follow me on instagram (and say hi while you’re at it!) I’ve also been working on a fun project in Stone Ridge, helping develop Hasbrouck House, a boutique hotel that will reopen under new ownership this Fall.

I’ve had less time to focus on The Bored Vegetarian than I’d like, and have been been thinking about what this blog should become moving forward. I’ve been having more urges to write in recent months, so I may begin using this space for that, as well as recipes and photos. Stay tuned… In the meantime, try this really tasty Tuscan Kale Salad with Avocado, Toasted Pistachio, Gorgonzola & Lemon Tahini Dressing. I’ve made it multiple times in recent weeks, so it must be a keeper.

Have I mentioned that we have natural light in every room of our apartment? No more lighting food with things I have to plug into the wall!

Ingredients

– 4 cups Tuscan Kale, large stems removed, leaves chopped into ribbons
– 1/8 cup Toasted Pistachios
– 1/2 Avocado
– 3-4 Tbsp Crumbled Gorgonzola (or other bleu cheese)
– 2 Tbsp Tahini Sauce
– 1 Tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice
– 2-3 Tbsp Water
– 1 tsp Garlic Powder
– Salt & Pepper to taste

In a small bowl, whisk tahini and lemon juice. The tahini will thicken, add 2-3 Tbsp water and whisk until the dressing is smooth and slightly runny. Whisk in garlic powder. In a large bowl, drizzle dressing over the kale and toss until leaves are coated. Cut the avocado into cubes and gently toss with the kale, along with the pistachios and gorgonzola. Season well with salt & pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl. Serves 2-3 people.