Welcome to Sizzle & Sass!

Coming to you from a tiny NYC kitchen where the challenge is simple. Cook and bake as seasonally, as locally, and as organically as possible in a typically small city kitchen with a grand total of two and a half feet of counter space. At least my fridge and oven are life size. Thank you, Queens.

Consider this challenge accepted, I’m beyond excited to conquer.

So, let’s start this thing off right, with a strawberry kale salad. Specifically, “Red Russian” Kale (the magenta veins just shouted to me at the farmer’s market - “I wanna meet some strawberries!”) I’d like to think it’s terribly seasonal and quite pretty in pink. I also threw some last of the season asparagus in there. Grab it up before it’s too late and try it fresh! It’s so crunchy and sweet! And then I dressed it all up in a jalapeno vinaigrette. If that ain’t sassy, I don’t know what is.

If you do dairy, a salty feta or a tangy goat cheese would be lovely here. I had none on hand, but it also wasn’t missed. Next time, I will definitely throw in some sunflower seeds if I have them for added crunch - I love me a crunchy salad.

It’s only slightly spicy, but I cut out the rib and seeds, next time I might leave some in there to kick it up a notch. I was also thinking it might be nice to make the dressing a day ahead and let the pepper really steep into the liquid.

Red Russian Kale Strawberry Salad with Jalapeno Vinaigrette

Salad Ingredients

1 bunch Red Russian Kale

4 to 5 asparagus spears

½ of a red onion, thinly sliced

½ cup of fresh strawberries, sliced

optional:

handful of sunflower seeds

a bit of feta or goat cheese

Vinaigrette Ingredients

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

2 teaspoons dijon mustard

2 teaspoons maple syrup

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 jalapeno, finely minced

salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Prepare your vinaigrette first, perhaps even a day in advance

The Lazy Way (how I did it):

Whisk together the oil and vinegar, then add in the mustard, syrup, salt and pepper and jalapeno and whisk again until combined.

The Proper Way:

Whisk together vinegar, mustard, syrup, salt and pepper then slowly drizzle olive oil in while whisking until dressing has emulsified. Stir in the minced jalapeno.

Set aside.

Prep your washed kale by removing the stems. Stack the leaves on top of each other one by one. Then roll them up tightly into a tube shape, then cut across to create very delicate thin strips of kale. This is called a chiffonade! Easy to toss, easy to eat!

Line up two asparagus at a time and slice at a slight diagonal, to create thin oval discs.

Throw the kale, asparagus, and red onion into a large bowl and toss a bit to incorporate. Pour over the dressing and then add the sliced strawberries. Gently fold the strawberries in and distribute the dressing evenly.

Serves 4