Front Door Organics Toronto

Lightly Stewed Black Kale with Potatoes, Chickpeas, Olives & Lemon  

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• 1 bunch black kale
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 medium yellow onion or shallot
• 1 pound Sieglinde potatoes
• 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas
• 1 lemon
• ¼ cup black Kalamata olives
• A handful parsley
• Water or stock
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 4 oz goat feta (optional)
• Salt and black pepper

Dice the onion, smash and mince the garlic.  Peel the lemon lightly so you have about 3 or 4 strips of peel. Wash the kale and remove any thick stems; stack the leaves and slice into strips about ½ inch in width.  Wash the potatoes and slice into ¾ inch thick rounds. 

In a large fry pan, on medium heat, warm the olive oil with the lemon peel and garlic.  Once warm, add the onions, stir and sweat for a minute or so, add the kale.  When the kale brightens slightly, add potatoes and about ½ cup of stock or water, partially cover and allow to simmer for about 15 minutes, adding more water or stock if necessary.  You want to lightly braise everything so you want some liquid but not a soup.Continues over…

Meanwhile, chop the olives roughly and chop the parsley.  After the kale and potatoes are just tender, add the chickpeas and olives, warm through and stir in parsley and add a squeeze of lemon juice.  Season lightly with salt and season generously with black pepper.  Serve crumbled with goat feta if you like or a drizzle of olive oil.

Warm Rice Salad with Roasted Squash & Caramelized Onions

• 3 cups of butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 medium yellow onions, finely sliced
• 2 cups cooked long grain rice
• ⅓ cup sunflower seeds
• ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil + 2 – 3 Tbsp
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• ¼ tsp sea salt
• ¼ red or yellow pepper
• 1 small garlic clove
• 2 Tbsp warm water

Preheat oven to 375.

Set the onions on to cook: in a cast-iron pan warm 2 tablespoons of olive oil and gently cook the onions until very caramelized, about 45 minutes to an hour; stir occasionally.  Season with salt and pepper.

Toss the squash in a generous splash of olive oil along with a couple pinches of salt, and arrange on a baking sheet, being careful not to over-crowd it; roast for 45 minutes, until brown and starting to caramelize.  Stir or turn occasionally.

Meanwhile prepare the dressing by blending together the sunflower seeds, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, garlic and pepper, until creamy. Add a few tablespoons of warm water to thin the dressing a bit.

When everything is cooked and still warm, add the rice to a large bowl and toss with a dessert spoonful of the dressing.  Add most of the onions and most of the squash and gently toss.  Serve with the remaining onions and squash scattered on top and a drizzle of the dressing.