Sometimes your friends just make the best food and then they share the recipe with you and all is right in the world. This is one of those times. My friend Ana makes the best kale salad and it’s always exactly what I want no matter the meal, occasion, or setting. It is full of a handful of things I probably wouldn’t have thought to put together myself, but luckily she shared the recipe and I’m here to share it with you.

Like most family/friend recipes, it’s full of notes and edits and changes based on your preferences and the contents of your fridge, and let me tell you – I have had this salad no less than 10 times, and I am sure it’s always been a little different but every bit as delicious.

Servings: 2-3, depending on how much your peeps love kale

Ingredients:

1 bunch of kale
1 avocado
1 tsp (or one good squeeze on the bottle) of yellow mustard (or whatever mustard you have)
2 tsp (or two squeezes on the bottle) of sriracha sauce (or only one if you find it too spicy)
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced or through garlic press (I used 4 because #garlicmysoul)
1 tsp of olive oil
1 tsp lemon juice
1-2 tbsp of Bolthouse Farms Cilantro Avocado Dressing – (Ana’s note: I feel like it gives it a really nice flavor. Jennie’s note: I used yogurt in lieu of this because I don’t like cilantro, but do what feels right in your heart)
Plenty of Parmesan cheese, grated – (Ana: It just takes it to the next level of deliciousness)

Directions:

1. Cut your kale however you like it. Ana does it chiffonaded, and it’s a delight, but I used pre-cut kale because it’s what I had. Do what you feel in your heart.
2. Throw all your ingredients and a bowl and mix well (without the kale quite yet.)
3. Add your kale and mix REALLY well. You basically want every piece of kale to have some delicious dressing on it. Top with more parm if you feel like it, which you probably do. Eat within 24 hours of making or else it’ll be one sad salad, but it’s TOTALLY worth making and you probably should make it right now.

Side note: did you know that Trader Joe’s is now carrying sriracha sauce? Score. Also side note: two squeezes is not too spicy for me, and I am a wimp.

Let me know how it goes if you do make this, and if you put your own spin on it – I love kale all the ways, and I always love a new kale recipe!

I am almost certain that the garden of Eden must of contained avocado trees, because going to an avocado farm this weekend was really like heaven. I went on a nursery, grove, and packinghouse tour with the California Avocado Commission and it was amazing.

I love going on blogger adventures because you get to meet a bunch of new people and learn what they’re passionate about and what recipes they love to cook up – it is always a pleasure to meet people who have like minded passions. But I also love learning about the process surrounding how food actually makes it farm to table (or in some cases this weekend, farm to mouth!)

Our first stop on the tour was Brokaw Nursery, where we got to watch grafting in action. I won’t bore you with all the details, but make sure to check out the site if you want more info on how the Brokaw family pretty much saved avocados as we know it in California.

This is Connie, who has worked at Brokaw for over 40 years. We were fortunate enough to catch her grafting seedlings together on Saturday morning.

Avocado trees as far as the eye can see!

I wanted to take one home, but I don’t have anywhere to plant one…someday!

Second up, we headed to Rancho Rodoro where grower Randy Axell showed us his trees and just how to pick avocados – which wasn’t easy, let me tell you! We harvest a few bags while he talked about the Hass (pronounced like lass, not like boss, did you know? I didn’t!) avocados and how every season is different and is dependent on the weather. I was especially interested to learn about the water-saving measures that farmer’s in California have gone through, including many farmer’s moving to drip irrigation.

We had an excellent lunch on the ranch, and then we headed to our final avocado-filled destination, Mission Packinghouse. This packinghouse has a new facility that we got to tour, and it was VERY cool. Again, I know you guys probably aren’t as nerdy as I am when it comes to agriculture, but check out their website for more info. We got to see all the avocados being sorted for shipment, and learned about the cold storage techniques and ripening techniques (and no, they don’t put thousands of bananas in the room to ripen up the avos – we asked.)

We finished the day off with a demo on how to cut an avocado better (I didn’t know this and now that I do I feel dumb. Of course you should quarter the avocado – you avoid slicing your fingers open this way. Plus you might save more instead of eating a whole half every time (but probably not.) Anyways, after our demo we enjoyed an avo-centric dinner and laughed the night away, which was one of the best parts – here’s to making new friends!

Watch out for some avocado recipes coming up soon, because I have a million new ideas (and some avocados I picked fresh this weekend to make them with!)

Well, we made it to Friday again. Whew! That was a long one.

Last week I was in Montreal for work, and today I head off on an exciting Avocado-themed weekend (more on that next week.) For this week, here are some things bouncing about in my head:

1. Speaking of avocados, this is an interesting article sent to me by not one but two friends who are concerned with the avocado situation (and want me to do something about it (which I am on)). As we head into a deeper drought and people really start to be aware of what’s going on in California, it’ll be interesting to see how the food world morphs.

2. This article about gut health and arthritis. Two people near and dear to GMS have RA and we’re glad to know there is research being done. I think the more research is done, the more will prove how important diet is to health over all – not just fitness, but diseases, allergies, etc. It’s time to get back to the earth…

3. Speaking of which, Happy Earth Day Week! Did you do anything for the holiday? This really cool site from Whole Foods Market about pollinators makes my heart sing. A lot of you know I avoid almonds (even though I love them) because of the monoculture that they bring to California, and the way that affects, among other things, the bees. I am BEYOND excited to see that Whole Foods Market has introduced Pollinator Friendly Almonds and Almond Butter. Beyond. Like, going this weekend to get some. Look for some more almond recipes in the near future.

4. If there was ever a 30 before 30 worthy of GMS, it’s this one. This list of 30 recipes from the Kitchn will really up your kitchen game. If you live in LA and want help making any, give your girl a holla and I’ll come over.

5. Speaking of LA, you might have noticed that the blog now has my picture instead of Corelyn and me, and maybe that I’ve started saying I a lot. WELL that’s because Corelyn recently moved to Atlanta to, among other things, be closer to her family. While we were sad to see her go, I know that this just means we now have a BBQ in and a tree-centric city to retreat to when the palm trees get old. We are excited for her new adventures, and let’s be real – I still text her about blog related stuff on the regular.

6. BONUS NUMBER 6: You guys might not know this, but I happen to have had the coolest RA turned best friend in college. She is an author, and her book, 99 Days, came out this week. Katie Cotugno is a rockstar and her first book, How to Love, was a hit too. Get at reading them and tell me what you think!

Anyways, that’s what’s going on here. We hope that you had a great week, and that you have a good weekend planned…are you cooking anything up?

Confession time: I didn’t so much make this recipe as supervise it from my kitchen counter while my husband JW did the dirty work.

I feel the need to share the truth with you on that matter. Moving along…

I was so excited to write this post, because we’ve moved onto spring-like recipes in Chicago, because it’s spring here, finally.

And then yesterday, it snowed.

I can’t even discuss it.

Until it finally warms up around here though, you’ve got this dish to keep you warm. Adjusted from Bon Appetit, it incorporates light spring flavors (think peas, mint, and ricotta) with what you need to satisfy you before grilling life takes over (warm pasta and BACON). If I did it again I’d pay attention to the pasta shape, but I could not find fregola for the life of me, so I used medium shells.

Medium shells have always been my jam.

Also, if I was you, I would either up the liquid, or cut it by half. I couldn’t decide if this was a soup or a sauce, and there is no need to be confused at the dinner table.

Confusing or not, this was a delicious entry into springtime (and it was fun to watch Theo throw peas around the kitchen), and I hope you enjoy it (and that it’s warmer in your neighborhood than mine)!

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

8 oz. medium shells
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 slices bacon, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup dry white wine
2½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup frozen peas (we went a little nuts here and used like 3, I think anywhere from 1-2 cups would work)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
4 ounces ricotta
s & p

Directions:

1. Cook pasta in boiling water until very al dente, 7 minutes. Drain pasta and set aside, for now.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet (cast iron is my favorite) over medium and cook bacon, until brown around the edges, about 5 minutes.  Note: You probably don’t need the oil, since you’re cooking fatty bacon. I’d omit this, next time. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until bacon is crispy and the onion is cooked through, about 5 minutes.
3. Add wine, bring to a simmer, and cook until skillet is almost dry, about 5 minutes. Add broth and bring to a simmer. Add pasta and cook, until pasta is just al dente and broth is thickened, about 5 minutes. Note: Our broth never really thickened, so beware. We just poured a little bit out.
4. Season with salt and pepper to your heart’s desire. Add peas and chopped mint and cook, stirring, until peas are warmed through, about 4 minutes.
5. Serve topped with ricotta dollops, which make the whole thing amazing. Enjoy!

Happy Earth Day, chickens! I love Earth Day because I love earth but also because I love telling you guys how easy it is to do small things to help change the world.

Now, I know that the world came seem overwhelming – there is so much going on, so much to see, so much to do, so many changes that would make climate change slow or food issues less problematic that sometimes it’s all we can do to get through the day without a mild panic attack.

But there are so many small things you can do today – right now! – that can help change the course of this planet. There are a ton of activities here, but for the purpose of food and saving Mother Earth, we’ve got a simple one: eat less meat. Now, we love meat at GMS, but meat takes a lot of water to produce (I am particularly sensitive to this one right now due to the drought) and increases your carbon footprint. (More here.)

To help you curb your meat intake, I have gone back and found five great recipes you can make that’ll fill up you and your family and lower your carbon footprint. Even those who cannot imagine a meal without meat will be happy – trust me.

5 Meatless Main Courses

Baked Lemon Pasta – this is one of our favorite recipes. It’s filling, it’s tart and creamy, and it makes excellent leftovers. Add some peas or kale to up your veggie game, and don’t skimp on the fresh parsley.

Portobello Mushroom Pizza – You could make regular pizza topped with delish veggies, too, but why not really impress with mushroom pizzas? These are full of flavor, can be personalized, and are simply fun to make. While we do use bacon in this recipe, it’s easy to leave off and swap with something – might we suggest  tomatoes?

Sweet Potato Chili – This dish is so filling, it’ll fool the most Vegetarian-phobic family member. Trust us. It’s chocked full of sweet potatoes, beans, and tomatoes, and can be topped with avocado for extra creaminess.

Spinach & Strawberry Salad – this one is on the lighter side but is a perfect lunch. The nuts really elevate it to be filling, and the burrata will leave you smiling wide.

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes – Breakfast for dinner, anyone? It’s an easy way to avoid meat altogether. We love this light lemon ricotta pancakes with maple syrup and a side of fresh fruit.

Are you celebrating earth day? Do you regularly participate in #MeatlessMonday?