Kale Salad with Roasted Delicata Squash and Orange Maple Hemp Dressing

Hiiii and happy Friday!!!

It feels so, SO good to be back in this space sharing a recipe with you today. We've been eating it non-stop this past week, and I hope you'll be doing the same very soon.

I really don't know where to start with this post. There are so many things I want to update you on! I know it's been a little quiet here for the past few months or so, but I truly appreciate you sticking with me and still visiting this space for my previously posted recipes. I know you're not looking to read a novel on a Friday, so how about a Cliffs Notes version instead?

• We MOVED, again! If you follow on Instagram you're probably in the know and have seen some photos of my new work space. We moved a short distance from our last house and will not be renovating anything, possibly every again. Famous last words. Or for at least 5 years. I still feel like it's all a dream! There were many reasons for our move, but one of the big ones was so I could have a larger space and more light options for photography. I was thinking about looking into renting a studio space, but our new house ended up being exactly what I needed. 
• After nearly 1 year I finally updated my recipe pages (up top)! I still don't have all of the recipes listed (before 2013), but I did start to divvy them up by larger categories (like, breakfast!) and then sub-categories within those lists. Hopefully, this will be a big help! You can now also search for recipes by a long list of keyword ingredients. I haven't entered in all of the keyword info for each post, but it's a start! Baby steps...
• At the end of last year, I developed 18 recipes for Ancient Harvest that will be appearing on their product packaging! Look for their re-brand to launch sometime in the next few months. So excited for this! All 18 recipes are obviously gluten-free but also vegetarian and/or vegan. But they're very easy to add whatever your protein of choice is.
• I've had a very steady stream of freelance photography work coming in since December. I am actually currently booked through the end of April! I cannot even believe this is reality and am beyond grateful and excited for all of the work (and my amazing clients...seriously).
• I had my very first collaboration shoot last week with Room 214 and Glutino at our new house. It was a BLAST. Be on the lookout for my photography to start popping up on Glutino's Instagram feed in February!!
• Also, be on the lookout for a new website coming soon from Love Grown Foods with a bunch of my work featured there as well! (p.s. Have you seen their new KIDS cereals?? Let me just say, they are not only for kids. I am in love.)
• I have a handful of other photo projects coming in the next few months that I cannot WAIT to tell you about. Maybe I'll start doing some recap posts with my freelance work..?

Slightly longer than I initially intended....per usual.

Things have been exciting around here to say the least!

I must admit, I was quite burnt out by the end of last year and my recipe creating brain was completely shut off. I tried to look around for recipe inspiration but nothing was making sense in my head. I was cooking old standby meals for dinner and actually using my cookbooks. It was kind of nice to give myself a bit of a break and wait for inspiration to hit. I didn't want to come back to this space with anything that was forced, so I simply decided to wait.

And then my latest food obsession provided me with just the inspiration I was looking for.

The ingredients for this salad fell into place pretty naturally in my head. I love it when that happens.

The dressing was modified from a new favorite of mine on Gena's blog. I was really digging the creamy but not too heavy consistency of her dressing and have made it numerous times in the past few weeks. But for this salad, I wanted something a bit brighter in flavor and with some sweetness. That's when I thought to use orange juice in place of water and infuse it will a little maple syrup. 

The dressing helps soften the bitterness of kale and cabbage and helps bring out the natural sweetness in the squash. It's a total winner.

Print Recipe!

dressing adapted from: Gena's Lemon Hemp Dressing

Kale Salad with Roasted Delicata Squash and Orange Maple Hemp Dressing

serves 3-6, gluten-free/vegan 

for the salad: 

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 small delicata squash, halved lengthwise + seeds scraped
• 1 medium head lacinato kale, stems removed
• 1/2 small head red cabbage, cored
• 1 sweet red apple, cored
• 1/3 cup salted pistachios
• salt + pepper

for the dressing:

• 1/2 cup hulled hemp seeds
• scant 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons orange zest
• 1 small clove garlic, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat your oven to 400° F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place squash halves cut side down and slice into 1/2-inch thick pieces. Place on the baking sheet and toss with 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil and a hefty pinch of salt and pepper. Roast for 15-18min. Flip slices and roast for another 15-18min, until starting to turn golden brown. Remove and let cool for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, stack your kale leaves and slice into thin ribbons. Using a mandolin (or very carefully with a knife), thinly slice your cabbage. Toss together in a mixing bowl and massage in 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil for about 60 seconds. Place in the fridge.

Place all dressing ingredients in your blender and turn on working up to high. Scrape the sides as needed. Taste and adjust salt if needed. Pour into a jar. Dressing thickens a bit as it sits.

Just before serving, chop your apple. Place kale and cabbage mixture on a large serving plate, top with squash, apple, and pistachios. Serve dressing on the side. 

Notes:

• Leftovers will keep well for 1-2 days without dressing.
• There will likely be more squash than can fit on top of your platter. I like to serve this salad with the extra squash on the side, or save the extra pieces to eat the next day. Feel free to cook only 1 squash if desired and decrease olive oil to 1 tablespoon for roasting.
• One of the nights we ate this, I mixed in cooked and cooled quinoa and Gena's lemon tempeh. It was outstanding together and made for a very satiating dinner (leftovers were also great!).

Happy weekend!

Ashley

Lemon Pistachio Donuts

It's National Donut Day! Oh my gosh am I excited to share this recipe with you. And, it's Friday. What could be better?

Maybe a National Donut Day party? Yep. That would make things even better.

This recipe for Lemon Pistachio Donuts (yes, I converted from "doughnuts") has got to be one of my favorite ever. I've probably said that more than a dozen times before about past donuts--all 101 of them--but they've all been blocked from my memory with this latest creation.

A pillowy soft donut filled with pistachio meal and lemon zest that's then dredged in a lemony glaze and covered in a thick blanket of ground pistachios.

!!!!

I first made this recipe a few weeks ago in anticipation for a visit from my mom + dad. My mom recently had a birthday and she is a major pistachio lover. It took a few tries to get the right texture (I changed things up a bit from the usual donut base recipe) but the time spent trying to figure it out was 100% worth it.

I told you...a blanket of pistachios.

The texture is where it's at with these donuts. They're soft but slightly gooey thanks to the sweet glaze that's poured over top and they obviously have a lot of crunch. But not break your teeth kind of crunch. It's pretty much the closest thing you'll ever find to a fried donut that's not actually fried.

Chris and I devoured the entire batch and then we split the next batch with my parents. And I'm obviously making another batch TODAY!

Print Recipe!

Lemon Pistachio Donuts

gluten-free // yields 8-9 standard donuts (with this pan)

for the donuts:

• 1/2 cup gluten-free oat flour
• 6 tablespoons sifted pistachio meal (ground from roasted/salted pistachios)
• 1/4 cup sweet rice flour
• 1/3 cup pure cane sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup whole milk (or unsweetened almond/soy)
• 3 tablespoons applesauce
• 2 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons melted unrefined coconut oil (lightly cooled)

for the glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 1/2 - 4 tablespoons 1/2 and 1/2
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest

Preheat your oven to 350° F. Thoroughly grease a donut pan (or pans) with butter or coconut oil.

Mix all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

In another mixing bowl, whisk the eggs. Then whisk in the milk, applesauce, and lemon zest. Whisk in the coconut oil and then quickly pour over the dry ingredients. Whisk until just combined.

Spoon into your donut pan about 1/4-inch from the top. Bake for 16-22 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick comes just slightly sticky. Let cool for 10-15 minutes, then slide a thin + stiff spatula around the donuts to help release them. Place on a cooling rack until fully cooled.

Meanwhile, sift your powered sugar. Thoroughly whisk glaze ingredients in a shallow bowl wide enough for one donut to fit. Place ground (or finely chopped) pistachios in a similar bowl. Invert each cooled donut into the glaze and then let the excess drip off. Dip into the pistachios next then place on the cooling rack to let the glaze set. Repeat with remaining donuts.

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Notes:

• If using unsalted pistachios, use 1/2 teaspoon salt with the dry ingredients and add a sprinkle of flaked sea salt on top of the donuts.
• To make pistachio meal: Place about 1 cup salted + roasted pistachios in a food processor. Turn on until well ground, about 15 seconds. Make sure to not let process too long or the nuts will start to turn into nut butter. Place ground pistachios in a fine mesh strainer and sift the meal into a bowl. Measure 6 tablespoons and use what's in the strainer to top the donuts with. Grind more if needed for the topping. 
• Feel free to sub almond meal instead of pistachio meal. 
• You can sub sorghum flour instead of sweet rice flour, but the texture is thicker and more cake-like. The sweet rice flour helps give the donut a soft and slightly gooey texture.
• Sweet rice flour can be found in many natural food stores (Bob's Red Mill and Ener-G brands are cheapest) or very easily at Asian markets (aka: glutinous rice flour).

Hope you get your donut on today. 

Happy Friday.

Ashley

p.s. Be sure to check out the donut party over on Tumblr + join in with your creations! The talented Melissa designed the fabulous graphic you see below and organized this rad party. You can also follow these 2 hashtags to catch all of the donut fun! #national🍩day + #nationaldonutemojiday