KALE CAESAR AND POP UP REFLECTIONS
Exciting things have happened since my last post. Before I left for the summer, as you may know, I decided to try out hosting a pop up salad bar. I wanted it to be delicious and nutritious, you’d leave satisfied and happy, without even realising it was all plant based, vegan and really good for you!
I guess what I wanted is for people to find this kind of food as fun and delicious as I do. I love incredible flavours, travel and food from around the world, as well as eating healthy. Nutrition and the connection between our body, mind and food I find pretty fascinating. So put this together and I suppose you have my style of cooking. Making healthy food delicious and interesting. Helped with amazing herbs, spices, different textures, pickles, zests, oils, seeds..
I’ve increasingly been wanting to share my creations with more people and so that’s what I did!
The pop up was called Green Flamingo, a daytime, more wholesome version of Flaming Flamingo. I’m happy to say I loved it and I think everyone who came in did too! It was great experience; we had amazing feedback from diners. Now I’m looking to do my next salad pop up again soon! So, watch this space..
As well as this I also had the opportunity to work with the talented food photographer, Rebecca Jane Callaby and wonderful prop stylist, Rosie Jenkins. And with them these beautiful photos came about.
So, as requested off the menu..
Kale Caesar.
Serves 2
Big handful- 100g kale
60g mixed leaves
1 baby gem
120g uncooked, 200g cooked quinoa
50g sourdough
big pinch chopped fresh oregano
big pinch chopped fresh tarragon
40g chopped, roasted almonds
lemon juice and olive oil,
salt to taste
Creamy cashew dressing
50g cashews, soaked for 4 hours minimum
1 heaped tsp Dijon mustard
1 heaped tbsp capers
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
juice ½- 1 lemon
20g parsley
75ml water
150ml olive oil
salt to taste
Blend all the ingredients for the dressing in a high powered blender until smooth and taste for seasoning.
Pre heat oven, 160c. Tear the sourdough into chunks, drizzle with a little olive oil, a sprinkle of salt and toast in the hot oven for about 20 minutes, until they become but before they get to crunchy. (They will continue to harden up after they are out of the oven.)
While they’re cooking, prep the rest of your ingredients. Cook your quinoa. Wash and chop you kale. Massage with a squeeze of lemon, a splash of olive oil and a pinch of salt until fully coated. Tear the baby gem into bite size pieces, roast and chop your nuts, pick and chop your herbs and make the dressing.
Once everything is ready and the quinoa has cooled, place everything in a large bowl. Add 4-5 tablespoons of dressing and mix well, until everything is coated. Taste for seasoning, add more dressing if you like. Enjoy!