May Newsletter

National Salad Month was created by the Association for Dressing and Sauces in 1992 to encourage people to incorporate more salads into their daily food regimen.

We all know we should eat healthier, but it can be tough to make those good choices. I read an article recently that was published last year by The New York Post that I could relate to. It reported that in a lifestyle survey, 59% of the participants said that being healthy, meant eating food that doesn’t taste good but good for their bodies. (https://nypost.com/2022/07/14/most-people-think-a-healthy-li…) The article revealed that out of 2,000 adults surveyed, almost half shared that trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle made them miserable

Getting past that mindset is what The Tasty vegeTable is all about – sharing recipes for delicious dishes made more nutritious. Recipes here don’t highlight vegetables, instead, they infuse and incorporate them in ways that become almost invisible to taste while keeping the good-for-you.

Instead of using Spinach or Kale in a salad, why not eat the same portion incorporated in something completely different?  Eat your veggies but have fun and enjoy the food you eat.

Here’s your monthly collection of info, easy tips, and tasty recipes!

Here are two of my favorite recipes that use super-nutritious salad greens in a different way. This is my Kale lemon pepper mayo and Spinach Salisbury Stak and Kale. Check out the YouTube channel for more recipe ideas.

Kale Lemon Pepper Mayo

Ingredients

• 2 cups (packed) kale
• 2 cloves garlic, finely diced
• 1 egg at room temperature
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 3/4 tsp Salt
• 1 cup canola oil
• 1 tsp fresh-ground Pepper
• 4 Tbsp Lemon juice
• 1 tsp lemon zest

Directions

1. Clean kale and remove stems. Place two packed cups of kale into a food processor and pulse until pureed. Add the diced garlic and blend.
2. Place into a bowl and set aside.
3. Place the egg in the food processor, and blend for 20-30 seconds. Add Dijon mustard, white wine vinegar, and salt. Blend for an additional 20-30 seconds.
4. Use a scraper to clean the sides of the bowl, then slowly add 1/4 cup of oil by pouring in a small amount and processing, then remove the lid and add more. It may take several minutes, but when the mixture begins to thicken, slowly add in the remaining oil.
5. Mix in the kale and garlic puree and blend.
6. Add fresh-ground pepper, lemon juice, and lemon zest.
7. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Spinach Salisbury Steak

Ingredients

Steaks:

• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 tsp granulated garlic
• 1 Tbsp dried mustard
• 1 cube crumbled beef bouillon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 cup pureed spinach
• 1 Tbsp hickory Balsamic vinegar or other seasoning sauce
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 Tbsp ketchup
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter

Gravy:

• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tbsp ketchup
• 1 Tbsp hickory vinegar or other seasoning sauce
• 1/2 medium onion, sliced thin

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, breadcrumbs, granulated garlic, dry mustard, dry beef bouillon, salt and pepper. Blend until well mixed.
2. Add hickory vinegar or seasoning sauce, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup and pureed spinach. Knead until fully blended.
3. Form meat into 4-6 patties. Set aside.
4. In a heavy skillet, melt butter with olive oil over medium high heat.
5. Fry the patties in a skillet, turning once, cooking until no longer pink in the middle.
6. Remove steaks and set aside.
7. Drain excess oil and add onions to skillet. Sautee on medium heat until translucent.
8. In a bowl, whisk the beef broth and cornstarch then add to the skillet with the onions.
9. Add Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, vinegar, and garlic, whisking to blend.
10. Cook for 5-10 minutes until gravy thickens.
11. Adjust heat to low. Add salisbury steaks back to the pan and simmer in sauce 10-15 minutes.

Not everyone likes fresh spinach or kale in salad and let’s face it, sometimes you want to chow down on something more filling than salad. But, making complicated meals with several sides takes time and planning.

An easy way to add fresh nutritious vegetables like spinach and kale is to add them as purée. By puréeing and incorporating it into other ingredients, the flavor is not as strong but the full nutritional value is still there! One bunch of spinach is usually around 12 ounces and will make about 3/4 cup purée.

• In your next lasagna, blend 1/2-3/4 cup of spinach or kale purée, fully incorporating it into ricotta or cottage cheese before layering into the lasagna. If you want it to completely ‘disappear’, blend it in with the pasta sauce instead.
• Add 1/2 cup purée into sloppy joes or beef BBQ and simmer 5-10 minutes before serving.
• Stir 1/4 cup into soups and gravies to add good-for-you content.
• Mix into pizza sauce or baked beans.