New Recipe: Crunchy Cali Kale Salad w/ Smokey Tahini Dressing

After my latest trip to Los Angeles, I realized the Kale trend is here to stay, so why not embrace it for all its leafy green goodness! I had some dynamite salads in Santa Monica the other week, so I wanted to make my own Kale salad that reminded me of the flavors of Cali, with a dressing that pays homage to the Greek gods themselves!

Here is my crunchy Kale Salad with Smokey Tahini Dressing, let me know what you think!

Crunch Kale Salad w/ Smokey Tahini Dressing

Recipe by Bobby Parrish

Serves 2 people

Cooking time: 20 minutes

1 Bunch of kale, stems removed, roughly chopped

½ a crunchy apple, finely sliced into match sticks(julienne)

1 large carrot, cut julienne

1 Avocado, cubed

3 Medium size beets, cut into cubes (Roasted or canned beets work fine)

1 large handful of toasted cashews(plus a few more for garnish)

8 pitted dates, roughly chopped

1 grapefruit, segments cut out(save a few for garnish), and juiced

1 pound of raw shrimp, shelled and de-veined

Fresh Parsley

Kosher Salt & Fresh Pepper

EVOO

For the dressing:

1/3 cup of Tahini(sesame seed paste)

2 Tbsp honey

1 Tbsp grapefruit juice

1 Tbsp lemon juice

½ tspn smoked paprika

1 clove garlic, grated or very finely diced

2 Tbsp greek yogurt

1 Tbsp EVOO

Kosher salt & Fresh Pepper

Water

For the dressing:  Add the first 7 ingredients to a bowl and whisk to combine. Add enough water(1-3 Tbsp) to loosen the consistency and make it runny, but still a little thick. Whisk in 1 Tbsp of EVOO, a pinch of kosher salt and pepper. Taste for seasoning, it may need more honey or lemon juice, and set aside.

Combine first 8 ingredients(except the grapefruit juice) in a large salad bowl and put aside. Pre-heat a large non-stick pan over medium heat with 2 Tbsp of EVOO. Season the shrimp with a splash of EVOO, kosher salt and pepper. Add shrimp to pan, and cook for 2 minutes each side, or until shrimp are just done, do not over-cook. Put the cooked shrimp in a clean bowl, add some fresh chopped parsley and 1 tbsp each of lemon and grapefruit juice and let rest for 1 minute.

Add enough dressing to generously coat the salad ingredients and mix well. Mound the salad on a plate or platter, top with the shrimp. Garnish with a few grapefruits pieces and some extra cashews and serve. 

Third Installment of My Guide to the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival

In today's third, and final installment, I preview the can't miss events for the final two days of  the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival. I have been to the fest four of the last five years, and it is by far the BEST wine & food in the country. If you have bought your tickets for this years fest, esp. after reading my first two installments, what are you waiting for my fellow foodie?

Check out my prior blogs to see how you can steer through the first two days of the fest and what parties/events are not to be missed. On Saturday, your first stop of the day has to be to Whole Foods Market Grand Tasting Village featuring MasterCard Grand Tasting Tents. Be prepared to spend all day on the beach sipping wine, eating gourmet bites from hundreds of restaurants and food companies, and watching some of your favorite Food Network celebrities cooking live a the demo tent. You will likely run in to your favorite food celebs, meet some fellow foodies, and probably drink a little too much! I am always there, so if you see me say hey.

Late night on Saturday, head to the Delano hotel for the Sammy's Beach Bar Rum and Cabo Wabo Tequila present Emeril Lagasse and Sammy Hagar's Rockin' Beach Party sponsored by Del Monte Fresh Produce. After eating and drinking all day, this is a great way to dance off some of those calories, fuel yourself with a little tequila, and party the night away. All of the late night parties are great events that are full of sexy people, unexpected celebs, and great food.

On Sunday, what better way to wind down the event than with a little brunch prepared by an Iron Chef at the Pure Leaf Farm to Table Brunch presented by Whole Foods Market hosted by Geoffrey Zakarian. I'm pretty sure you won't have many chances to have an Iron Chef cook you brunch in your life, so why not end your fest with some great food and a great story to tell all your friends.

There are so many events at this years Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival that I can't possibly cover all of them on my blog, so I encourage you to head over to http://www.sobefest.com/ and check out all the events for yourself. I've had so many unforgettable experiences at the fest, and I look forward to making more this year! Check out my interviews with some Food Network celebs from last year

New Recipe: Crispy Cauliflower & Golden Beet Salad

Every Monday night on Twitter, I join the #FoodieChat community for 2 hours of action packed, food loving, tweeting paradise. If you're a member of the community you know how much fun it is meeting fellow foodies all around the world, so I highly encourage you to check it out every Monday night at 7pm CST.

The other week, I tweeted a picture of a new cauliflower salad recipe I was working on. Well one of my #FoodChat peeps asked if I could share the recipe with her, and since I am all about spreading the love to my fellow foodies, I said yes. Now that the recipe is complete, here is my Crispy Cauliflower & Golden Beet Salad w/ Creamy Lemon Dressing

After watching some Food Network and Cooking Channel a few weeks ago, I realized that I rarely eat cauliflower anymore. So I decided to make a healthy and satisfying salad featuring it, along with one of my favorite winter veggies, the beet. The salad is very easy to make and packs so much flavor and nutrition.

Crispy Cauliflower & Roasted Beet Salad w/ Creamy Lemon Dressing 

Recipe by Bobby Parrish

Serves 4 

Total active cooking time 30 minutes

1 Head of Cauliflower(any Color), cut in large bite size pieces

4 Golden or red beets

¼ Cup golden raisins or currants

1/3 Toasted walnuts

½ tspn red pepper flakes

1 Handful of pickled red onions(recipe follows)

Kosher Salt

Cracked pepper

Extra Virgin Olive Oil(EVOO)

For the dressing:

Zest of one lemon

Juice of half a lemon

1 tspn dijon mustard

1 Tbsp honey

1/3 cup EVOO

2 Tbsp sour cream or greek yogurt

Kosher Salt

Cracked pepper

For the pickled red onions:

1 Red onion sliced radially in thin pieces.

1 cup red wine vinegar

2 Tbsp EVOO

Kosher salt

Cracked pepper

To make onions, combine all ingredients in a bowl, and wait at least 1 hour. Keeps in fridge for 2 weeks.

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Prep the beets by washing , cutting off some of the root end, and put in a shallow roasting vessel. Season with one tablespoon of EVOO, and a splash of water, cover tightly with lid or tin foil, and roast for one hour, or until a knife pierces the beets, but they still have a little resistance to them.  Let cool for 20-60 minutes.

Pre-heat a medium sized pan over medium heat, and add 3 tablespoons of EVOO. Add the cauliflower, cook for 10 minutes or until you have deep brown color on the cauliflower(turn the heat up if you’re not getting color after 5 minutes).  Add the red pepper flakes, toasted walnuts, raisins, and season with kosher salt & pepper. Turn heat off and let cool a little.

To make the dressing, add the zest, juice, mustard, honey to a bowl and whisk. Slowly add the EVOO and whisk until dressing comes together. Add the sour cream or yogurt, season with a little S&P, and whisk until creamy and dreamy.

When the beets are cool enough to handle, peel the skin off using a kitchen or paper towel, and cut into large bite sized pieces. Dress the beets with enough dressing to coat everything well, and do the same with the cauliflower mixture( it’s important to dress separately or the red beets will stain the cauliflower). Mound the cauliflower mixture on your serving plate, mix in the beets, and top with some of the pickled red onions.