Appetite for Reduction: Green Onion-Miso Vinaigrette & Raw Kale Salad

Bert

Happy President's Day! I hereby thank all the Presidents for giving us an excuse for having this day off. It's another glorious day, warm enough to throw open a few windows to let the fresh air flow in. Breathe in and ahhhhhhh...

Today's Appetite for Reduction recipe was chosen to accommodate my sudden craving for raw kale. I chose "Sushi Roll Edamame Salad" thinking I could sub the kale for the romaine lettuce suggested. But I ended up subbing or not having a few key ingredients and now I no longer dare to say I made "Sushi Roll Edamame Salad" for fear of offending Isa. Let's just say I was inspired by it! :-)

I did however make the accompanying "Green Onion-Miso Vinaigrette" to the letter.

Sushi kale salad

Not sure if you can see it, but the vinaigrette is a lovely light green color from blending the green onion. The recipe recommended 1-2 cups of chopped green onions; I used one cup (2 stalks). The recipe called for red miso but I used white since that was all I had. Isa did say that was okay though (pg 12).

And the verdict? Whoa. I can say it's not a light tasting salad dressing. I should have known better because when I use miso for soup, I only use 1-2 tablespoons for a big pot of water. This recipe called for 1/4 cup of miso with only half a cup of water. Whoa. So a little of this dressing goes a long way. I usually like my salads smothered with dressing but I couldn't take much of this one. It's also my fault for pairing it with raw kale which is kind of bitter. I shall try it with lettuce next time.

What I do like very much about this meal is adding seaweed to salad. That's a wonderful way to eat more seaweed without making sushi. Yum!

*****

As I was finishing this post, I read about the 6.3 earthquake that hit Christchurch, New Zealand a few hours ago. Living in an earthquake zone and having been through a severe earthquake, I can relate. Very scary stuff. My thoughts are with the people who are affected by this earthquake. May they remain unharmed and recover quickly from the damages.

In related news, there was a sad report yesterday of 107 Pilot Whales that died on a New Zealand beach. I wonder if there's some sort of connection to today's earthquake or is it pure coincidence? Hmm...