Lacinato Kale Sprouts

I sowed some Lacinato kale (aka Tuscan or Dinosaur kale) seeds, along with tomatoes, tomatillos, chile peppers and squash inside under two weeks ago and I already have sprouts! I ordered them from the Seeds of Change catalog which offers many heirloom varieties, like the Lacinato. I tried to limit my purchases to varieties entirely new to me or ones I love and can't find regularly, like San Marzano tomatoes.

The kale is leading the other sprouts by a long shot. How am I going to thin these little beauties? I guess I'll just have to eat them or maybe start another table and transplant them. If you've never seen or tasted this kale, it's a treat. I tried it last year after finding it at Whole Foods and really enjoyed it's tender leaves and mild sweet flavor, not to mention it's awesome beauty. I'm already imagining all the wonderful dishes I can make with it.

If you need a little encouragement to start your own vegetable garden, take a look at Out of the Yard and Onto the Fork, a NYT article about growing your own kitchen garden. It lists www.kitchengardeners.org as a good educational resource. Happy planting (and eating.)

LiveSTRONG With a Taste of Yellow

Today I entered my egg salad recipe into the LiveSTRONG With a Taste of Yellow event being held on http://winosandfoodies.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/02/post.html.
The food and wine blogging community shows their support for this cancer awareness event by preparing and submitting recipes and pictures for yellow food. Check out the event online in honor of yourself or someone you know whose life has been affected by cancer.

Orange Muscat Champagne Vinaigrette

The bottle of Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar called to me from the shelf in Trader Joe's and I've been cooking with it every few days. My best creation so far is a simple vinaigrette that would be wonderful on any salad, but I used it to dress a salad of sliced, roasted beets, sliced avocados and halved baby heirloom tomatoes, all from Trader Joe's. I forgot to take a picture, so I'll post the whole salad soon.

1 tablespoon minced shallot
2 tablespoons Trader Joe's Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
pinch each salt and pepper, or more to taste

Put all ingredients into a tall and narrow container and emulsify with immersion blender until thick and almost white in color. Drizzle over salad and stir gently to just coat. Refrigerate any leftovers and use within a few days.