Saturday Summer Cooking Demos at Pour Olive

For all of you reading in Charlotte, my favorite Dilworth spot, Pour Olive, is hosting Saturday cooking demos all Summer long. This Saturday (June 28), from 2-4pm, find out how to include Pour Olive's premium oils and vinegars into your fourth of July eats. 

Come hungry and thirsty. Complimentary hors d'oeuvres and adult beverages will be served. 

12 Days of Salad Wrap Up!

Our 12 Days of Salad Challenge ended last week and we enjoyed every last bite. This was a great way for us to start the year off on the right foot and clean up our dinners after what seemed like a month-long foodfest that lasted from Thanksgiving through New Years. Our typical weeknight meals consist of healthy protein (chicken, pork, steak, fish) and a vegetable or salad on the side, so eating "dinner salads" wasn't too off course for us, but it certainly was fun. Each recipe was either 100% new, or incorporated something I have never made before- I love a good kitchen challenge! Many of these recipes will now be on heavy rotation on our future dinner menus. Mark's favorite was the vert first salad of the challenge, Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad with Andouille Sausage. Each night I asked him if he had a new favorite, and he always went back to that one. His other favorites were "any of them with bacon". Typical. I really loved them all, but my very favorite was the Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Lentils, Brussels Sprouts, Goat Cheese + Italian Sausage. SO GOOD. 

12 salad recipes created and consumed! Here we go...

Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad + Andouille Sausage

Black and Blue Steak Salad

Raw Tuscan Kale Salad with Pecorino + Roasted Chicken

Grilled Zucchini Ribbon and Kale Salad with Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette 

+ Crispy Almond Chicken Tenders

Greek Salsa Salad + Naked Basil Burgers

BLT Chopped Salad with Corn, Feta + Avocado

Cobb Salad with Basil Vinaigrette

Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with 

Lentils, Brussels Sprouts, Goat Cheese + Italian Sausage

Dijon Dill Salmon Salad

Thai Crunch Chicken Salad

Warm Mushroom and Bacon Salad + A Poached Egg

Parmesan Chicken with Caesar Roasted Romaine

I hope that I was able to inspire some of you to clean up your eating in 2014 and try a few of these new recipes as well! 

If you're reading in Charlotte, don't forget, there are still TWO DAYS LEFT to receive a 15% discount on your next purchase at Pour Olive. Pop into the store and tell them you're a reader. This offer is good through Friday January 31, 2014. 

Parmesan Chicken with Caesar Roasted Romaine

We love a simple Caesar salad. Whether it's alongside a grilled ribeye or my homemade pizza, it's always a favorite. This recipe is a surprising twist on a chicken Caesar salad. Romaine hearts are drizzled with a little olive oil, sprinkled with salt and pepper and then roasted for a quick 5 minutes. Easy parmesan chicken finished with a squeeze of fresh lemon is the perfect protein match.

I halved this recipe from Bon Appetit and it was perfect as a dinner for two. Swap out panko for almond meal to make this Paleo friendly.

...And if you're counting, this is salad number TWELVE. Enjoy!

Parmesan Chicken with Caesar Roasted Romaine
recipe from Bon Appetit

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs (or almond meal)
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, divided (Pour Olive's Gremolata is a good choice!)
2 Tbsp. flat leaf parsley, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped and divided
1 heart of romaine, sliced lengthwise
2 anchovy filets (optional)
2 lemon wedges

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.

In a small bowl, combine cheese, panko, 2 Tbsp. of the olive oil, parsley, half of the chopped garlic and salt and pepper. Season chicken with salt and pepper and top with panko mixture. Roast chicken until topping becomes golden, about 10-15 minutes. (the thicker your chicken breasts are, the longer you will need to roast) 

When the chicken is just about done, remove sheet from the oven and place romaine around the chicken.  Drizzle romaine with the remaining olive oil, sprinkle a little salt and pepper and the other half of the chopped garlic. Roast for no longer than 5 minutes.

Serve with a lemon wedge and an anchovy if you like!

Warm Bacon and Mushroom Kale Salad + A Poached Egg

We can go ahead and categorize this as one of the most interesting and unique things I have ever made. The recipe sparked my interest on Local Milk (via Pinterest) and when I read the recipe to Mark he was all for it! Kale stands up perfectly to the warm bacon and mushrooms and a warm bacon vinaigrette is icing on the cake! Things start to get a little crazy when you add a poached egg on top but it was actually quite surprising and quite delicious.

Don't knock it until you try it.

Bacon and Mushroom Kale Salad + A Poached Egg

1 bunch of kale, washed and torn
small carton of Baby Bella mushrooms, sliced
6 slices thick bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. Pour Olive Mushroom + Sage Extra Virgin Olive Oil or other good olive oil
red wine vinegar
salt + pepper, to season
eggs, poached

In a medium saute pan on medium heat, cook bacon until nice and crisp. Do not remove grease from pan. While the pan is still hot, add garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes. Make sure the stove is below medium-low heat so that you don't burn the garlic. Once the garlic is soft and fragrant, set aside.

In another saute pan, add 2 Tbsp. or so of olive oil (I used Pour Olive's Wild Mushroom + Sage). Add pepper to season and saute mushrooms until nice and caramelized. When they are done, finish with a little bit of salt. (Did you know that you should never add salt to your mushrooms until after they are done cooking? Sauteing them sans salt helps to bring out a rich mushroom flavor, something you won't get if you have already salted them).

Transfer garlic to a small bowl, and add a few shakes of red wine vinegar to taste. I also added a tiny bit more olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Combine kale, mushrooms, bacon and vinaigrette in a large salad bowl and toss to combine.

Serve with a poached egg on top! Method found HERE. 

Thai Crunch Chicken Salad

I'm absolutely, positively in love with this Asian inspired salad! Apparently, California Pizza Kitchen's version has a cult following with an extensive list of copy-cat recipes in blogland. I haven't had CPK's version, but Asian flavors are ones I crave often and a salad like this is hard to beat. I read through recipe after recipe, but in the end, I combined bits and pieces of what I found to develop something of my own. 

A creamy peanut dressing was a must, but I wanted to be sure to keep the ingredients simple and cut out the junk. The end result was fantastic! 

Thai Crunch Chicken Salad 

Salad-
1 head napa cabbage, chopped
1/2 head red cabbage, chopped
6 green onions, finely sliced
2-3 large carrots, shredded (a vegetable peeler works great!)
1 cup edamame, steamed and shelled
Rotisserie chicken, shredded
handful fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
dry roasted peanuts, chopped

Creamy Peanut Dressing-
1/4 creamy peanut (or almond) butter
2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
one lime, juiced
3 Tbsp. Pour Olive Toasted Sesame Oil 
1 Tbsp. Tamari
1 tsp. honey
1 garlic clove, chopped
a few shakes of ginger
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
handful fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
salt, to taste

In a blender or small food processor, combine all dressing ingredients, except for the cilantro and salt. Blend until combined. Once smooth, add cilantro and salt to taste.

In a large salad bowl, combine all fresh ingredients and toss. Top with chicken, cilantro and a drizzle of creamy peanut dressing.

Dijon Dill Salmon Salad

The inspiration for this recipe is courtesy of my blonde sister, Sophie. She loves a similar salad from Dean & Deluca and learned how to re-create it at home! A friend of ours made it for a party recently and it was a HUGE hit. 

My new favorite way to cook salmon is by brushing it with Grey Poupon and topping with a sprinkle of toasted panko breadcrumbs. It comes out perfect every time. Toasting the panko prior to putting it on top of the salmon is key, as is Grey Poupon. I don't know what I have been doing all this time using generic dijon mustard, but I will never stray again. 

Dijon Dill Salmon Salad with Honey Dijon Vinaigrette

Dijon Dill Salmon- serves 4
1 lb. wild salmon filet
Grey poupon
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/2 yellow onion
handful fresh dill, chopped
olive oil

Honey Dijon Vinaigrette- 
4 Tbs. Pour Olive Picholine Extra Virgin Olive Oil (my current PO favorite) or other good quality extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. Pour Olive Aged Dark Balsamic or other good quality Dark Balsamic
1 tsp. dijon mustard
1 tsp. honey
salt, pepper + thyme to taste

Salad-
Fresh Arugula or Spinach
Kale
Grape tomatoes, quartered
Red onion, slivered
Kalamata olives
English cucumber, sliced into thick rounds and then quartered

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

In a small saute pan, heat a tablespoon or two of olive oil. Add onions and saute until soft and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add panko and toss with the onions. Season with a tiny bit of salt and lightly toast, about 5 minutes. Add fresh dill and remove from burner.

Prepare a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Brush a thin layer of mustard on top of the salmon. Sprinkle toasted panko evenly across the filet. Bake for 20 minutes. Fish should be flaky.

In a salad bowl, combine arugula, kale, tomatoes, onion, olives and cucumber. Whisk together vinaigrette ingredients, pour over salad and toss. Serve with a slice of salmon on top!

Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Lentils, Brussels Sprouts, Goat Cheese + Italian Sausage

This salad is my very favorite of them all. The only way I can describe this is "a giant bowl of wholesome goodness". It's warm and comforting and full of hearty ingredients. I could eat a salad like this every single day.

The warm roasted vegetables slightly wilt the bed of arugula the perfect amount and no fancy vinaigrette is necessary. All it needs is a quick drizzle of your favorite balsamic vinegar- I used Pour Olive's Red Apple. These flavors lend themselves to Fall but if you are like me, you want to enjoy these flavors all. year. long.

Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with 
Lentils, Brussels Sprouts, Goat Cheese + Italian Sausage

1 butternut squash, peeled, diced and roasted
1 lb. brussels sprouts, trimmed, halved and roasted
1 cup organic French green lentils, cooked
goat cheese, crumbled
Mild Italian Sausage, cooked and sliced (from behind the butcher's counter at the grocery store is best!)
Baby Arugula
Good extra virgin olive oil, for roasting
Pour Olive Red Apple Balsamic or other good quality Balsamic Vinegar
salt + pepper to season

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Toss squash and brussels sprouts in olive oil and lightly season with salt and pepper. Roast for 30-40 minutes.

Rinse 1 cup dry lentils and place in a small sauce pot and cover with cold water. Add a sprinkle of salt and cover. Bring to a boil and let simmer for about 30 minutes, or until lentils are done. 

While the vegetables and lentils are cooking, cook your sausage.

To assemble your salads, start with a handful of arugula. Top with squash, brussels sprouts and lentils. Drizzle balsamic on top and finish with goat cheese crumbles and sausage.

Cobb Salad with Basil Vinaigrette

This salad is, by my standards, perfect. Crisp arugula and lettuce topped with fresh vegetables, grilled chicken, creamy avocados and a bonus- crispy bacon. Tossed together with a light vinaigrette, it's a salad that leaves you feeling satisfied. 

Mark and I both LOVED this and agreed that it needs to make a regular appearance on our dinner menus! Chicken for me, bacon for him and everything else that we love all tossed together.

Here's a healthy salad recipe to start your week off in the best way!

Cobb Salad with Basil Vinaigrette
recipe from Against All Grain

Chicken-
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, crushed
salt + pepper

Basil Vinaigrette-
1/4 cup Pour Olive Aged Dark Balsamic or red wine vinegar
1 tsp. dijon mustard
1/3 cup Pour Olive Basil Extra Virgin Olive Oil or other good olive oil
1 Tbsp. honey
2 garlic cloves, crushed
6 basil leaves, chopped
salt + pepper

Salad- 
Romaine lettuce, chopped
Arugula
tomato, chopped
avocado, chopped 
artichoke hearts, chopped
hard boiled eggs, sliced
avocado, diced
bacon, crumbled
grilled chicken, sliced

Marinate chicken for at least 4 hours or overnight. Grill on medium heat on a grill pan for 8 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 170 degrees on the thickest part.

For the dressing, place all ingredients in a bowl, minus the olive oil and mix together. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until well incorporated.

Assemble salads individually. Serve sliced grilled chicken on the top and finish with a drizzle of dressing.

Grilled Zucchini Ribbon and Kale Salad with Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette + Crispy Almond Chicken Tenders

Here we go with the kale again. I seriously love this stuff! This time, I paired it with a roasted red pepper vinaigrette and it was divine. Using a mandoline, I cut a small zucchini into thin slices, brushed them with some butter olive oil (my newest Pour Olive obsession) and grilled them for a few minutes on each side. To finish off our salad, the protein of choice was simple chicken tenders coated in almond meal and baked until nice and crispy! 

There is so much you can do with this zucchini and kale combo. For a salad on the sweeter side, add dried cherries and pecans and Pour Olive's dark cherry balsamic. 

Grilled Zucchini Ribbon and Kale Salad with Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette + Crispy Almond Chicken Tenders
recipe inspiration found HERE  

1 bunch of kale, trimmed and chopped
1 zucchini, thinly sliced
Pour Olive Organic Butter Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or other good olive oil), for brushing

Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette-
1 clove garlic
2 roasted red peppers
3 Tbsp. good extra virgin olive oil (Pour Olive Picholine is my favorite right now!) 
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper, to taste

Place all ingredients in a small food processor and blend until smooth. Toss with kale to coat and top with grilled zucchini and finish with chicken.

Crispy Almond Chicken Tenders-
6 chicken breast tenderloins
1/2 cup almond meal
zest of 1/2 lemon
1 egg
salt + pepper, to taste

Pregeat oven to 500 degrees. 

In a small dish (a pie plate works well) combine almond meal, lemon zest, a little salt and pepper. In another small bowl, lightly beat an egg. Make a dipping station and dip chicken tenders in egg, and then in the almond meal, making sure each tender is nicely coated. Place on a baking sheet and drizzle with a little bit of olive oil. Bake for 12-15 minutes. The tenders will be nice and crispy!

Greek Salsa Salad with Naked Basil Burgers

Sometimes, leaving the lettuce out of a salad is a fun way to mix it up. A lot of my favorite salads don't have any lettuce at all. This Greek Salsa Salad is a perfect example and one that I can almost always whip up in my kitchen because these ingredients are some of my kitchen staples. 

I originally had my eye on this Southern Living recipe, but I ended up using it as more of an inspiration and just went with my own little method. The Greek Country Salad at my favorite local restaurant, Ilios Noche is one of my favorite things to re-create at home. I chopped up my fresh ingredients a little smaller this time, making Salsa Salad the perfect new name. I served with Naked Greek Burgers on top, again, a little something I just came up with on my own. Using lean grass-fed beef, I mixed in garlic, oregano, basil, salt and pepper and grilled them up on my trusty grill pan! 

Another salad success!

Greek Salsa Salad with Naked Burgers

Salad-

1 cucumber, diced

2 vine ripe tomatoes, diced

1/2 cup kalamata olives, roughly chopped 

1/4 red onion, diced

fresh dill

4 oz. feta, crumbled

3 Tbsp. Pour Olive Organic Garlic Extra Virgin Olive Oil or other good quality olive oil

3 Tbsp. Pour Olive Sicilian Lemon White Balsamic or 3 Tbsp. lemon fresh lemon juice

salt + pepper, to taste 

Burgers-

1 lb. lean grass fed beef

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp. dried oregano

handful fresh basil, chopped

salt + pepper, to taste

Chop all fresh ingredients for the salad and place in a salad bowl. Toss with olive oil, vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.

Brush a grill pan with olive oil and place on medium heat. 

For the burgers, using your hands, mix in garlic, oregano, basil, salt and pepper with the beef. Make burgers the size of your liking, I normally do 3- 4 per pound.

Cook burgers 5-6 minutes on each side, or until cooked how you like! Serve on top of the salsa salad. I piled my salsa salad on top of a little pile of organic baby spinach.

BLT Chopped Salad with Corn, Feta + Avocado

Next to tomato, basil and mozzarella, bacon, lettuce and tomato is the next best savory trio. I craved BLT sandwiches something fierce when I was pregnant with Will and I kind of miss having a good excuse to eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner. There is just something about them that really hits the spot! 

This salad has all of the qualities of a great BLT, swapping out toasted bread for crunchy romaine and creamy avocado in place of mayo. There is something so simple and fresh about a BLT in salad form. We enjoyed our fresh chopped salads during one of the coldest nights on record here in Charlotte and for a moment, I thought it was Summer. Sweet corn gives added crunch and crumbled feta is the perfect finishing touch. Chopped salads are so much fun! I didn't use as much corn as the recipe called for only because I didn't have enough but I don't think the salad was missing anything at all. I also added some chopped green onions and fresh cilantro. Good call on both!

Chopped BLT Salad with Corn, Feta + Avocado

recipe adapted from How Sweet it is

2 romaine hearts, chopped

1 pint grape tomatoes, quartered

6 slices thick bacon, fried and chopped

1 cup sweet corn

1 avocado, chopped

4 ounces feta, crumbled

2 Tbsp. Pour Olive Persian Lime olive oil or other good quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 lime, juiced

salt + pepper, to season

Mix all ingredients in a large salad bowl. Drizzle on olive oil, lime juice and add salt and pepper to your liking. Toss to combine.

Raw Tuscan Kale Salad with Pecorino + Roasted Chicken

Kale is my best food friend. I jumped on the train a few years ago and don't plan on hopping off anytime soon. Mark was not as enamored with this leafy green power food when I first started making kale chips but he is finally coming around. I've been using kale in our salads instead of the usual arugula, baby greens and romaine and it is a wonderful change! Kale leaves are much thicker than other lettuces and not only do you not need as much dressing, but there is no need to waste the extra because leftover kale salad is SO GOOD. Gone are the days of soggy, second day salad. 

In addition to being delicious, kale is one of the healthiest plants you can eat. It's packed with tons of calcium, antioxidants and vitamins A, C and K. Kale chips are an excellent snack! In addition to salads and chips, I also frequently saute kale in good olive oil with some fresh garlic, salt and pepper. So simple, tasty and melty in your mouth all kinds of green goodness. 

This salad is my new addiction. I have made some version of it for my lunches all this week and on Sunday, I may just make a giant batch of it for next week. The flavors are pure and simple, and you really could add anything you want. I originally planned on making a kale salad with lemon pepper chicken, but this New York Times recipe was calling my name. I added shredded roasted chicken thighs for a complete meal.

Kale, I love you.

Raw Tuscan Kale Salad with Pecorino
recipe adapted from The New York Times

1 large bunch of Kale
1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/2 large clove garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup finely grated pecorino romano cheese, plus more for garnish
3 Tablespoons Pour Olive Picholine Extra Virgin Olive Oil or other robust good quality Extra Virgin
Juice of one lemon, freshly squeezed
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Trim bottom two inches off kale stems and discard. Slice kale, including ribs, into thin ribbons. This recipe says you should have 4-5 cups. I filled up a large salad bowl. 

Heat olive oil in a small pan. Add panko and cook until nice and toasted. 

In a small bowl, whisk pecorino, olive oil, lemon, salt, red pepper flakes and pepper. Pour over kale and toss to coat the kale. Let salad sit for a few minutes and serve with toasted panko and more pecorino. 

Pairing up with Pour Olive!

My favorite local shop, Pour Olive, is joining me for the 12 Days of Salad series! I'm teaming up with my Pour Olive family and will be incorporating their oils and vinegars into my salad recipes. Sophie and I have gone through each recipe to determine which oil and/or vinegar fits best. This will be a great way to find uses for those unique flavors and pairings. The possibilities are endless.

For those of you that are in Charlotte, there is also a bonus! If you go into Pour Olive and mention my blog, you will receive a one time discount of 15% off of your purchase. This offer is good through the month of January. 

For those of you who do not live in Charlotte, don't forget that you can call the store to place a mail in order. 

Check back on yesterday's post as well as this morning's to see which Pour Olive pairings we chose. 

Roasted Pumpkin Arugula Salad with Apples, Walnuts and Goat Cheese + Blood Orange Cinnamon Pear Vinaigrette

I can't let the month of October pass without sharing a pumpkin recipe and since I have yet to purchase a roasting pumpkin, I'm re-posting this delicious Autumn salad that I made last year. This recipe was also featured last October on Jillian Harris's website as her very first Recipe of the Month Feature. If you know me, you know that this was very exciting!!

I just love the way that all of these flavors work together to create a warm, earthy salad. 

This recipe was originally created for my dear friend's olive oil shop, Pour Olive, located here in Charlotte! If you are local to Charlotte, I highly recommend taking a little trip down to East Boulevard for some Pour Olive goodies! Sophie has an apple balsamic and a walnut oil that are both heavenly!

The original post and recipe can be found in my blog archives, HERE. I also think dried cherries or cranberries would be a great addition to this salad.

Roasted Pumpkin Arugula Salad with Apples, Walnuts and Goat Cheese + Blood Orange Cinnamon Pear Vinaigrette

This recipe was developed for Pour Olive.

What started out as a simple side of roasted pumpkin took on a whole new meaning last weekend when I whipped up this salad. The crisp Fall air is certainly getting to me because all I can think about are the flavors of Autumn! Cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin...with gingerbread and peppermint peeking around the corner. It truly is the most wonderful time of the year!

I started out by roasting a sugar pumpkin and the rest just fell into place. I plated up some fresh arugula, sliced fuji apples and walnuts. I crumbled some goat cheese atop the greens and the roasted pumpkin, still slightly warm, made the goat cheese nice and creamy. I added some fall flavors to my Pour Olive pantry stock and the Blood Orange infused olive oil and Cinnamon Pear balsamic were begging to marry together. This made for a delicious pairing and each bite was bursting with the flavors of Fall! Make this for an October dinner party or add it to your Thanks

For a pretty presentation, plate these salads individually with dressing on the side.

For the Salad
Fresh organic baby arugula
Fuji apple, thinly sliced
Walnuts
Goat cheese, crumbled

Roasted Pumpkin
1 sugar pumpkin, sliced into wedges
olive oil for drizzling
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Cut pumpkin half and scoop out seeds until it's clean. Keeping the skin on, cut pumpkin into wedges. Place pumpkin on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil along with a tiny bit of salt and pepper. Bake pumpkin at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, until pumpkin is easily pierced with a fork, but not mushy. 

To prepare pumpkin for salads, slice off the skin and chop into large chunks.

Blood Orange + Cinnamon Pear Vinaigrette
1/4 cup Pour Olive Blood Orange infused balsamic
1/8 cup Cinnamon Pear balsamic vinegar
salt & pepper, to taste

Whisk olive oil and balsamic together briskly until emulsified. Season with salt & pepper, then drizzle onto salad. 

For an orange cinnamon vinaigrette with regular olive oil and vinegar, try adding orange zest to your dressing and sauteeing the walnuts in brown sugar and cinnamon.

Spicy Kale Chips

I was slightly weirded out the first time I made kale chips, but there is something about them that strangely leaves you wanting more. When the kale is torn into small pieces and roasted, it cooks up to a crispy, chip-like bite that kind of crunches and dissolves in your mouth. Mark's calls them ashes but I call them delicious! Absurd, but good and very satisfying. An addictive, yet healthy snack is a success in my book!

 

A Pour Olive customer came into the shoppe last week and said she made her kale chips with the zesty and spicy Harissa Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Harissa is a hot chili sauce from Tunisia that is made with serrano peppers, chilli peppers, garlic and several herbs and spices such as chili powder, coriander, cumin and caraway. The flavor is outstanding and packed with some heat. This totally kicked my usual kale chips up a few notches. Spicy kale chips are my new go- to snack!

Spicy Kale Chips

Kale, washed and torn
Harissa Extra Virgin Olive Oil*
Sea salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Wash and pat kale dry. Rip into bite sized pieces and place in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Toss until all of the kale is glistening.

Spread on a baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes, until kale starts to crisp up.

*If you are not local to Charlotte, try making your own spice mix for your kale chips. Add salt to it and sprinkle when the kale is tossed with olive oil.

We Came. We Saw. We Bought A LOT of Stuff.

I just returned home from a 36 hour trip down to Atlanta to attend America's Mart with Sophie.   We went with several goals for Pour Olive in mind by the end of our time, I would say we were super successful!

We drove down early Wednesday morning and got home last night. The term "sensory overload" has an entirely new meaning to me. Our quick trip was spent in large buildings upon buildings, travelling from show room to show room. It was almost like real life Pinterest vignettes before my very eyes! We found so many specialty food items, kitchen goods and foodie gifts for the store. We were constantly eyeing inspiration for new window displays and DIY ideas for the shop! Also, with Mark and I moving into our new home next month, I also stored away home decor inspiration, creative ideas and reconfirmed that grey is my new favorite neutral! 

It was so neat to meet vendors and shop owners from all over the country- there are so many creative people in this world and every one of them has a story to share. We stuck mostly around gourmet foods and home goods. We didn't even make it to apparel and accessories- I can only imagine how much I would be drooling. I'm confident that a week there wouldn't even be enough to see everything. Here are some of my favorite finds from our trip!

Cat Studio was such a find! It's a small company based out of California that features these incredible hand stitched state pillows! I think North Carolina, Illinois and The North Pole need a home in our new house. We met the owner of the company and talked to him for awhile which was so neat. Cat Studio also features fun dishtowels, cups, aprons and other gift items with the same state, city and regional prints. Any of their items would make a dynamite gift. Everyone's heartstrings lead them back to special places.

I don't remember the name of this showroom, but I snapped the picture because I fell in love with the coral ikat lamp and the coral chevron pillow! I'll take the gold, orange and tan floor lamp, too, please! I'm filing this away in my new house folder because I have no choice but to incorporate this color in our home. I love a bright, cheerful coral pop!

Ohhhh Vietri. These handmade Italian dishes had me wanting all kinds of new additions to our dinnerware. The pieces in most of their collections just may be the most beautiful dinnerware I have ever seen. The white Lastra and white Incanto collections are, hands down, my favorites. I love seeing my food on a crisp white plate and the detail on both of these collections is just dreamy.

Sugarboo Designs caught my eye nearly two years ago and I was so excited to walk into their showroom! The pillows and fun artwork add playful happiness to any space. The sweet words on the center canvas made Sophie and I cry.

"To my sweet darlings, Do you know how much you are loved? 

All the way around the world forever and a day. 

And how do you suppose out of all the little darlings in the world we got the very best ones?

Be good and take care of each other. We know you will do great things in the world.

Yours always. xoxo"

More design inspiration! I love the neutral wingback chairs and the rounded mirror windows lined up against the wall. 

Twinkle lights aren't just for Christmas. I do believe you can never have enough of them.

Thanks for a fun time, AmericasMart! We'll be back...

PourOliveOil.com Has Launched!

For everyone who asked for more information about Pour Olive, the sparkly new site is now live for your viewing pleasure. Make sure to check it often for new flavors, store specials and one of my favorite features, "recipe of the moment". I can't believe that in just a few short weeks, we'll be living within minutes of this sweet little Dilworth spot! 

If you live in Charlotte and still have not checked out Pour Olive, you must do so immediately! I just wrote up the list of the Summer Harvest and the seasonal flavors are incredible!


Peace, love + olive oil!

Arugula with Roasted Mushrooms, Apples, Crispy Prosciutto + Truffle Vinaigrette

This salad is the result of re-creating something we enjoyed at one of our favorite Windy City spots, The Purple Pig. Their menu is always fresh and ever-changing. I'm glad that we hit up the pig when a salad similar to this one was featured on their Spring menu.

One of my favorite things to do after I devour something delicious at a restaurant is to try and create my own version at home. It's a good challenge and a great way dive in and develop your own recipes. Whenever I'm in a meal planning slump, or am looking for something different, I always turn to the menus from some of our favorite restaurants. This is a great way to inspire your cooking!

Roasted mushrooms and crisp apples sound like a strange food pairing but when mixed with peppery arugula and tossed with a truffle vinaigrette, it all just clicks. A salad that one would expect to be sweet is actually more savory and the mushrooms and truffle oil give way to an earthy symphony of flavors. Hints of crispy prosciutto and sweet Fuji apple round it all out, making each bite perfect.

Arugula with Roasted Mushrooms, Apples, Crispy Prosciutto + Truffle Vinaigrette
Recipe inspired by The Purple Pig


Fresh Arugula
1 cup mushrooms, diced
1 small Fuji apple, diced
1 slice prosciutto
Good olive oil

In a skillet, add a quick pour of olive oil. When the oil is heated, add mushrooms. Season with pepper and pan roast for 4-5 minutes, until mushrooms are soft and fragrant. Remove and set aside.

In the same pan, cook and crisp up prosciutto, about 2 minutes on each side. Prosciutto should be crispy.

Mix Arugula, mushrooms, and diced apple together. Crumble crispy prosciutto on top and toss with Truffle vinaigrette. (recipe below)

Truffle Vinaigrette
2 Tbsp. black truffle oil
2 Tbsp. red wine or champagne vinegar
Salt + pepper to season