Warm Kale Salad {with bacon, pomegranate seeds, and spiced pumpkin seeds}

Originally posted at Tess and Tigerlily

This is a nice comfort-food salad for these cold, rainy fall days. On days like today, it's hard to crave something healthy like a green smoothie or a raw salad. This salad may not be the healthiest (depending on your diet/personal philosophy), but it sure gets a good dose of hearty greens in your body. You can make a heaping portion and eat it as a main dish, or serve it with something else, like spaghetti squash tossed in brown butter and sage.

Warm Kale Salad 
{Paleo, low carb, dairy free, gluten free}
serves 2 as a main, 4 as a side

This cozy salad includes bacon, kale, pomegranate seeds, and Pumpkin Pie Spiced Pumpkin Seeds (or plain pumpkin seeds.) I love keeping my home cooking quick and simple, but if you want to get fancy, add some garlic and shallots. Feel free to use any other hearty, leafy green you prefer! It doesn't need any seasoning, besides a dash of pepper, and perhaps a tiny pinch of salt (the bacon provides plenty of salty flavor), but I do love it tossed in a couple tablespoons of plain yogurt. It adds a yummy tang and a nice creamy texture. I don't actually do much measuring when I make this; I just add as much of each ingredient that I think my daughter and I will eat in one meal.

You will need:
4-6 strips of bacon, chopped in large chunks
3-4 large handfuls of kale
2 tbsp pomegranate seeds
1 tbsp Pumpkin Pie Spiced Pumpkin Seeds (or plain pumpkin seeds)

In a frying pan over medium heat, cook the bacon until crispy. Turn off heat and remove cooked bacon with a slotted spoon and lay out over a paper towel to drain. Drain any excess bacon fat, reserving about 2 tbsp in the pan. Toss the kale in the pan, massaging the bacon grease into the leaves until it wilts a bit. Add a pinch of pepper and any other seasonings you desire. Toss with the bacon, pomegranate seeds, and pumpkin seeds. Enjoy!

Kimchee and Pork Quesadilla

Originally Posted 5/17/14 at www.TessAndTigerlily.com

I made a delicious discovery a few weeks ago: Marination, an amazingly delicious Hawaiian Asian fusion restaurant! I've been twice, and both times had the same thing; kimchee quesadilla with Kalua pork. It was so good, I haven't wanted to try anything else there! I was perfectly happy driving down to Alki beach for a tasty lunch, but I felt compelled to make it at home. And I DID! The results: perfect!

Kimchee and Pork Quesadilla 

Inspired by Marination

You'll need:

Pork shoulder

Shredded cheese (I used mexican blend)

Kimchee

Sriracha sauce

Sour cream

Tortillas

Cilantro

First you'll need to cook your pork. I chose a smaller cut of pork shoulder, covered it in salt and pepper, and then cooked it in a slow cooker on low for 8 hours. When done, it is soft enough to shred with a fork. Delicious!

Next, take a tortilla, and top with shredded cheese, your cooked shredded pork, kimchee, and a sprinkle of chopped cilantro.

Top with another tortilla, warm until cheese is melted. I chose to warm in the microwave until mostly melted, and then grilled it on the stove in a lightly oiled pan, until fully heated, and lightly crispy on both sides.

Next, in a small bowl, mix some sour scream with sriracha sauce to taste, depending on your spicy preference. Cut your quesadilla into wedges, cover with your sriracha sour cream (if you want to get fancy, put sauce into a plastic sandwich bag, cut the tip off one corner, and drizzle it on) and then garnish with chopped cilantro.

Yum!!!

I dare you not to eat it everyday for a whole week.