I’m always amazed at how divisive kale is. People either say they love it more than any other food, or they can’t stand it.  However, I find that those who say they hate it really haven’t eaten it more than once or twice – and they probably haven’t had it prepared in an interesting way.

Today I made a kale salad that’s sweet, salty, chewy and crunchy. I used tamari almonds and dried apricots, but there are endless variations on this dried fruit-and-nut theme. Sliced almonds and cranberries, pistachios and cherries, pine nuts and golden raisins, etc.  They’re all great.  And if you’re a cheese eater, a little shaved parmigiano-reggiano on top would be delicious.

This salad could just be the thing to create “kale converts.” Try it out on a kale hater you love!

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Kale Salad with Apricots and Almonds

1 bunch lacinato (Tuscan) kale
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon maple syrup or agave
¼ cup tamari almonds, roughly chopped (for gluten-free, make your own with wheat-free tamari)
8 organic unsulphered dried apricots, diced
Pinch coarse sea salt
Pinch dried red pepper flakes or Aleppo pepper
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Wash the kale, then stem: grab the end of a stem in one hand, then use your other hand to tear off the leaf by pulling your fingers along the stem.

Slice all the kale very thinly and place in a large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and gently massage for about 30 seconds.

Keeps for one day.

Serves 4

I’ve come to the conclusion that hummus is one of the most perfect foods. It has protein, fiber and all that jazz … and it’s deliciously satisfying. But (isn’t there always a but?) if you’re eating standard-issue, store-bought hummus, it can get monotonous. And the ingredients in some brands can be questionable, especially when it comes to the kind of oil the commercial manufacturers use.

So I’ve sworn off store-bought hummus in favor of making my own every time. Here’s why:

1. It’s cheaper.
2. It tastes better. Always.
3. You control the ingredients, and the nutrition.
4. You can vary the flavor in endless ways.
5. It literally takes just a couple minutes.

I whipped up a cilantro-lime hummus, and I can’t believe how good it is.  It doesn’t contain any tahini, so it has a super light flavor and texture. I threw this fresh-tasting green dip together by the seat of my pants, and I urge you to do the same. I didn’t give exact proportions in the recipe below, because you really don’t need them.

And guess what happened when I brought this particular hummu into work? Two of my co-workers developed an unhealthy obsession with it (well, I guess it was a healthy obsession), and urged me to package and sell this green gold. But that would invalidate my no-storebought-hummus rule, now wouldn’t it?!

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Cilantro-Lime Hummus

• Put 1 1/2 cups of chickpeas into the bowl of a food processor.
• Add about a quarter cup of extra virgin olive oil.
• Toss in a big handful of cilantro (I have small hands….adjust if you are giant)
• Add a clove or two of garlic.
• Add a good pinch of ground cumin (fresher the better)
• Squeeze in the juice of two limes.
• Add a bit of salt.
• Process until super smooth.

Serve with baked tortilla chips, pita bread, carrots or any other healthy dip vehicle.

Other unusual variations on the hummus theme, from my healthy blogger friends:

Beet Hummus from Lentil Breakdown
Black Eyed Pea Hummus from Lentil Breakdown
Lots of hummus variations from Jolly Tomato
Roasted Vegetable, Walnut and Green Lentil Hummus from Cooking in Westchester
Hot Guacamole Hummus from A Healthy Jalapeño
Cheezy Hummus from Oh She Glows
Chili Garlic Pumpkin Hummus from Manifest Vegan

When I happened upon the gorgeous spinach muffins on Green Kitchen Stories, I immediately challenged myself to make a vegan version.

Rather than following the original gluten-free approach, I used a combination of whole grain flours in my recipe. White whole wheat flour works really well, and I think using just a touch of buckwheat flour adds an intriguing flavor. (If you want to replace the buckwheat with additional cornmeal, you’ll have something closer to a corn muffin.)

If you have doubts about savory muffins – as I did at first – leave them behind. These are surprisingly light, tender and moist, thanks to all the vegetables, but yet don’t really taste like spinach. Whatever you do, don’t leave out the onions or the lemon, because they add the perfect sweet and bright flavor notes.

Spinach muffins are just the thing when you’re sitting down for a bowl of soup or chili. See below for some of my favorite recipes to serve these with.

Oh, and I have to tell you, your muffins will come out greener looking than the ones pictured here – the second time I made them, I used more spinach and liked it better. But I was too lazy to re-photograph!

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Savory Whole Grain Spinach Muffins

1 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour
½ cup stone-ground cornmeal
1/4 cup buckwheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons ground flax meal
6 tablespoons cold water
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon agave nectar
½ cup finely chopped yellow onion
5 ounce package baby spinach, chopped very finely in a food processor
1 medium carrot, grated
1 jalapeno or Serrano pepper, minced
Zest of one lemon
1 cup soy milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Whisk together the flax and water in a cup or small bowl. Microwave for 1 minute, and place in a medium bowl. Stir in the olive oil, agave, onion, spinach, carrot, hot pepper and lemon zest.

Combine the soy milk and lemon juice and let sit for a few minutes, then add to the vegetables.

Combine the flour, cornmeal, buckwheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper. Pour the dry ingredients into the vegetable mixture and stir briefly just until combined.

Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking oil spray.  Fill the cups until nearly full and bake for 22 minutes.

Wondering what to serve Whole Grain Spinach Muffins with? Here you go:

 Chipotle and Chocolate Chili
Smoky Black Bean Soup
Butternut Squash and Celery Root Soup
Black Bean Chili with Butternut Squash
Roasted Winter Vegetable Soup
Spicy Butternut Squash Soup