Winter Salads

By Sandy Hu
The latest from Inside Special Fork

For Valentine’s Day, I received a beautiful bouquet of…endive! The California Endive folks cleverly take advantage of the endive’s chicory root base to serve as the “stem” for the endive “flower,” which is a ringer for a French tulip. Gathered together in a bunch, wrapped in cellophane and tied with a red bow, it’s the prefect, edible valentine bouquet.

Endive is one of my favorite vegetables, so in no time, I was slicing some up for a salad. My favorite combination is to team endive with apples or pears, toasted walnuts and blue cheese, and toss with a slightly sweet dressing. The combination of the crisp, clean and slightly bitter endive, contrasted with the sweetness of winter fruits, the nutty crunch of walnuts and the creamy bite of blue cheese is a classic.

Click to read more ...

Birthday Bouquet of Greens

By Lori Powell

Another B’day is right around the corner and an early gift has arrived on my doorstep. A bouquet of greens!

They’re especially great when fresh-picked at a farm stand or from your neighbor’s garden, but to present them this way as a gorgeous bouquet of healthy greens to celebrate my birthday is just perfection. So lovely that I could have put them in a vase and placed them on my table.

So gorgeous…how could I even think of cooking them? Well at least for a day or two.

I quickly came to my senses as I can’t get enough of kale – raw, cooked or in a smoothie. It was love at first bite.

Below is one of my favorite ways to serve them…oh and they are amazingly good for you. Go figure. So below, my happy b’day kale recipe.

Click to read more ...