I really wanted to be early in having some recipes ready for the next holiday, Saint Patrick’s Day and while there will be Shepherd’s pie coming soon that couldn’t be my first runner up into March. Cabbages are also in season along with so many of my favorite produce like leeks, green onions, and even strawberries.
I feel really good about how February has gone as I am happy with how the content came out and day by day I am getting the hang of this more and more. Its crazy to me how long it takes from getting an idea and turning that idea into a video, editing it, writing and recording a voice over, writing the recipes on my site as well as here and then the madness of posting on 5 different platforms and doing this twice a week. While also working on the meal plan which has been coming into fruition and I think I can say I am at a solid halfway point. Now I have to get the ball rolling on filming a couple videos to complete March and quickly pivot over to April. So if you have any ideas or suggestions for April recipes now is the time to comment and let me know what you would like to see.
I don’t think I have properly introduced my personal site here on Substack. She is the mothership as she has all of my recipes I have ever posted, even recipes from my old Instagram. On the home page their is links to all my accounts as this truly is one of the best ways to support my work by following along and engaging with my content. Even reading this article, bonus points if you share any of my work on your social media.
If you missed Friday’s recipe drop no worries cause I got it all here. This recipe was an absolute hit and I was so happy it did well and people really seemed to like my voiceover which had me extra excided as I was talking about how doing things with our hands like cooking, sends happy signals to our brain. Gardening, cleaning, organizing anything that allows your brain to rest while your hands are active.
This kale brussel caesar & crispy buffalo chickpeas was the highlight of my week. The dressing is soo good that I am definetly going to be preparing it more often because honestly I am always cooking so many new things for content that I sometimes forget about the simple things that I have made and loved time and time again.
One of my childhood favorites made into a more grown up version with its crispy air fried buffalo chickpeas, charred brussels, dino kale and red cabbage.
*Makes about 4 servings of dressed salad or 1 1/2 cups dressing*
Ingredients - Dressing
1/2 cup soaked cashews
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp dijon mustard
2 tsp capers and their juice
1/2 cup of water
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
1/2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp paprika
Ingredients - Buffalo Chickpeas
1 can of chickpeas, rinsed
2 tbsp oil
3 tbsp tabasco or franks red hot
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp paprika
Ingredients - Charred Brussels
8 brussels cut in half
2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tbsp tabasco
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tbsp garlic powdered
Ingredients - Salad * scale down if you are not looking to make salads for 4 people *
6 cups washed and chopped dinosaur kale '
1 1/2 cups thinly chopped red cabbage
Garnish
I used violife parm cheese block and shaved off pieces using a veggie peeler.
Instructions
First things first, soak your chickpeas. If you haven’t soaked any overnight dont worry as I have found a little cheat for this. Boil your cashews till they have expanded, look spongy and are soft enough to blend. This typically takes maybe 30 min.
I used a nutribullet but for this recipe any blender should do the trick as long as it can blend nuts well. Otherwise it may be chunky which isnt really the texture we are looking for.
I recommend blending the cashews and water first till smooth and then add in the remaining ingredients. Then pour into a jar and put in the fridge to cool while we work on the other components.
Now to work on the chickpeas. Rinse them, I always save the aquafaba to make vegan mayo so I highly recommend saving it to use later. Once the chickpeas are rinsed, transfer into a bowl and give them a toss with oil, hot sauce and seasonings. Plop them into the air fryer with a liner and let them cook till crispy. Maybe 15 min at 350 depending on the air fryer you have. After they have cooked, toss your brussels in their marinade and plop them into the air fryer and cook for 7-10 min at 350.
Lets wash and clean our kale and get it ready for chopping. Next cut your cabbage in half, then in half again to get a little quarter segment, then cut out the core. If this is confusing check out the video I made for this recipe showing how I broke down the cabbage. Lastly with your perfect little quarter segment go into chopping thin strips.
Now to dress the salad. In a bowl add in your kale, cabbage, charred brussles and add in your dressing. Massage with your hands till the dressing has been thoroughly massaged into the mix then transfer to your plate.
To garnish I drizzled the dressing on top using a squeeze bottle, sprinkled the crispy chickpeas, added a couple brussels for the aesthetic and of course some shaved parm cheese.
Here is a sneak peak on Friday’s post and recipe drop. It’s spin on a Saint Patrick’s Day Classic. Sausage and Cabbage. Traditionally the dish is cabbage and sausage and maybe some root vegetables but I really wanted to put my spin on it and use orecchiette pasta. This savory pasta dish is comforting, creamy, lemoney and full of savory flavor. The smells alone coming from the sauteed onions, garlic and carrots have me reminiscing and wanting to make this again. I really liked the red chili flakes in this dish but if spicy isn’t your thing then feel free to omit.
* Serves 4-6 depending on the portions *
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