Chive Flower Tempura Salad

Ingredients:

One bunch of chive flowers (about 16 flowers)
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup ice cold club soda or seltzer or soda water
a pinch of baking powder
Salt & pepper
Vegetable oil for shallow frying
Store brought tempura dipping sauce
3 cups salad leaves of your choice (dont use strong tasting ones like arugula)

Instructions:

Cut the chive flowers from the stems. Chop up the stems and reserve.

Make the tempura batter by gently mixing together flour, soda water, baking powder, salt and pepper. Dip a chive flower into the batter and shallow fry till crisp and golden on all sides. Repeat with all chive flowers, a few at a time. Drain the tempura on paper towels. Arrange tempura over salad leaves. Garnish with chopped chive stems. Serve with your favorite tempura dipping sauce.

http://www.veggiebelly.com/2010/06/chive-blossom-tempura-salad.html

Parmesan Pepper Crispy Kale Chips

INGREDIENTS

3 pounds curly kale (see Cooks' notes)
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
8 tablespoons finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, divided
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, divided
Fine sea salt, divided
Special equipment:
2 very large bowls; 2 large (half-sheet 18- by 13-inch) rimmed sheet pans; parchment paper or nonstick foil

PREPARATION

Heat oven to 275°F with racks in upper and lower thirds.

Line rimmed sheet pans with parchment or nonstick foil.

Cut out and discard stems and center ribs from kale. Aim for 32 cups of leaves (use a 1- or 2-quart glass measure and pack leaves without crushing them). Wash leaves and dry well.

Transfer half of kale to a large bowl. Toss with half of oil, rubbing leaves to make sure they are well coated, then toss with half of parmesan, pepper, and salt. Once the first half is in the oven, repeat with the other half of the kale.

Working in batches, spread leaves in a single layer on lined sheet pans and bake, switching positions of sheets halfway through, until crisp, about 25 minutes. Transfer crisps with a metal spatula to baking sheets or platters to cool. Reuse parchment or foil for successive batches.

Cooks' notes:
•Bunches of kale can vary tremendously in the amount of stems they include, skewing the weight and therefore the yield. Some varieties of curly kale, particularly organic ones, include very little stem, so you may only need to buy 2 pounds to reach 32 cups.
•Kale crisps can be made 1 day ahead and stored in an airtight container at cool room temperature. Re-crisp in 275°F oven, if necessary.
•If you're using Tuscan kale, you can follow the exact same procedure using 2 pounds of Tuscan kale (aka lacinato or dinosaur kale) with 3 tablespoons olive oil, 4 tablespoons grated Parmesan, 1 teaspoon pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/parmesan-pepper-curly-kale-chips-51142280

Spring Greens with Garlic Oregano Vinaigrette

The garlic oregano vinaigrette is an infused salad dressing. For best flavor, make this big batch at least 4 days before you plan to use it to allow the flavors to infuse the oil and vinegar. The dressing will keep 3 to 4 weeks in refrigerator. This recipe is from The Art of Real Food, by Joanne Neft and Laura Kenny.

2 to 3 cups lettuce or mixed greens

2 kohlrabi, peeled and thinly sliced

1 bunch radishes, sliced

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup cheese, your choice

Vinaigrette:

1 1/2 cups olive oil

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 to 1/2 cup fresh or dried oregano

(if fresh, slice leaves in half)

1/2 head garlic, peeled & sliced

Salt and pepper to taste

Salad: Combine salad ingredients. Toss salad with 2 tablespoons garlic oregano vinaigrette and serve. Serves 4.

Vinaigrette: Put vinaigrette ingredients in a quart jar. Shake well. Keep at room temperature 4 days, until flavors are infused. Shake at least once a day. After 4 days, strain dressing; discard oregano and garlic. Store in a tightly sealed jar. Makes 2 cups.

http://www.newcastleproduce.net/recipes.php?id=340

Spicy Mustard Green Pesto

Brilliantly green, this mustard green pesto packs a bit of a kick. It pairs beautifully with roasted potatoes, tomato salads and sourdough breads. Choose a good quality, extra virgin olive oil (get one here), that's rich in antioxidants which can add to the complexity of flavors achieved in this spicy pesto.

Ingredients
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
6 cloves garlic (crushed)
2 bunches mustard greens (trimmed and chopped)
1/2 teaspoon unrefined sea salt
1 1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil

Instructions
Toss pecans, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds into a bowl, and cover them by 2 inches with warm water. Allow them to soak for 4 to 6 hours, drain and rinse well. If you're in a bind, you can substitute sprouted or roasted nuts and seeds.

Place soaked pecans, pumpkin and sunflower seeds and garlic into your food processor. Pulse 3 to 4 times until just combined. Toss in mustard greens and sea salt and pulse for a few seconds.

Turn the food processor on and slowly drizzle olive oil into the seeds and greens until it forms a smooth and uniform paste. Serve immediately or transfer to mason jars, cap with additional olive oil and refrigerate for up to a month.

http://nourishedkitchen.com/spicy-mustard-green-pesto/