VeganMoFo: Kale Salad, Soup and Grilled Cheez

Yesterday's post got me thinking about that Kale salad at M Cafe. It's covered in the most delectable spicy peanut sauce that I really can't get enough of. I tried replicating at home once by sauteeing the kale and making my own peanut sauce but it came out way salty. I didn't even think about going online to find the recipe. Well today I did and I found this video of the exec chef of M Cafe making this salad! He doesn't really give you measurements but you can at least get the gist of it all. So I got to work and whipped up the sauce and preparing the kale in the same way as in the video. Perfection! I will be making this more often from now on.

My Interpretation of M Cafe's Spicy Peanut Sauce

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (didn't have crunchy)
1/2 tsp minced ginger
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
pinch of salt
1 TB or more of red wine vinegar (didn't have brown rice vinegar)
1 TB or more of agave nectar (again didn't have brown rice syrup)
1 TB or more of soy sauce
a tiny bit of water (to help thin out sauce if too thick)
1/8-1/4 tsp cayenne
extra red pepper flakes

Whisk all ingredients together or blend. The measurements for the vinegar, agave, soy sauce etc. are loose because I was basically adding them from the bottle a bit at a time while whisking all together. I also tasted it as I went along until it was just right. You should do the same. It should be creamy, peanutty, slightly tangy and sweet with a spicy kick. The consistency of the dressing should be smooth, creamy and not too thick where you can't pour it.
Blanche a big bunch of kale in boiling water for 2 minutes. Remove kale and submerge immediately in ice water. Squeeze out all the water and pour sauce over the kale. You will probably have a lot more sauce than you need. Use what you want and save the rest for another dish! Toss lightly and add sliced red onions and chopped peanuts. Chill.



I made soup today. God knows why, it was 89 degrees out. I had two bunches of celery in my fridge which was an accident. I bought the second bunch a few days ago before I realized we already had a bunch hiding in the fridge. So this soup is what I always make when there is an abundance of celery. It's a very light and delicious soup that goes well with a salad or grilled "cheez" sandwich.

Celery-Potato Soup

2 TB olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 ribs or so of celery, chopped
2 small potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 C vegetable broth
1/2 C plain soymilk
1 tsp cornstarch mixed with about 2 TB water
salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a soup pot on medium high heat. Add onion, garlic and celery and saute for about 4 minutes until soft. Add potatoes and broth and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover and simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Add soymilk and salt and pepper and keep simmering. Add the cornstarch/water mixture and let simmer to thicken. Puree half of the soup in a blender and pour back into the pot. Serve hot.


Another grilled cheez with tomatoes, basil and olive oil made with Colby Chedda from The Uncheese Cookbook.