Warm Kale & Chickpea Salad

Time is going way too fast these days. Wasn't it just December? I miss the days where summer break felt just as long as the school year. Now it feels as though it is gone in the blink of an eye. So with the summer months approaching I try to not only change my body (usually a hopeless cause) but to change my cooking style as well. Healthier options are at the forefront and late-night treks to The Meatball Shop are pushed to the back burner, unless of course I am out in any vicinity of the lower east side. 

This light, warm kale salad satisfies my healthy endeavor as well as being a creamy, delicious meal or side dish during any weekday night. 

Ingredients:
1 tbsp tahini paste
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp honey
1 16oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
4 cups chopped kale

1. In a small bowl whisk together tahini paste, lemon juice, olive oil, cumin, salt and honey. Set aside. 2. In a large bowl toss together chickpeas, walnuts and feta.
3. Bring a medium sized saucepan with salted water to a boil. Add kale and simmer until bright green and slightly tender, 2 minutes.
4. Drain kale and add to bowl with chickpea mixture. Add tahini dressing and toss to coat salad

Blueberry Scones with Lemon Glaze

Spring, my favorite season which usually exists for about 2 weeks in NYC before the insanely hot weather comes, has officially arrived! One thing I love about living in New York City is how excited people get once the weather peaks above 60 degrees. You would think  that it's 80 degrees outside by the way people dress. Skirts and tank tops are on, the flip-flops are broken out and people are outside drinking like its the Fourth of July. But even better than the overzealous fashions, are the beautiful fruits and vegetables of this season. Although it is about a month premature for blueberries, they looked delicious so I went with it.

I adapted this recipe from one of my favorite recipe writers, Tyler Florence. This recipe is not your typical scone, but it is a bit more of a lighter version similar more to a pastry than a normal scone you may think of.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsp. sugar

5 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 cup fresh blueberries

1 cup heavy cream plus more for brushing scones

2 tbsp. lemon juice

1 cup confectioners sugar

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Sift together dry ingredients, flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Using 2 forks or a pastry blender, cut in the butter to coat the pieces of flour until the mixture resembles course crumbs.

2. Fold the blueberries into the batter being careful not to mash or bruise them. Make a well in the center and pour in the heavy cream. Fold everything together just to incorporate, do not overwork the dough.

3. Press the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle about 12x13x1. Cut the rectangle in half, then cut the pieces in half again giving you 4 (3 inch) squares. Cut the squares in half on a diagonal to give you the triangle shape.

4. Place the scones on an ungreased cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and brush the tops lightly with heavy cream. Bake until golden brown, about 15-20 min. Let the scones cool a bit before you apply the glaze.

5. For glaze, mix lemon juice and confectioners' sugar until completely combined. If glaze seems too thick