Smoked Salt & Pepper

The kale salad from the salad bar at Whole Foods is delicious. My fiancé introduced it to me and a few friends and it is amazing! The dressing is sweet and a little citrusy and perfectly compliments the fresh, slightly bitter taste of kale. It's one of those dishes you don't feel guilty about when you eat a giant portion of it. But it, like everything at WH, can be pricey if you're hooked on it. I tried to look up a copy cat recipe online but wasn't very satisfied with the results. So, I did some investigating (IE reading the ingredients label at the salad bar) and came up with something pretty close. Whole Foods Kale Salad Ingredients: 1 bunch kale, washed, de-stemmed, and torn into bite-sized pieces 1 c. dried cranberries 1 c. sliced blanched almonds (the Whole Foods version also has dried apples, but the chewy texture kind of throws me off so I keep it out of mine) Dressing 1/3 c orange juice 3 tbs white balsamic vinegar 1/4 c olive oil 1 tbs honey ...

Years ago, my mother made up this recipe.  I had totally forgotten about it until one of my friends, Tina, was talking about how she loved it so much and wanted to make it now that she'd become vegetarian.  It is a really simple dish and very tasty.  The measurements might be weird.  I usually make the pesto by taste/feel so I'm kinda guestimating the amounts now. Pesto and Portobello Orzo Pesto and Portobello Orzo Ingredients: 2 cups orzo 1 bunch basil 1/4 c. shredded Parmesan cheese 1/8 to 1/4 c. pine nuts (I put about a handful in) salt and pepper to taste olive oil 1 carton sliced Baby Bella mushrooms Boil orzo according to package directions.  Drain and set aside. Combine basil, parmesan, and pine nuts in a food processor.  Mix while drizzling olive in until you get the consistency you want.  I like a thicker consistency for mine.  Add salt and pepper to taste. Saute the mushrooms in a little bit of olive oil ove...

Bun Bo Hue is a vietnamese spicy beef noodle soup.  Kind of like Pho's spicy cousin.  It originates from the central region of Vietnam, where my dad's side of the family is from.  This recipe is my aunt, Co Be's, recipe and it is deeeeeelicious!  My sister really wanted to preserve this recipe so she had my aunt film a tutorial on how to make it.  See below! Hope you enjoy. BUN BO HUE FROM CO BE. 20 lemongrass stalks (3 bunches), depending on the size 1 package pork baby back ribs (3 lbs). Co Be only buys pork and beef at the American groceries. 3 packages beef shanks (3 lbs each) 6 beef tendons (bought at the VN store) 2 sweet onions, peeled 1.5 cup of canola oil 4 tablespoons sugar 4 tablespoons garlic powder 1 tablespoons black pepper and about 3 tablespoons of salt, to taste 30 cloves garlic, finely minced About 6 tablespoons nước mắm (fish sauce), to taste. 8 tablespoons red chili powder (buy these at the American grocery st...