Butternut Squash & Kale Salad with Tahini Dressing

 I made this recipe for my family pot luck Thanksgiving this year. It was a huge hit! It takes all of the colors and flavors of fall and puts them in one salad. While it has a lot of ingredients and directions, this recipe is easy to make and doesn’t require you to be standing in the kitchen dicing and chopping for very long. Enjoy!

My week long trip started off in Las Vegas for an intensive 3-day training on how to up the ante on KWSOF. And.it.did!! The hardest part though, what was I going to eat? Las Vegas isn’t known for it’s healthy food and not wanting to compromise how I like to eat, I knew it would be a challenge. Luckily Henderson, NV has a gorgeous Whole Foods so I knew I’d be set. When I arrived on Wednesday I did a big shop and came right back to my brand new rented fridge which I immediately stocked!

Some of the easiest items? The LaraBars for a mid-morning snack & apples with almond butter for my dessert. No bowls for having Paleokrunch cereal with coconut milk? No problem! I used the hotel water glasses as my bowl and took plastic forks, spoons & knives to keep in the room. You have to get crafty when you travel! It’s so easy to make excuses but you can do it too! Lunches were easy too, back to Whole Foods I went for the salad bar which is always fresh and many veggies are organic.

On Saturday night it was off to LA…I was full of information, excitement and confidence (so much so that I drove myself there!)

Some food highlights:

Elf Cafe

So I have an obsession with Katie Lowes – I can’t help it, she’s amazing! I recently read about how much she likes the Elf Cafe so of course, I had to try it. Four of my favorite things are in this dish: kale, quinoa, avocado & egg…perfection!!

Gracias Madre:

Vegan Mexican amazingness! NYC is really missing this kind of restaurant (the kind where Beyonce & JLo frequent) and I wish it would translate to the east coast. This place is so creative and tastes just as good as a non-vegan restaurant (actually, maybe even better!) This would be a staple for me if I lived anywhere near West Hollywood.

The Farm

Beverly Hills is gorgeous! And the dishes at The Farm mirror that beauty! More of my favorite things: kale, quinoa & avocado, they just make me so happy!

Moon Juice

I could not be more obsessed with a smoothie/juice shop that I am with Moon Juice! They have such creative and decadent tasting drinks that I had to get 2. I legit drank them together because I couldn’t pick just one. I also loved the staff because even though most drinks are pre-made, they made me a special combo and didn’t give me a hard time at all.

Cafe Gratitude 

I finally made it here! I’ve wanted to eat here for years and am so grateful to have finally experienced this place. It was definitely worth the hype! The picture doesn’t do this bowl any justice but it was everything! In the bowl: braised butternut squash, adzuki beans, sea vegetables, seasonal sautéed greens, housemade kim chee, black sesame seed gomasio, garlic-tahini sauce, teriyaki almonds, sunflower sprouts, and quinoa. YUM!

I love smoothies! This greenberry smoothie is packed with vitamins, protein, cancer prevention properties, promotes heart health, etc etc. So much goodness is just one glass will keep you going in the morning or when you need a pick-me-up snack.

I didn’t grow up being a cold soup kinda girl. I loved soup but just couldn’t get on board with “summer soups.” Luckily in the last few years I’ve started to try different gazpacho’s and realized that I’ve really been missing out!

I saw a version of this green gazpacho in a cookbook recently and just had to try it. While you might be used to tomato based gazpacho’s, this one is high in nutrients and low in calories with both kiwi and kale having high counts of vitamin C. Did you know that eating kale is beneficial for maintaining healthy skin, hair and strong bones, as well as helping with digestion and lowering the risk for heart disease? Like the sound of all of that? Give this summer gazpacho recipe a try!

Kiwi & Kale Gazpacho

Serves 4

Ingredients:

~ 5 cups steamed kale

~ 2 kiwis, peeled and cut in quarters

~ 1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into pieces

~ 2 cloves garlic, cut into pieces

~ 1 small jalapeno, quartered and seeded (optional)

~ 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

~ 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

~ Himalayan sea salt to taste

Directions:

~ Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth

~ Cover and refrigerate for about an hour before serving