I did it again last weekend – went grocery shopping without a list and no idea what I wanted to cook. I ended up buying way too much. Then to top it off, my husband goes out of town at the last minute, leaving me with an overloaded fridge and a healthy dose of guilt as I realize something is going to get wasted and I can’t stand waste.
Maybe I’ll make a huge pot of “everything but the kitchen sink” soup.
No – I want something light. Something that reminds me spring is just around the corner. Something colorful.
My husband had thrown a large red cabbage in the grocery cart. I only buy cabbage when I know exactly how I want to use it. I can’t improvise with cabbage. However, I’m determined to come up with something because it’s so colorful and festive-looking.
I pull more colorful things out of the fridge – a fresh bunch of basil, a package of baby kale, a bright red gala apple. How is any of this going to go with red cabbage? I don’t know. Just start chopping. It will come together somehow.
And it did. Turns out these flavors work really well together. Plus the colors were just what I was looking for and remind me that spring really is just around the corner.
Ingredients
2 cups baby kale – roughly chopped
1 cup red cabbage – shredded
½ apple – diced
juice of 1 lemon
garnish with pine nuts
Pesto Ingredients
1 cup basil – firmly packed
½ cup parmesan cheese – grated
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts
1 garlic clove
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/3 cup water
Directions
- Place kale and cabbage in a mixing bowl.
- Dice the apple and toss in lemon juice, making sure it’s thoroughly coated to prevent apple from browning.
- Drain off 1 tbsp. of the lemon juice and reserve for making the pesto.
- Mix apple with kale and cabbage.
- Place all of the pesto ingredient (except water) into a food processor and blend thoroughly. Adjust flavors to your liking. Then add small amounts of water and blend until desired consistency for dressing is reached.
- Place salad ingredients on a serving plate, sprinkle with pine nuts and pour desired amount of dressing on top.
- Serve immediately. Store left over dressing in separate container from salad to prevent wilting.
cheri says
I often go shopping without a list, and sometimes it works out but more than not it probably does not. Anyway, if this is the result of shopping without a list this is amazing. Beautiful pics!
Amy says
I guess being forced to think on the fly occasionally isn’t such a bad thing. But it goes against my very organized nature! Thanks, Cheri.
Mew says
Yes, yes, yes, to cabbage and apples. I always think of over-shopping as an opportunity for being creative.
Amy says
I agree about cabbage and apples. Adding shredded apples to cole slaw is one of my favorite things to do. And you’re right about the opportunity for creativity — a great “glass half full” philosophy! Thanks!