I don’t like making a big deal out of my birthday, especially now that I’m older. So I was more than happy to celebrate by:
- Getting a free venti caffè Americano at Starbucks after my morning walk
- Sporting a new rainbow pullover (that I purchased on sale) while working comfortably from home
- Chowing down on kale pasta salad and vegan peach crisp for lunch and dinner – I whipped up both recipes using ingredients on hand, including produce from Cal-Organic Farms and a friend’s parents’ yard.
- Watching The Bachelorette hometown dates – What can I say? I’m addicted to the show.
It was low key, just the way I wanted it to be. That said, I’m taking Friday off to explore Sausalito and, hopefully, indulge in a lot of good belated birthday food.
Recipe adapted from Savory Experiments.
Kale Pasta Salad
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients
- 8 ounces fusilli or other short pasta
- ½ pound kale, ribs removed and roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more, to taste
- ¼ cup pitted Kalamata olives, sliced
- ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, removed from oil and chopped
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
- ½ teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ¼ cup Feta cheese crumbles
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.
- In another large bowl, combine the kale and salt. Massage until the kale starts to soften and wilt, about 2 minutes. Transfer to bowl with pasta.
- Add next nine ingredients (Kalamata olives through Parmesan cheese) and toss to combine.
- Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour. Serve cold or at room temperature.
