This is the third in a series of recipes I created for Moyer Beef. Moyer can be found in many Tops Friendly Markets across the Northeast. It can be pretty hard to get excited about salad this time of year. But after a few days of eating carbs on carbs on carbs (what do you mean mac and cheese and Christmas cookies isn’t a balanced meal?) I really needed some vegetables in my life.

Luckily, I have a few tricks up my sleeve for salads that are totally crave-able even when it’s snowing outside. This Thai Steak Salad definitely fits the bill. It’s warm and hearty, packed with flavor, and tossed with a vinaigrette that smells so good you’ll be dreaming about it for days.

They key to making a delicious winter salad is starting with a hearty protein. This isn’t the time to be messing around with delicate flavors. Steak is perfect.

For this Thai steak salad, I used an inside round/London broil from Moyer, a brand that sources USDA grade Prime or Choice beef from small family farms in New York and Pennsylvania. (You can read about my visit to one of their partner farms here.)

How to cook delicious London Broil

London Broil gets a bad rap sometimes; I get it. Growing up in the 80’s, we ate it frequently because it was affordable, but it wasn’t usually prepared in a way that showed it off well. With less than 5 grams of fat, London Broil is considered an extra-lean cut of beef. Unfortunately, that lack of fat also means it’s prone to drying out and becoming tough. But prepared correctly, it can actually be really tender and delicious!

Marinating the steak helps keep it tender, while infusing it with tons of flavor. For this recipe, I flavored the marinade with sesame oil, fish sauce, chili paste, and ginger. You want the steak to marinate for between three and twenty-four hours, so go ahead and prep everything either at night or in the morning before you leave for work so dinner will be a breeze.

Once your steak tenderizes and soaks up all that delicious flavor, grill it until it’s medium-rare or medium and slice it thinly across the grain. (Please don’t cook it well done unless you know you like it that way.)

While the steak cooks, prepare the rest of the salad. Kale makes a great salad base, since it’s hearty enough to stand up to the beef. I love mixing fresh basil and mint in with it to brighten the flavor and make it a little more interesting. Massage the kale with reserved marinade and lime juice to help tenderize it. I prefer lacinato/dinosaur kale, which is more tender, but used curly kale this time because it was all they had at the store. Either way, you can’t go wrong.

For flavor and texture, I add peppery radishes, charred scallions (you can substitute thinly sliced red onion if you prefer), and roast cashews.

And there you go – a winter salad that you’ll actually look forward to eating!

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Thai Steak Salad with Kale and Cashews

Cook Time 3 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 3 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Calories 477kcal

Author Lauren Keating

Ingredients

• ⅓ cup coconut vinegar or apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons fish sauce
• ¼ cup sesame oil
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ½ teaspoon fermented chili paste optional
• salt
• 1.5 pounds London Broil about 2 inches thick
• 1 tablespoon grated ginger
• 2 garlic cloves grated
• 6 scallions
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 bunches lacinato/dinosaur kale
• 2 limes juiced
• 6 sprigs mint chopped
• 6 sprigs basil chopped
• 6 radishes thinly sliced
• ¼ cup roast cashews
• lime wedges for serving

Instructions

• Combine the first five ingredients in a small bowl; season with a generous pinch of salt. Pour half of the marinade into a small container and refrigerate to use later on the kale. Stir the ginger and garlic into the remaining marinade. Place the steak in a small, deep container; pour the marinade over the steak, turning it to coat. Dover and refrigerate at least 3 hours, or up to 24 hours.
• Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Add the scallions and cook 4-5 minutes, or until the scallions soften and start to lightly char. Remove the scallions from the heat and slice them thinly.
• Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the grill pan. When the oil starts to shimmer, add the steak (discard the marinade). Grill for 15 minutes, turning once, or until the steak reaches an internal temperature of 140ºF. Remove from the heat and let rest 10 minutes before slicing thinly against the grain.
• Remove the tough stems and ribs from the kale, then thinly slice the leaves. In a large bowl, combine the kale, reserved marinade, and lime juice. Use your hands to massage the dressing into the kale until it begins to soften. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss in the mint, basil, sliced scallions, radishes, and cashews.
• Top the salad with the sliced steak. Serve with lime wedges, if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 477kcal | Protein: 30g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 78mg | Sodium: 662mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g

If you’ve ever done a Whole 30, you know that eggs are a pretty big component of the plan. They’re one of the best-tasting things you can eat, plus they’re one of the easiest things to make. You find yourself eating them morning, noon, and night.

After eating so many eggs, I thought I’d be tired of them by the end of my 30 days. Surprisingly, the opposite was true. They’ve gone from something we never gave much thought to, to a huge part of our diet.

We eat them over vegetable hash, poached in spicy sauce, and on top of grain bowls. These ham and kale egg cups are an easy make ahead breakfast that has saved my butt on more than a few mornings.

Standing in front of the egg refrigerator at the grocery store can be a little intimidating. Even at stores like Whole Foods or the local Co-op, there are a ton of options.

Cage free? Free range? White? Brown? Organic? Vegetarian Fed? It’s enough to make your head spin.

We had chickens when I was growing up, and nothing beats a farm fresh egg. Unfortunately, that’s not always an option. Backyard chickens aren’t allowed in my neighborhood and even if they were I don’t really have the time or space that they need.

So, I do the best I can at the grocery store. Nellie’s eggs are free range, which means they have easy access to the outdoors where they’re able to scratch, peck, and do all the other things chickens do. They’re also certified humane, and I like the idea that their hens are treated with a little respect.

They also offer farm tours so you check them out for yourself, which I think is really cool and transparent of them. Plus even though they’re in the business of selling eggs, they encourage everyone to raise their own chickens and even have a section of their web site dedicated to showing you how. I’ve never met them, but they seem like good people so I feel good about choosing their eggs.

How to make egg cups

I love making eggs cups because they’re super easy and can be customized in a million different ways.

They’re baked in a muffin tin for built-in portion control and portability – think of them like a mini crustless quiche or fritatta.

To make egg cups, start by whiskng together a dozen eggs along with salt, pepper, or whatever other seasonings you like.

Then, pour the eggs into a muffin tin. I like my egg cups on the larger side, so I use 12 eggs to make 9 cups.

For this version, I added massaged kale, diced ham (I just use a small ham steak), and fresh herbs.

Add the fillings to each cup individually rather than trying to mix them in to all of the eggs. That way, you won’t have to pour out something full of solids (messy!) and you can make the mix-ins are distributed evenly throughout all of the egg cups.

This combination is my personal favorite, but you can customize them with your favorite fillings or even do a try that’s mix and match.

Sometimes I’ll make half a pan of ham and kale egg cups for myself, then swap out the kale for spinach and add some cheese to the rest for Shawn.

They keep in the refrigerator for several days, and are delicious hot or cold so they’re great for breakfast on the go!

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Ham and Kale Egg Cups

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 9

Calories 134kcal

Author Lauren Keating

Ingredients

• 2 cups kale
• salt and pepper
• 12 large eggs
• ¼ cup milk or nutmilk optional
• 4 ounces diced ham
• ¼ cup parsley chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped chives

Instructions

• Heat the oven to 350ºF.
• Cut the kale into thin ribbons. Sprinkle with salt and massage several minutes, until the kale begin to soften. Set aside.
• Crack the eggs into a large measuring cup. Add the milk, if using, and season with salt and pepper. Whisk well to combine.
• Spray a muffin tin with nonstick spray or oil. Pour the eggs into nine of the muffin cups, filling each 3/4 of the way full. Add some ham, kale, parsley, and chives to each cup. Use a fork to stir gently, so that the kale is submerged.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the tops of the egg cups are set. Let cool slightly, then remove the eggs from the pan. Serve immediately or refrigerate for later.

Nutrition

Calories: 134kcal | Protein: 11g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Taste of Home. The opinions and text are all mine.

I created this recipe for my client, Steamables Side Delights. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep me inspired in the kitchen. 

Once it’s nice enough outside to grill, weeknight dinners get so much easier.  As long as the sun is shining outside, odds are pretty good that you’ll find a big bowl of potato salad or pasta salad in our refrigerator. Its easy to make ahead, keeps well, and can be paired with just about any protein for a quick and easy meal. Plus if you load them up with veggies they can even double as lunch!

Since I don’t eat mayonnaise, I’ve gotten pretty creative with my potato salad over the years. My signature salad has a creamy dressing made with Greek yogurt and hummus, but I also love to make Nicoise-style potato salad with mustardy dressing and, if I’m feeling fancy, warm potato salad with sherry vinaigrette.

I felt like I needed another creamy potato salad in my repertoire, so I developed this red potato salad with creamy chimichurri dressing. Chimichurri is a zippy Argentinean condiment made with loads of garlic, parsley, and red wine vinegar – I’m obsessed! Chimichurri is traditionally paired with grilled meat or seafood, but I also love using it as the base for a vinaigrette or even as an easy way to jazz up an egg sandwich. For this potato salad recipe, I combined the flavors of chimichurri with Greek yogurt to make a creamy dressing with a ton of flavor.

The one downside to making potato salad is that I’m reallllly impatient. I hate waiting for water to boil, and potatoes can take a long time to cook! For a while, Shawn banned me from cooking them because he was tired of me serving them to him half raw. Luckily I’ve gotten better over the years (an induction burner helped!) so they’re back on our table.

A year or two ago I discovered Steamables potatoes, which make things even easier. They’re triple-washed and come in a bag that can go right into the microwave. All is takes is 7-8 minutes and the potatoes come out perfectly cooked every time.

Plus, these smaller sized potatoes are just super cute! Sometimes I buy them, cut the bag open, and roast them because I know they’ll always be great. (Plus there are purple ones!)

How to make Red Potato Salad with Creamy Chimichurri Dressing

To make this red potato salad, start by cooking your potatoes. While they cook, heat a little bit of oil in a pan and ass some asparagus. Cook it for about 3 minutes on each side, until it’s lightly charred. Set the potatoes and asparagus aside until they’re cool enough to handle.

While the vegetables cool, make the dressing by mixing together fat free Greek yogurt, freshly chopped parsley and oregano, red pepper flakes, olive oil, and red wine vinegar. Season the dressing to taste with salt and pepper.

Cut the potatoes into quarters and the asparagus into 1-inch pieces, then add them to the dressing along with some chopped kale and radishes. I love the peppery crunch that radishes add to the potato salad, but you can leave them out if they’re not your jam.

Mix everything up and refrigerate it until it’s thoroughly chilled. The potato salad will keep for a few days, but the dressing can start to taste flat after a while. If that happens, mix in a glug or two of vinegar to perk things back up.

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Red Potato Salad with Chimichurri and Spring Vegetables

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Calories 159kcal

Author Lauren Keating

Ingredients

• 1 bag Steamables Side Delights red potatoes or 1 pound small red potatoes
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 10 asparagus stalks trimmed
• ¾ cup plain 0% Greek yogurt
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 bunch parsley about 1 cup, chopped
• ½ bunch oregano about 1/4 cup, chopped
• ½ cup red wine vinegar
• ⅓ cup olive oil
• 2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 cup chopped kale
• 6 radishes quartered

Instructions

• Cook the potatoes until soft (in the case of Side Delights, microwave the bag for 8 minutes). Set aside and let cool to the touch. Cut the potatoes into quarters.
• Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a heavy skillet. Add the asparagus and cook 3 minutes on each side, until lightly charred. Remove from heat and cut into 1-inch pieces.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the yogurt, garlic, parsley, oregano, red pepper flakes, vinegar, and oil. Mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Mix in the potatoes, asparagus, kale, and radishes.
• Chill well before serving.

Notes

If the potato salad tastes flat after it sits, mix in a generous splash of vinegar to perk it back up.

Nutrition

Calories: 159kcal | Protein: 5g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 31mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g

Looking for more potato salad recipes? Check out French Potato Salad , Mexican Potato Salad, German Potato Salad & Pan Roasted Smoky Potato Salad.

Next time there’s snow in the forecast, forget about running to the store for milk and bread – this lentil soup is all you need. It’s ridiculously good and really easy to make. With the exception of merguez, which can easily be swapped out for Italian sausage, the ingredients are all staples that I always have on hand.

Merguez is a North African sausage made out of beef or lamb mixed with warm spices like cumin and Harissa. It’s packed full of flavor and is typically served grilled, but it’s also amazing in omelets and soups like this one. It can be hard to find, so when I see it I like to pick up a few extra packages for the freezer. (You can also make homemade merguez; skip the casing if you only plan to use it for this soup.)

I took inspiration from the flavors of the sausage and seasoned this soup with garlic, cumin, and coriander, which give more depth to the flavor of the broth. The last minute addition of kale balances out the soup’s richness and adds a touch of freshness, while a drizzle of vinegar brightens it up.

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Lentil and Kale Soup with Merguez

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Calories 349kcal

Author Lauren Keating

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 ounces merguez or Italian sausage crumbled
• 1 onion finely chopped
• 3 celery ribs finely chopped
• 2 carrots finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 tablespoon roasted ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon roasted ground coriander
• 1 cup lentils
• 28 ounces chopped tomatoes in puree
• 8 cups water
• 4 cups chopped kale
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Instructions

• Heat the olive oil in a heavy soup pan set over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the onion, celery, and garlic; cook until the onions are soft but not brown, about 3 minutes. Stir in the spiced and cook 1 minute.
• Ad the lentils, tomatoes, and water. Simmer for 30-40 minutes, or until the lentils are tender. Season with salt, to taste. Stir in the kale and cook until wilted. Remove from heat and stir in the vinegar.

Nutrition

Calories: 349kcal | Protein: 16.6g | Fat: 1.8g | Fiber: 15.7g

 More Lentil Recipes that are perfect for winter:

Roasted Eggplant and Lentil Soup

Slow Cooker Lentil and Pumpkin Chili

Carrot and Red Lentil Soup

I’m sitting at an airport Starbucks right now, waiting for my flight to DC for Eat, Write Retreat. The people sitting behind me keep glancing over like “What is that crazy girl doing with a million pictures of food?” (Hi people reading over my shoulder!) Anyway, it’s going to be a great weekend, and I hope to come home with new skills and fresh inspiration that will help make this blog better. I’m really excited!

I’m also really excited about last night’s dinner – I just couldn’t wait any longer to share it. I really enjoyed the Southwest lentil patties that I created for the lentil challenge that I participated in last year, and I knew that I wanted to do a fresh take on them this year. This time, I put a Moroccan spin on the patties, with lots of lemon zest, cardamom, and za’atar. They had a wonderfully bright flavor and a great falafel-like texture with a crispy exterior and a soft, velvety center. Served over a salad inspired by some gorgeous kale that I picked up at the Schenectady Green Market, this was a light, yet super filling dinner that we both enjoyed immensely.

For any of you from the Capital Region who love the Troy Market but have never been to the one in Schenectady, I urge you to check it out! It’s on Sundays, which a little inconvenient for me (I like to plan y weekly menu and get my shopping out of the way on Saturday) but I really love it. The atmosphere is more intimate than the Troy market and the produce seems rawer and a little rough around the edges — but in a good way! There are always unique items to be found, like mustard greens, this amazing Russian red kale, and white beets. Whereas I tend to leave the Troy market with tons of prepared foods, I leave the Schenectady market with arms full of fresh produce and tons of inspiration.

Lemony Lentil Patties with Massaged Kale Salad

Prep time 30 minutes , Total time 45 minutes

Serves 2

• 1/2 cup Lentils, cooked
• 2 Tbs Olive Oil
• 1/4 cup chopped Onion
• 2 cloves Garlic, minced
• Zest from one Lemon
• 1 Tbs Cardamom
• 1 tsp. Za’atar
• 2 Tbs Lentil Flour (or garbanzo bean or all-purpose flour)
• 1 Egg
• 1 bunch Red Kale
• 2 Tbs Salt
• 2 Tbs toasted Pine Nuts
• 4 dried Figs, quartered
• Splash of White Balsamic vinegar

Place the cooked lentils in a small bowl and mash gently with the back of a spoon — it should be mostly smooth, but with some bigger pieces of lentils for texture. Heat the olive oil in a medium sauté pan. Add the onion and garlic and cook until just soft — about 3 minutes. Remove from the pan, leaving any remaining oil behind. Add the onion, garlic, lemon zest, spices, flour, and egg to the lentils. Mix to combine. Form into 8 balls, then flatten them slightly between your hands. Fry in remaining oil until golden brown and crispy — one and half to two minutes on each side.

Slice the kale into thin ribbons (if using a sturdier kale, like dinosaur kale, discard the center vein before slicing). Add the kale and the salt to a large bowl. Use your hands to massage the salt into the kale for 2 minutes. Gently squeeze the kale to remove as much liquid as you can – I ended up with about a half cup. Use your fingers to fluff the kale back up. Toss with the chopped figs, pine nuts, and vinegar.

Serve the kale salad topped with lentil patties.

Serving suggestion: Stuff the salad and lentil patties into warmed pita halves.

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Lemony Lentil Patties with Massaged Kale Salad

Serving suggestion: Stuff the salad and lentil patties into warmed pita halves.

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Lauren Keating

Ingredients

• ½ cup Lentils cooked
• 2 Tbs Olive Oil
• ¼ cup chopped Onion
• 2 cloves Garlic minced
• Zest from one Lemon
• 1 Tbs Cardamom
• 1 tsp. Za'atar
• 2 Tbs Lentil Flour or garbanzo bean or all-purpose flour
• 1 Egg
• 1 bunch Red Kale
• 2 Tbs Sal
• 2 Tbs toasted Pine Nuts
• 4 dried Figs quartered
• Splash of White Balsamic vinegar

Instructions

• Place the cooked lentils in a small bowl and mash gently with the back of a spoon — it should be mostly smooth, but with some bigger pieces of lentils for texture. Heat the olive oil in a medium sauté pan. Add the onion and garlic and cook until just soft — about 3 minutes. Remove from the pan, leaving any remaining oil behind. Add the onion, garlic, lemon zest, spices, flour, and egg to the lentils. Mix to combine. Form into 8 balls, then flatten them slightly between your hands. Fry in remaining oil until golden brown and crispy — one and half to two minutes on each side.
• Slice the kale into thin ribbons (if using a sturdier kale, like dinosaur kale, discard the center vein before slicing). Add the kale and the salt to a large bowl. Use your hands to massage the salt into the kale for 2 minutes. Gently squeeze the kale to remove as much liquid as you can - I ended up with about a half cup. Use your fingers to fluff the kale back up. Toss with the chopped figs, pine nuts, and vinegar.
• Serve the kale salad topped with lentil patties.