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Roasted Cabbage with Gochujang Glaze

They key to this recipe is the Gochujang Glaze, which you can drizzle onto any vegetable, cooked in any way. Stir-fried? Drizzle the Gochujang Glaze in the last few seconds. Oven-roasted? Drizzle right onto the finished right on the pan and toss to coat. Grilled? Brush onto the vegetables and throw back onto the grill for the last minute or two to caramelize. So many options, so little reason not to make Gochujang Glaze!

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine asian, korean

Keyword brassicas, cabbage

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4 servings

Calories 173kcal

Ingredients

• 1 head cabbage
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil or other neutral oil for cooking

for Gochujang Glaze

• 2 tablespoons gochujang
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 2 large garlic cloves finely minced

Garnishes

• 2 scallions sliced on the bias
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

• Heat oven to 425­°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Cook Cabbage:

• Place carrots on baking sheet, drizzle with avocado oil, and toss until carrots are evenly coated. Shake baking sheet to make sure carrots are in a single layer.
• Roast carrots in oven until just tender, about 20 minutes. Give the carrots a stir halfway through the roasting time.

Make Gochujang Glaze:

• While the cabbage wedges are roasting, make the Gochujang Glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the 2 tablespoons gochujang, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar, and minced garlic cloves.
• Remove baking sheet from oven. Brush Gochujang Glaze over cabbage.
• Return baking sheet to oven and roast for 10 minutes to caramelize the Gochujang Glaze.
• Remove cabbage to serving plate. Garnish with sliced scallions and toasted sesame seeds.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 173kcal | Protein: 3.5g | Fiber: 5.5g

Ingredients You Need for Roasted Cabbage with Gochujang Glaze

You wouldn't think it, but cabbage is fairly sweet and flavorful on its own, so you only need a few ingredients to enhance their flavor. You will need::

• Cabbage, 1 head
• Avocado oil, about 2 tablespoons

for the Gochujang Glaze:

• Gochujang, 2 tablespoons
• Garlic, 2 cloves, finely minced
• Soy sauce/tamari, 1 tablespoon
• Apple cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon
• Maple syrup, 1 tablespoon
• Sesame oil, 1 teaspoon

What Kind of Cabbage Should I Use to Roast?

Green cabbage, with the green, smooth leaves, is the one I use in this recipe.

However, any type of cabbage—ruffly savoy, purple, even napa—works for this recipe. The nutritional profiles across the types are generally fairly similar. Some varieties are milder in flavor than others, but in this recipe, the differences are not noticeable because of the flavors of the other ingredients, namely the dressing.

How Many Pounds is a Head of Cabbage?

Because cabbages come in different types, sizes, and density (how tightly packed the leaves are), it's better to "measure" cabbage by actual pounds, not by number of heads.

According to the USDA, an "average" cabbage weighs between 2 and 3 pounds, but what is this? The 1800s? Have you seen cabbages in grocery stores? They have gotten MUCH bigger, and the average green cabbage based on my own experience weighs more like 4-5 pounds.

What is the Best Gochujang to Use

Gochujang is a Korean hot pepper paste made by fermenting chili peppers with rice and/soybeans. It has a deep-toned, savory umami flavor with a subtle background sweetness. Though sometimes literally called a "sauce," gochujang is actually more a starter ingredient used to make and flavor marinades, sauces, soups and more, and not something you would use directly out of the container at the table to season a final dish.

Like any condiment, gochujang varies in style, flavor, texture, and heat level across brands and recipes. Yes recipes! Because you can actually make your own gochujang. The base ingredients are Korean red pepper powder—called "gochugaru"—and soybeans. From there, ingredients vary, including any kind of sweetener from brown rice syrup (preferred) to high fructose corn syrup (avoid if possible!), seasonings like garlic and/or onion, sometimes grains like barley, rice or wheat, and possibly alcohol or other form of preservative.

For a full breakdown on gochujang, check out this post, Gochujang 101. In the mean time...

Which Type or Brand of Gochujang is Best?

There aren't necessarily different types of gochujang, though like any condiment, there are a range of spice levels, flavors, and textures based on different brands' exact ingredients.

Ingredients can include any kind of sweetener from brown rice syrup to high fructose corn syrup, seasonings like garlic and/or onion, sometimes grains like barley, rice or wheat, and possibly alcohol or other form of preservative. Read the labels to look out for any ingredients to which you are sensitive.

** Pro-tip: Make sure the product is "gochujang" and not "gochujang sauce," which is a pre-made sauce with gochujang as an ingredient.

Use any kind of gochujang that suits your taste and preferred heat-level. These are brands of gochujang I actually use and recommend, mostly because I look for products with no corn syrup and no wheat:

• O'Food Gochujang (pictured in all the photos on this post) is sweetened with tapioca syrup rather than corn syrup, and does not contain wheat in the ingredients, though the label indicates that it's made in a facility that also processes wheat
• O'Food Gluten Free Gochujang, same brand and ingredients as above, but specifically labeled gluten-free because it's made in a dedicated gluten-free facility
• Trader Joe's, surprisingly, has a good gochujang made in Korea and if you're new to gochujang, the container is small enough that you won't feel overwhelmed
• Mother in Law's Gochujang deserves a mention because I have tried it several times, it tastes great and most importantly it is available at many Whole Foods markets, which might be more accessible than a Korean grocery store. However, the ingredients do include wheat flour as well as malt syrup, which is made form barley (gluten).

How to Use a Tub of Gochujang

• Gochujang Salmon
• Spicy Bibimbap Sauce
• Roasted Honeynut Squash
• Dak Dori Tang, Korean Spicy Braised Chicken

Additional Ingredients Notes and Resources

Tamari or Soy Sauce. Tamari is a Japanese-style soy sauce that is brewed without wheat so it is gluten-free. This is the brand I use, which is also organic. You can use regular soy sauce.

Avocado Oil. I use this Avocado Oil as my every day neutral-flavored cooking oil. The oil comes in this spray bottle format, which makes even coating for roasting super easy.

Sesame Oil. Look for toasted sesame oil, which has a darker color and a deeper umami flavor. Sesame oil is a finishing oil, added to dishes just before serving for its flavor, rather than for cooking. This is a reliable Japanese brand that I've been using since I was a kid. There are now many brands of toasted sesame seed oil available, even organic version, at regular grocery stores.

Apple Cider Vinegar. Any brand of apple cider vinegar "ACV" works as long as it has the "mother," i.e. the little cloud floating inside. The mother is what causes the fermentation and is partially what makes this salad good for the gut. This generic store brand of organic Apple Cider Vinegar is generally the most affordable where I shop. This is the well-known apple cider vinegar brand that's available everywhere.

Maple Syrup. Most gochujang already contains some form of sweetness—anything from brown rice syrup and tapioca syrup to high fructose corn syrup. Read the label of your gochujang, then add sweetener to the marinade recipe based on your taste. I prefer the sweetness of natural maple syrup to refined sugars, and use a very little amount. I use an organic maple syrup like this.

Garlic and all other herbs and produce I get from the Santa Monica Farmers Market on Wednesdays or Mar Vista Farmers Market on Sundays.

Instructions How to Make Roasted Cabbage with Gochujang Glaze

This method for roasting cabbage is easy! If you haven't already, remove any bruised or wilted outer leaves, and slice off the dried end of the core. Cut the cabbage in half lengthwise through the core, then cut each half into 3 or 4 wedges that are about 3 inches on the wider side.

Pan-sear and roast cabbage first first:

1. Heat oven to 425­°F.
2. On the stovetop, heat a cast iron skillet or heavy bottom, oven-safe pan over high heat.
3. Add about 2 tablespoons avocado or other high-heat cooking oil and let heat until it starts to shimmer.
4. Carefully place cabbage wedges, a cut side down, in the pan. Cook cabbage until well charred, about 7 minutes. Turn cabbages over, then transfer the entire skillet to the oven.
5. Continue roasting the cabbage until the second side is charred and the interior is tender, about 15 minutes.

While the cabbage is roasting in the oven, make the Gochujang Glaze.:

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the 2 tablespoons gochujang, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar, and minced garlic cloves.
2. Remove skillet from oven—make sure to use oven mitts! Brush Gochujang Glaze over cabbage.
3. Return skillet to oven and roast for 5 minutes to caramelize the Gochujang Glaze.
4. Remove Roasted Cabbage wedges to serving plate. Garnish with sliced scallions and toasted sesame seeds.

Is Roasted Cabbage Healthy?

Depending on your health needs and dietary considerations, Roasted Cabbage with Gochujang Glaze is healthy! To be honest, I can't really think of a case in which Roasted Cabbage with Gochujang Glaze would not be healthy, unless maybe spice from the gochujang causes heartburn or the high fiber content of the cabbage causes other gastric issue for you.

Let's break down some of the nutritional highlights, starting with the most underrated nutrition hero, cabbage. Cabbage is a non-starchy vegetable that not only add subtle, natural sweetness to a dish, but is especially good for the body in the fall and winter months when other colorful vegetables seem to be in shorter supply. Cabbage provides a number of nutritional benefits like:

• fiber, which contributes to good gut health, decreases cholesterol, and lowers blood sugar
• surprisingly, vitamin C
• additional antioxidants, primarily in the form of anthocyanins in purple/red cabbage
• glucosinolates and suforaphane with have strong anti-cancer and liver detox properties

_{(source: USDA)}

Gochujang Has Probiotic-like Qualities. Gochujang is made by fermenting chili peppers with rice and/or soybeans. As a fermented food, gochujang provides gut-health promoting probiotic bacteria. That fermentation gives gochujang its umami flavor, that salty, savory deliciousness that's hard to pinpoint in foods.

Dietary Considerations of Roasted Cabbage with Gochujang Glaze

This Roasted Cabbage with Gochujang Glaze recipe as presented is:

• 100% plant-based, suitable for vegan lifestyles
• vegetarian
• low calorie, low fat
• gluten-free (using tamari instead of soy sauce)
• dairy-free
• refined sugar-free

Tools and Equipment

 

As I always say, you don't need any special equipment to make almost any recipe. However, that's not to say there are a couple of gadgets and tools that might make it a LOT easier to get Roasted cabbage with Gochujang Glaze from your fridge to fork.

• Vegetable wash
• Chef's knife
• Small paring knife
• rimmed baking sheets
• parchment paper
• Silicone brush
• Mini ¼-cup liquid measuring cup
• Glass mixing bowls for making marinade
• Mini whisk
• Glass storage container with airtight lids

Pro Tips, Tricks, and Techniques

Double, triple, or even quadruple the glaze. The amount of ingredients for the spicy sauce make about ⅓ cup, which fits this specific recipe for Gochujang Roasted Carrots. But I highly recommend scaling up to make triple the amount of the glaze to save and use for other recipes like Gochujang Roasted Carrots, Butternut Squash and even Gochujang Salmon! Use the amount you need for the cabbage, then store the rest in an airtight glass jar in the refrigerator. The sauce is great as an all-purpose spicy dressing over greens, grains, or even dip for fresh vegetables! Add some chopped scallions for some color and an extra layer of flavor.

Variety of cabbages make it fun. If you want to add some more color to your dinner table, use different cabbages. Different colored cabbages do taste different from one another, but the difference is so subtle, you'd probably only be able to tell the difference if you tasted them totally raw side-by-side, and that's if you had a pretty sensitive palate. The different colors also have different antioxidant profiles, since different antioxidants render different pigment colors in vegetables!

Make double the amount of Cabbage. Cabbage are a sturdy, reliable vegetable, which means they hold up really well in the refrigerator for a few days as leftovers or even as Meal Prep. You can roast more carrots and keep the Gochujang Glaze separate to add when you re-heat, or just store the cabbage already glazed.

What Else to Serve with Roasted Cabbage with Gochujang Glaze

Paired with a bowl of steamed rice or quinoa, this Roasted Cabbage with Gochujang Glaze can be a perfect, light vegetarian meal. However, if you'd like to add some protein, more color, or make the cabbage a full side dish to a larger main dish, here are some ideas for what else to serve with Roasted Cabbage with Gochujang Glaze:

• serve alongside Miso Salmon
• Gochujang Salmon
• Nobu's Miso Marinated Cod
• Roasted Ginger Tofu for a vegetarian meal

Best Cabbage Recipes

• Cabbage Apple Salad with Miso Mustard Dressing
• Houston's Emerald Kale Salad with Cabbage
• Cabbage Slaw for Fish Tacos
• Easy Homemade Kimchi (Napa Cabbage)

Food for Afterthoughts

After a relationship ends, whether it ends maturely with a hug and wishes of good luck, or whether a girl feeds all his J. Crew work shirts through an industrial paper shredder and FedExes them to his office COD (that wasn’t me, I swear - that was some other psycho-beeyotch ex-girfriend of yours, and besides, I'd do something much more creatively cruel) a girl might say that what it all boils down to is that the guy is afraid of commitment.

Hmm. Afraid of commitment? Please. That is an excuse. It’s a feeble attempt at an explanation as to why the relationship's end is his faulty fear of commitment and not her faulty fact that she is too clingy and let herself get fat and ugly while unemployed. It is an excuse to cover up and make yourself better, not an explanation, for why he plainly, simply, dumped your ever-spreading, ever-blogging ass.

He’s not afraid to commit, dear. He just doesn’t want to commit. To you.

*ouch*

The C Word

Either way, it’s about commitment, and the C-word is a scary thing. I'm certainly not afraid of commitment. I just don’t like commitment. There is a difference. I don’t want to be tied down like that. I don’t want to be stuck doing, seeing, saying, and hearing the same thing every day and every night. I’m still (relatively) young. I’m still exploring. I want the freedom to be able to grab my keys and wallet (but not my cell phone) and go out whenever and wherever I want to; I don’t to feel obligated to “check in”; I don’t want the burden of someone else’s worry when I’m wild-childing out on the town!

Ooooh. Kaaay. That is not me. I am not a spontaneous, whimsical girl.

But I still want that freedom to do it, if I ever did get up off my lazy butt. :)

Waste Not

I was standing in the produce department shivering a little every time the tiny misters spritzed the vegetables with a glossy sheen. The misters were hidden under the shelving and blinked out a spray quickly, quietly, hoping you might not notice that the vegetables’ outward image of natural, sparkling beauty was really just make-up. Facing off with the cruciferous section, I could not commit.

The cabbage was there, robust, tight, heavy. I wanted it, but it was an entire head. For a girl like me, without a family of five screaming kids who would polish off a cabbage casserole drowning in cheese in one night, or a planned dinner party with a dining room full of guests who would nibble on cabbage salad, an entire head of cabbage is commitment. Day in. Day out. I’d have to eat cabbage at every meal if I buy a whole head.

Maybe at one time in my prodigal youth I would have plunged into a whole head of cabbage with reckless abandon, knowing full well that it might not, likely would not, go beyond one night. I’d peel off a few leaves to shred into a salad, then toss the rest to the wayside without a second thought.

Such waste was okay back then, but it’s not like that anymore. I can’t afford it. If I get home and I find out I picked a bad one, I have to live with my bad choice. If tomorrow night I want carrots, I have to want them on the inside, but on the outside, I’d have to eat the cabbage. I wasn’t sure I wanted to take such a huge, responsible step in the direction of maturity. Buying a whole head of cabbage is commitment, and commitment itself is a risk.

Take the Plunge

I bought the cauliflower at $2.99 a pound. For some reason, that $7 seemed like a very expensive commitment.

The way to make it work, that is, the way to make it not seem so boring day after day, is to get creative. Yes, it requires work, but no one ever said commitment was easy, either. One night, it’s the usual – a Cabbage Apple Salad that allows the true, pure flavor of cabbage to come through. The next night, it gets changed up a lot with something new and exotic – a dark, deliciously sweet and caramelized cabbage stir-fry.

The third time, I made Roasted Cabbage, also a first for me. I even went so far as to brush it with a sweet and sticky gochujang glaze. I loved every caramelized, charred bite, all the way down to the very last scrape of the extra glaze with a rogue leaf at the bottom of the bowl with rice. And I would have licked up every drop right there alone in my kitchen if it weren’t for the bowl being so narrow and deep.

As I gazed down into the empty bowl, I realized commitment wasn’t so bad. It’s not that I didn’t ever like it. I just hadn’t ever had a reason to commit until then. Cabbage is a very good reason.

The post Roasted Cabbage with Gochujang Glaze, How to Get the Best Char appeared first on The Delicious Life.

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Candied Kumquats Recipe

Almost as easy as just eating kumquats straight, Candied Kumquats only require two ingredients (plus water)!

Course Condiments, Dessert

Cuisine American, Mediterranean

Keyword citrus, kumquats

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 1 pint jar

Calories 75kcal

Ingredients

• 1 pound kumquats skins scrubbed
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cups water

Optional Spices

• ½-inch piece fresh ginger, gently crushed with the back of a large knife, cinnamon stick, whole star anise pod

Instructions

To Make Basic Candied Kumquats

• Slice 1 pound kumquats cross-wise into ¼-inch wide rounds or length-wise into quarters. Using the tip of your knife, remove seeds.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add sliced kumquats, bring water back up to a boil. Boil for about 1 minute—you might see little blobs of white wax with the bubbles, which is good! You want that natural wax to come off!—then remove from heat, drain kumquats, and give them a light rinse under tap water. This step melts off some of the natural wax from the skins and any rogue seeds you may have missed.
• Heat 2 cups water and 1½- 2 cups sugar in a pot over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.
• Add sliced kumquats and any spices (ginger, cinnamon stick, etc) if using, and turn up heat to medium-high. As soon as it starts to boil, reduce heat and simmer until the skins look glassy and translucent, at least 15 minutes and up to 45 minutes.
• Remove Candied Kumquats from heat. Place Candied Kumquats and syrup in glass container and cool completely before refrigerating.

To Make Candied Kumquat Flowers:

• Cut 6 slits in the skin lengthwise in each kumquat with the tip of a sharp paring knife, making sure not to cut all the way though, and keeping the top and bottom of the kumquat intact.
• Pinch the top and bottom of each kumquat to open the slits and pop out any large seeds using the tip of your paring knife. It's okay if you don't get all the seeds, some of them will slip out during cooking; you can also squeeze them out after cooking.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add sliced kumquats, bring water back up to a boil, immediately remove from heat, drain kumquats, and give them a light rinse. This step removes natural wax from the skins and any rogue seeds you may have missed.
• Heat 2 cups water and 1½- 2 cups sugar in a pot over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.
• Add sliced kumquats and any spices (ginger, cinnamon stick, etc) if using, and turn up heat to medium-high. As soon as it starts to boil, reduce heat and simmer until the skins look glassy and translucent, about 45 minutes.
• Remove Candied Kumquats from heat. Allow to cool slightly, then pour off the liquid into a glass jar for another use (like cocktails, tea, or salad dressing!).
• On a flat surface like a cutting board, flatten each kumquat into a flower shape. Any rogue seeds will squish out through the cuts and you can discard those. Place the kumquat flowers in a single layer on on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Dry out the Candied Kumquat flowers in the oven at the lowest temperature 200°F or lower (mine goes down to 170°F), at least 3 hours, and up to 6 hours. The Candied Kumquat Flowers will not harden.
• Store Candied Kumquat Flowers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Nutrition

Serving: 2tablespoons | Calories: 75kcal | Protein: 0.2g | Fiber: 1.3g

What are Kumquats?

Teeny tiny baby oranges? Well, kiiinda, they certainly look like it. Kumquats are obviously part of the citrus family, but they are their own fruit! They originated in China, and now grow anywhere that other citrus trees can grow like California and Florida.

Unlike most other citrus, kumquats are eaten whole, as the "sweetest" part of the fruit is the skin. The inside pulp is very tart and the seeds take up most of the space.

How to Eat Kumquats

How to Eat Fresh Kumquats Raw

The best, "sweetest" part of a kumquat is the skin, which is deeply citrus flavored. The inside doesn't have much juice or pulp and is very tart with lots of seeds.

You can slice fresh kumquats, remove the seeds, and eat them just like any fresh cut fruit, or add the fresh slices on salads!

Or, pop fresh kumquats whole, skin and all. Just spit the seeds out at gracefully as you can, similar to grapes with seeds.

Make Candied Kumquats

With just sugar and water, you can make Candied Kumquats with the recipe above, which have the same sweet-tart flavor as any candied citrus peel. Candied kumquats can be eaten straight up, or added to dishes where a pop of sweet-tartness will be a good flavor balance.

Make Kumquat Marmalade

There's a fine line between Candied Kumquats and Kumquat Marmalade which have the same ingredients, the latter of which has a little less sugar, a little more water to give it that "marmalade" like texture. Kumquat Marmalade is the perfect topping for toast, or even a cake.

Make Pickled Kumquats

For something unexpected, make Pickled Kumquats with vinegar, a touch of sugar to balance the tartness of the fruit, and savory spices. Pickled Kumquats are a perfect contrast to rich foods like cheese and charcuterie, or alongside rich, roasted or grilled meats.

Dietary Considerations of Kumquats

From a health and nutrition perspective, kumquats are considered healthy! One serving, or about 5-6 kumquats provide:

• 6.5 g fiber (as compared to a standard orange of 2.4 g), because you eat the skin!
• 44 mg vitamin C ~ 73% DV
• more vitamin A, calcium, and potassium than an orange
• negligible fat
• all for only 71 calories!

As published, these recipes for Candied Kumquats and Kumquat Marmalade are:

• 100% plant-based/vegan
• vegetarian
• dairy-free
• gluten-free/wheat-free
• grain-free

What Ingredients You Need for Candied Kumquats

Nothing more than fresh kumquats, sugar, and water are all you need for Candied Kumquats and Kumquat Marmalade! The "biggest" ingredient is time. If you're going as far as Pickled Kumquats, you'll need vinegar.

Candied Kumquats ingredients:

• kumquats - 1 pound or more
• cane sugar - 1½-2 cups
• water
• optional spices and seasonings: fresh ginger, cinnamon stick, star anise, whole cloves, pink peppercorns

Kumquat Marmalade ingredients:

• kumquats - 1 pound or more
• cane sugar - 1 to 1½ cups
• sea salt - ½ teaspoon
• water
• optional spices and seasonings: fresh ginger, cinnamon stick, star anise, whole cloves, pink peppercorns

Pickled Kumquats ingredients:

• kumquats - 1 pound or more
• vinegar - 1 cup
• cane sugar - ½ cup
• sea salt - ½ teaspoon
• water
• optional spices and seasonings: pink peppercorns

How Many Kumquats in One Pound?

Because kumquats are small and come in different sizes and shapes, it's better to "measure" kumquats by actual ounces or even in cups.

One pound of kumquats, or 16 ounces is just about equivalent to:

• 2 cups of kumquats, or
• 40-45 kumquats

What's the Best Way to De-Seed Kumquats?

The best way to de-seed kumquats is with the tip of a small paring knife after you've cut them open.

If you want to leave the kumquats "whole," simply make a small incision on one side, give the kumquat a gentle squeeze to pop the seeds out, and then use the tip of the knife to wriggle the seeds out.

Where to Buy Kumquats

If you don't have a secret source for thousands of kumquats fresh off someone's tree, you can buy kumquats from November to March in some grocery stores, farmers markets, or order them online or shipped via specialty produce suppliers like this one.

If you're really nice, maybe my Mom will give you some of the 8 bazillion kumquats from her tree!

How to Make Basic Candied Kumquats

Before starting, give the kumquats a rinse under cold tap water to remove any little twigs, leaves, and bits of dirt. You don't have to be particularly detailed as the kumquats will be blanched in hot water and rinsed to get them really clean.

Slice Kumquats. Slice kumquats cross-wise into ¼-inch wide rounds or length-wise into quarters.

De-seed kumquats: Using the tip of your knife, remove seeds. It's ok if you don't get all of the seeds, they will loosen during cooking (and will be easier to remove).

Blanch kumquats: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add sliced kumquats, bring water back up to a boil. Boil for about 1 minute—you might see little blobs of white wax with the bubbles, then remove from heat, drain kumquats, and give them a light rinse under tap water. This step removes natural wax from the skins and any rogue seeds you may have missed.

Candy Kumquats: Heat 2 cups fresh, filtered water and 1½ cups sugar in a pot over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.

Add sliced kumquats and any spices (ginger, cinnamon stick, etc) if using, and turn up heat to medium-high. As soon as it starts to boil, reduce heat and simmer until the skins look glassy and translucent, at least 15 minutes and up to 45 minutes.

Remove Candied Kumquats from heat. Place in glass container or mason jar with tight fitting lid and cool completely before refrigerating.

Leftovers and Storage

Store leftover Candied Kumquats, Kumquat Marmalade, and Pickled Kumquats air-tight glass containers in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Tools and Equipment

There isn't any special tool or piece of equipment that is absolutely required for this Kumquats. You can make it using a sharp chef's knife on a sturdy cutting board to cut and slice the kumquats, and the pointed tip of the knife to pop out the seeds! However, that isn't to say there are a few tools that might make it slightly easier to get the Kumquats from the farmers market to your fridge!

• Chef's knife, my personal workhorse
• Wooden cutting board, oversized for all those carrots
• Heavy bottom stainless steel pot
• Mini ¼-cup liquid measuring cup
• Glass storage container with airtight lids, perfect size for storing Spicy Carrots you make it in advance
• Glass mason jars, wide mouth because they're easier to use and wash
• Mason jar lids that are better than those horrible 2-piece metal lids

Best Ideas for Candied Kumquats, Marmalade, and Pickled Kumquats

Oh, you mean other than just eating it straight out of the container with a spoon? There are SO MANY things you can do with Candied Kumquats, Kumquat Marmalade, and Pickled Kumquats! Here are a few of the best ideas to get you started:

• Candied Kumquats on Cake. Top a citrus-flavored cake like Orange Olive Oil Cake
• Candied Kumquats in Salad. for a pop of sweetness, especially in Mandarin Chicken Salad
• Toast. Slather Kumquat Marmalade on deeply toasted nearly-burnt sourdough with ricotta, cream cheese, or yogurt labne.
• Kumquat Marmalade on Cake. Surprisingly a beautiful jewel-like topper for a cake, too!
• Kumquat Tea. Stir 1 tablespoon of kumquat Marmalade with boiling hot water in a mug for a fragrant tea. Bonus if you add cinnamon and ginger, too.
• Salad Dressing. Kumquat Marmalade whisked together with apple cider vinegar and olive oil for a fast and flavorful salad dressing
• Cheese and Charcuterie Boards. Candied Kumquats, Kumquat Marmalade, and Pickled Kumquats are all perfect flavor balances for a Cheese and Charcuterie Board!

Best Citrus Recipes

• Candied Orange Slices
• Dehydrated Citrus Crisps
• Citrus Avocado Salad
• Orange Olive Oil Cake
• Mandarin Chicken Salad
• Citrus Vinaigrette

The post Candied Kumquats and Marmalade, the Best Recipes to Use Kumquats appeared first on The Delicious Life.

What is Emerald Kale Salad? | Ingredients | What Kind of Kale Best for Salad? | How to Make the Hillstone Kale Salad Dupe | Is Hillstone Kale Salad Healthy?

Is this the Hillstone Emerald Kale Salad Copycat?

How do you improve upon the perfection that is the Emerald Kale Salad at Hillstone—nutrient-dense kale, crisp cabbage, bright fresh herbs, and of course that absolutely drinkable crunchy Sesame Miso Vinaigrette? You don't, really, other than actually figuring out how to make it at home and of course most importantly, replacing the worst ingredient, cilantro, with parsley. p.s. If you like cilantro, use it!

The salad can be made as an all green salad, or with the addition shredded cooked rotisserie chicken to make it a meal, which is how I've always known and had it. Recently, I've noticed that Hillstone changed the salad on their menu, serving it with yellowtail sashimi, so if the spirit moves you, add sashimi!

The Hillstone/Houston's Lore

Quick note: Houston's and Hillstone are restaurants in the same family. Both have "Emerald Kale Salad" on their menus. The salad greens base is the same. Hillstone serves the salad with cashews, sesame seeds, and Sesame Miso Vinaigrette (the copycat recipe on this post!). Houston's dresses the salad with a peanut vinaigrette and tops with crushed peanuts and parmesan cheese. I've duped the Houston's Kale Salad recipe, too!

Look. Hillstone is a chain restaurant and I'm not ashamed to say that I, like many others, LOVE it.

Ingredients You Need for Emerald Kale Salad

These are the ingredients you need for this Houston's Kale Salad dupe recipe:

• Kale, obviously!
• Cabbage
• Green onions
• Fresh mint and parsley (or sub cilantro if you don't mind the taste)
• Cashews
• Sesame seeds

Rotisserie chicken (or yellowtail sashimi, or canned tuna, or lightly crushed chickpeas...) is optional if you want to make it a meal!

And for the Sesame Miso Vinaigrette

• Rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons 
• Apple cider vinegar
• Avocado oil, 2 tablespoons
• Sesame oil
• Miso
• Tamari/soy sauce
• Dijon mustard
• Garlic
• Maple syrup
• Water for texture

What is the Best Kind of Kale for Salad?

Lacinato kale, the dark green, flatter leaves, is the one I use in this recipe.

However, any type of kale—curly green, lacinato, red—works for this salad, and Hillstone uses the curly green kind. The nutritional profiles across the types are generally fairly similar. Some varieties are milder in flavor than others, but in this kale salad recipe, the differences are not noticeable because of the flavors of the other ingredients, namely the dressing.

The Kale Salad in these photos is made with the darker green lacinato/Tuscan/dinosaur kale, which has long skinny, "bumpy" leaves. The reason I generally prefer this kind of kale in cooking applications is that it's just easier to wash. Sometimes you gotta just go with practicality.

Baby kale has the mildest flavor and tbh, I could eat this version of kale in a salad.

Additional Ingredients Notes and Resources

Cabbage. This salad uses your standard everyday green cabbage, which is so underrated as a vegetable and a salad base imho. However, use whatever cabbage you have or prefer, like savoy cabbage, napa cabbage and even purple cabbage.

Cashews. Use roasted, salted cashews. Roasting amplifies the umami of the cashews, and also makes them crunchy. Any other roasted salted nut that you like—almonds, pistachios, walnuts, even peanuts—will work here.

Sesame Seeds. Sesame seeds add texture and when toasted, a layer of umami in addition to the toasted sesame oil. You can buy sesame seeds plain or toasted. Make sure the seeds are toasted. Otherwise, toss them in a hot, dry skillet over medium heat for about 90 seconds or until they are fragrant.

Dressing Ingredients Notes

Rice Vinegar. I use this brand organic brown rice vinegar. If you don't have rice vinegar, use any other light/mild vinegar like apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar.

Apple Cider Vinegar. Any brand of apple cider vinegar works as long as it has the "mother," i.e. the little cloud floating inside. This generic brand of organic Apple Cider Vinegar is generally the most affordable where I shop. This well-known apple cider vinegar brand is available everywhere.

Avocado oil. I use this Avocado Oil as my every day neutral-flavored cooking oil. If you don't have avocado oil, use olive oil, though olive oil has quite a distinctive flavor.

Sesame Oil. Use toasted sesame oil. Toasted sesame oil is dark brown and is used as a finishing oil, not as a cooking oil. This is the Japanese brand that I like. You can usually find organic like this one in natural and higher end grocery stores.

Miso. Use any light-colored white or yellow miso that is labeled "organic" or "non-gmo." My favorite brands are all organic—this brand, this brand (pictured above), and this brand—and I have been able to find them in Whole Foods. If you are able to get to an Asian market or specialty store, check out the miso section.

Soy sauce/Tamari. Tamari is Japanese-style soy sauce that has little or no wheat. Therefore, tamari can be gluten-free, though not always. If you eat gluten-free, make sure to read labels. I use this organic gluten-free tamari. This brand is also great.

Maple Syrup. I use this organic maple syrup.

Dijon Mustard. This Dijon mustard brand has never failed me.

Green onions, cilantro, mint and any other fresh produce from either the Santa Monica Farmers' Market on Wednesday, Mar Vista Farmers Market on Sunday, or Whole Foods Market.

How Much Kale is in 1 Bunch?

Because kale come in so many different sizes and shapes like so many um, other things, it's better to "measure" kale by weight, not by "bunch." However, grocery stores don't sell kale by weight, and people don't buy kale by weight either.

According to research, one average bunch of kale weighs about ½ pound, and yields about 6 cups of firmly packed chopped kale. So you need a total of 1 bunch of kale for this salad.

You will more than likely become hyper-fixated/obsessed/addicted to the Kale White Bean Salad though, so it's better to go over and have leftovers!

Instructions for How to Make the Hillstone Emerald Kale Salad Dupe

The hardest step in making this salad is washing the kale. That's it. Otherwise, like most salads, there isn't much to the actual recipe than placing all the ingredients in a large bowl, drizzling with the dressing, and tossing until everything is well coated.

HOWEVER. As easy as any salad recipe is, there are a few tips and tricks along the way that will make this, or any, salad, the best salad of your life.

Make Sesame Miso Vinaigrette First. Whisk or shake in a jar together the ingredients for the dressing.

If you haven't already, remove thick stems and chop 1 bunch of kale into small pieces. I usually like small, thin strips.

Place chopped kale in large bowl. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of dressing and "massage" the kale with your hands until the kale has broken down slightly and is glossy from the dressing, about 1 minute.

Add ¼ head cabbage finely chopped, 2 green onions thinly sliced, ¼ cup chopped fresh mint leaves, 2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast if using, and half the cashews.

Drizzle with dressing, and toss to combine.

Transfer salad to serving platter or divide salad among plates. Garnish each serving with remaining cashews and sesame seeds.

Pro Tips and Techniques for Hillstone Emerald Kale Salad

1. Chop the kale as small as possible. One of the reasons you don't like eating kale salad is that it's hard to eat. We're going to fix that in two ways, the first of which is chopping the kale into the smallest pieces so you don't have to unhinge your jaw like a python to get a fistful of oversized airplane tarps into your mouth. Do I exaggerate to make a point? Yes, of course. Is it kind of true though? Also of course. Chop the kale small enough that you can eat it with a spoon. I'm serious.
2. Dress and massage the kale first. The second way we're making kale salad easy to eat is by massaging the tiny chopped kale—you did chop the kale into the tiniest of tiny pieces right?— with a few tablespoons of the dressing first. I used to cringe at the idea of "massaging kale" because I don't know why, but I totally get that physically breaking down the fibers in the leaves makes kale much much easier to eat.
3. Make double the amount of Emerald Kale Salad. If you make enough Emerald Kale Salad to eat now, it will be crisp and crunchy like a salad. If you make enough to save some for later, the salad will marinate in the dressing and become ever so lightly pickled and it will be another flavor dimension.

Health and Nutrition Benefits of Houston's Kale Salad

I am not a calorie counter. And you needn't be either. I am an anti-inflammation firefighter, so this recipe focuses on:

• anti-inflammatory ingredients
• nutrient-density

The brassicas, herbs, and dressing ingredients are high in phytonutrients that fight inflammation. The crunchy roasted salted peanuts are what makes the salad craveable so that you want to eat all those good things, and both the peanuts and peanut butter in the dressing are a source of fiber and plant-based protein.

Dietary Preferences/Restrictions

• Gluten-free. The Kale Salad recipe as written is gluten-free if you make sure to use gluten-free tamari (soy sauce).
• Vegan. To make the salad vegan, leave out the rotisserie chicken or replace with a can of chickpeas.

Hillstone Kale Salad Variations

I could eat this Kale Salad every day exactly as is, straight out of the enormous stainless steel mixing bowl I use to mix the salad. And with a spoon, of course! And thank God we can make it at home, because we aren't about wasting more than $20 every day in the restaurant.

The original reason we made this salad at home was to use extra rotisserie chicken we had from overzealously buying at everyone's favorite bulk store, but the salad works perfectly as a starter or side salad without the chicken. If you want to change up the protein, here are some tried and true faves:

• cooked or smoked wild salmon broken up right into the salad as you're mixing the other ingredients together
• canned tuna, added the same way as above
• eggs, medium-boiled and cut into quarters. Little bits of cooked yolk will mix with the dressing and make it ever so slightly creamy.
• chickpeas, for a plant-based protein boost
• pasta, add a chickpea or other protein-power pasta and turn the salad in to a pasta salad

You can also use the Sesame Miso Vinaigrette by itself in other ways:

• use it on the Cabbage Apple Salad and add a handful of chopped roasted salted peanuts
• Mandarin Chicken Salad
• Soba Salad
• stir the Sesame Miso Vinaigrette into hot, cooked grains or into pasta for a lighter in texture vs heavier cream- or mayo-based pasta salad
• toss the Sesame Miso Vinaigrette with literally any other greens.

Best Kale Salads

If you go to the trouble of washing and chopping greens for the Emerald Salad, you might as well go the distance, and prep enough to make salads for several days. You can use those greens in these chopped salads:

• Kale Salad with Roasted Peanut Dressing—Houston's dupe, which is similar to Hillstone, but different, iykyk
• Kale White Bean Salad, Erewhon Dupe
• Kale Tabbouleh Salad with Cherries
• Dill Pickle Chopped Salad with Kale and Cabbage
• Kale Caesar Salad with Avocado Caesar Dressing

How to Eat More Brassica/Cruciferous Vegetables, not Just Kale

• Green Shakshuka with Kale
• Eggs Florentine with Kale
• Kale Slaw with Apple Cider Dressing
• Kale Pesto

Print

Hillstone Emerald Kale Salad with Sesame Miso Vinaigrette Recipe

Is this THAT kale salad? Yes, and impossibly, even better!

Course Dressings, Salad

Cuisine American

Keyword hillstone, houston's, kale salad

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 4 servings

Calories 250kcal

Ingredients

Salad

• 1 bunch kale finely chopped
• ½ head cabbage finely chopped
• 2 green onions thinly sliced
• ¼ cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
• ¼ cup fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped (sub cilantro if you don't mind it, I hate cilantro)
• ½ cup cashews
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast (optional)
• ½ cup Sesame Miso Vinaigrette (ingredients below!)
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Sesame Miso Vinaigrette (makes ¾ cup)

• ¼ cup avocado oil
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon miso
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• 1 teaspoon tamari/soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons filtered water plus more as needed for viscosity

Instructions

• Combine all ingredients for dressing by whisking in small bowl or shaking together in a small mason jar with lid. Taste with a piece of kale or cabbage and adjust seasoning to taste.
• Put the kale in a large bowl. Drizzle with a few tablespoons of the dressing and a generous pinch of sea salt. Massage the chopped kale with your hands until the kale is completely coated and slightly wilted.
• Add shredded cabbage, green onions, mint, parsley, shredded chicken if using, and half the almonds. Drizzle with the remaining dressing and toss gently to combine.
• Divide salad among plates. Garnish each serving with remaining almonds.

Notes

Store leftover dressed salad in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for up to two days. Leftover dressed salad will take on a softer, marinated texture. Store leftover undressed prepped (i.e. washed, dried, and chopped) salad greens in the refrigerator for three days. 

Extra Sesame Miso Vinaigrette will keep for five days in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.

Nutrition information is an estimate for the salad with dressing, without optional chicken. Cooked chicken breast adds 113 calories, 21.6 g protein per serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 250kcal | Protein: 5.8g | Fiber: 4.2g

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