National Heat Wave = NO OVEN!

I know that many parts of the country are experiencing a crazy heat wave this week. Arizonans are more used to it than others, but still. It might be a dry heat, but 113 is flipping HOT no matter how you slice it. This time of the year I don't like to add even one bit of heat to the house, but we do have to eat.

Fred and I are both trying to shed many unwanted pounds that have been hanging around for the past couple of years. His eating plan is pretty restrictive (that's an understatement) and not vegan friendly. I am doing my very best to support his efforts by shopping and making the veggie portion of his stuff. We've been eating lots of yummy tender asparagus, green beans, salads, etc. It is not super exciting stuff and certainly not blog material as it is a lot of the same stuff. This is why I have been again neglecting the poor blog.

Yesterday my good friend Scott mentioned that he had a crazy amount of zucchini he needed to find a home for. So today we met him for some coffee and great conversation. He not only brought some fantastic zucchini, he also brought some succulent roma tomatoes, yummy carrots, banana peppers and a leek. I have some plans for the zucchini, some of which will not fit into our diet plan. I'm going to (oh the horror) turn on the oven and bake some zucchini bread while Fred is out of the house.

Today I took advantage of Scott's tomatoes and carrots. I stopped at Whole Foods to pick up some organic kale. Man was I psyched to find big, beautiful bunches of green kale on sale for only $1.50. I had some Trader Joe's savory tofu in my fridge and some sweet onions from my garden. Armed with all kinds of yummy COLD ingredients, I went about whipping up a perfect summer lunch. This simple, quick, easy, filling and delicious salad is perfect for eating healthy on the fly and keeping the kitchen cool.

Massaged Kale Salad with Baked Savory Tofu


Makes 2 Big Salads

1 large bunch green kale, about 8 cups, washed and torn into bite sized pieces
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar (can sub your favorite vinegar)
4 roma tomatoes, diced
1 large or 2 small carrots, sliced thin
1/2 small sweet white onion, thinly sliced
1-7 oz. package Trader Joe's Organic Baked Tofu (Savory Flavor)...feel free to sub any pre-cooked flavored tofu, diced
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
fresh ground black pepper to taste

Place kale into a large non-reactive bowl. Toss with olive oil and vinegar. Gently massage mixture until the kale get slightly softened. Toss in tomatoes, sliced carrots, white onion and tofu. Sprinkle with garlic salt. Pepper to taste. Toss and serve immediately.