Grilled Kale with Ricotta and Tomatoes, Or Glutting Myself on The Sensory

Updated Date:
January 4, 2026

Someone told me once that kale is the healthiest food on the planet. It’s been known to lower cholesterol, the risk of cancer, and inflammation; it’s chock-full of vitamins I can’t even begin to pronounce, and it cleanses the body from toxins during both phases of detoxification. Pretty amazing, huh?

Personally, I think it resembles the skin of a dinosaur. Don’t you love the texture of kale? With all its folds and wrinkles, it’s not exactly coarse, but it’s tough, hardy, and soft to the touch.

More importantly, I love its color. Have you ever noticed how inconstant it is? Under different lights, different preparations, its hue shifts. Sometimes, kale takes after the color of a cactus, cool and calming and quiet. And sometimes, it almost hinges on teal. But I suppose this is the nature of the color green: it’s elusive, indefinable.

These are the reasons why I’m so drawn to fruits and vegetables: for the visual and sensory pleasure they provide. I’m quite the hedonist in that way.

Don’t even get me started with tomatoes. And please, let’s not get started on the subject of taste.

This salad is so vibrant and colorful, the essence of ‘salad’ in my mind. Except that the kale is lightly brushed with olive oil, sprinkled with salt, and grilled (or toasted in a toaster oven in my case), so it almost feels like you’re eating kale chips.

Plump, juicy tomatoes and ricotta round out the taste, so you get crisp, creamy, and colorful with every bite. You get the idea. This salad engages all the senses.

GRILLED KALE WITH RICOTTA AND TOMATOES

Adapted from Bon Appétit
Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 large tomato or 2 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced
8 large leaves or 12 medium leaves of kale
3/4 cup ricotta
4 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp chopped fresh basil
1 tsp honey
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Prepare the dressing. Whisk 3 Tbsp olive oil, balsamic vinegar, basil, honey, and salt and pepper to taste in a bowl. Add tomato slices and toss to coat, then set aside.

Wash and dry kale. Brush with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Place leaves on a grill until both sides are slightly charred. Remove and set aside to cool.

(Alternatively, I used a toaster oven on its highest setting to toast the leaves for about 5 minutes, and I think this emulated the grill pretty well.) For larger leaves, you may want to cut out the tough stems in the middle and cut each leaf into smaller pieces. Add kale to the vinaigrette and toss to coat.

Divide the ricotta among the plates and season with salt and pepper. Divide the kale among the plates and top with more dressing. Top each plate with tomato slices and drizzle the rest of the dressing on top.

And before I forget, happy 4th of July!

New Formula To Support Healthy WEIGHT LOSS

BUY NOW

Subscribe for New Racipies

Get mental health tips, updates, and resources delivered to your inbox.

Maple Butternut Squash Bread

Recipes

Christiana George

Updated Date:
June 8, 2023

I am taking a break from pumpkin recipes to bring you a different squash, butternut squash. My typical method of cooking it is to slather it in maple syrup and bake it in the oven. It is sooo tasty that way. So I thought I’d incorporate that taste into a bread. I’ve made Maple Zucchini Nut Bread and Maple Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread, so why not Maple Butternut Squash Bread. There really is not much I wouldn’t add maple syrup to.

For my first attempt at making this bread, I just shredded the butternut squash and added it to the batter. It was okay, but not as flavorful. So the second go ’round, I made a squash puree. It’s really easy.

I took half a butternut squash, cut it in half and scooped out the seeds. If you want to use the whole squash, go ahead. You can have the leftover puree as a side dish for dinner.

Then I flipped the two halves cut side down in a pan,added a cup of water and baked it in the oven at 350º for 30-40 minutes till it was fork tender.

Then I just scooped out the mushy squash. You only need a cup for the recipe. If you have extra you can mix it with a little butter and maple syrup and have it as a snack or save it for dinner.

For the bread I just used the plain puree because I was already going to be adding maple syrup and spices. I added a crumble topping for a little bit of crunch.

I baked my bread in my 9″x 5″ Pampered Chef Stoneware Loaf Pan. This recipe makes one loaf or you can use it to make muffins if you want. It should make about 12 muffins. For muffins I would bake it at 350º for about 15 minutes.

My husband had already devoured the first loaf I had made and had liked the flavors. I just tweaked this recipe a bit to perfect it and he said it was even better. The puree really brings out the flavor of the butternut squash. The maple syrup gives it a nice sweetness and the allspice is a perfect compliment to the squash. This loaf was gone in no time also. The kids loved it too! This would be great for holiday dinners or just anytime time at all.