Strawberry Kale Salad with Fresh Serrano Peppers, Pumpkin Seeds & Poppy Seed Dressing

An Unexpected Twist On A Simple Under-5-Minute Salad
May 15, 2022
Story By: Mandy Kellogg Rye
Filed Under > 30 Minute Meals

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Strawberry kale salad with jalapenos, pumpkin seeds & Poppy Seed DressingStrawberry kale salad with jalapenos, pumpkin seeds & Poppy Seed DressingBaby kale salad with strawberries, pumpkin seeds & more via waitingonmartha.com

Lets be honest, salads can be boring.  So I’m always trying to think outside of the box to come up with salad recipes that I’ll thoroughly enjoy, but are beyond easy to make.  Enter my Strawberry Kale Salad with Pumpkin Seeds, Serrano Peppers and Poppy Seed Dressing.  

This four-ingredient Strawberry Kale Salad allowed me to get a little creative with my ingredients and almost fooled me into thinking I wasn’t actually eating a salad!  And it never hurts when the salad is this gorgeous. 

Nixing plain greens for baby kale with a touch of spinach, freshly sliced strawberries, pumpkin seeds, and fresh jalapenos for kick was the perfect combo.  The balance of flavors—sweet to spicy—and the textures—crunchy pumpkin seeds to the soft strawberries—is absolutely divine…even coming from someone who can’t always be satisfied with just a salad. I do wish I had some herbed goat cheese, that would have really made sealed the deal.

And with a salad like this one, I always love a good poppy seed dressing.  The tangy citrus flavor and thick consistency cool down the heat from the serranos, and pair perfectly with the fresh strawberries. Now I know not everyone likes heat, so in hindsight, I suggest putting the serrano peppers on the side for guests to choose if they want to add a little fire.  Since I wanted to keep this salad super simple and under-5-minutes-to-make, I opted to use this store-bought poppy seed dressing, though you can absolutely make your own!  Tell me, how do you think outside of the salad box?  Truly, MKR

P.S. Wouldn’t this make for a beautiful salad for an upcoming bridal shower?  I just love the pop of red and the fresh greens!  xo 

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Strawberry Kale Salad with Fresh Jalapenos, Pumpkin Seeds & Poppy Seed Dressing

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 1 minute

Total Time: 6 minutes

Yield: 4-6

Ingredients

  • 2 bags baby kale and arugula mix
  • 1 pint fresh strawberries, sliced thinly
  • 1 jalapeno, sliced or diced thinly
  • Handful of pumpkin seeds, to garnish each salad
  • Candied pecans, finely chopped (optional)
  • Herb goat cheese, molded into small crumbles (optional)
  • Dressing of choice (I used store-bought poppy seed!)

Instructions

  1. Add all ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
  2. Pour dressing, toss and serve!
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3 DIY Ideas for Adult Easter Baskets

Gorgeous Adult Easter Baskets You Won't Want to Share
March 28, 2022
Story By: Mandy Kellogg Rye
Filed Under > Entertaining

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DIY Adult Easter Basket Ideas | Inspiration via Waiting on MarthaAdult Easter Basket Ideas via Waiting on MarthaAdult Easter Basket Ideas inspiration via Waiting on Martha Moss covered Easter basket with flowers via Waiting on MarthaChampagne filled adult Easter Basket Ideas, Waiting On Martha

Looking back on Easter as a child, I remember how excited I was to dig through my Easter basket.  Full of chocolate bunnies, malt ball Easter eggs, Peeps, golden coins, and my favorite Cadbury Eggs.  My Easter basket would be empty in a matter of hours.  If you were lucky, I’d negotiate an Easter egg trade with you, but for the most part I knew I wanted it all to myself.

Remembering the joy it brought me on Easter Sunday, I knew I wanted to recreate just that for grown ups.  Why should the kids get all of the fun?  So as I set out to build the best adult Easter baskets around, I collected items that I, as a grown up, would want to keep all to myself as well…mini champagne bottles, jams, key lime fruit tart, truffle-filled Easter eggs and chocolate bunnies (yes, still!).  And to make the adult Easter baskets truly a celebration of our blessings, I wanted them to include some of my favorite signs of spring. Terracotta pots of fresh daffodils and hydrangeas look so sweet tucked into the grapevine and moss covered baskets, along with fresh, potted basil, oregano, and few additional growing kits to keep my indoor herb garden going strong was everything.  

Tell me friends, what else would you have in your adult Easter baskets?  If you say $250 to Juliska, then you’re in luck.  Enter to win our generous giveaway all week long right here.  I know I’d love a few more of these in my Easter basket!  Truly, MKR

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Photography, Rustic White for Waiting on Martha 

AS PICTURED: Moss covered basket | Grapevine baskets | Mini champagne bottle (similar here) | Chocolate bunnies | Chocolate truffle-filled Easter eggs | Speckled Easter eggs (similar here) 

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How to Plant an Indoor Lettuce Cart in 5 Steps

A Convenient and Satisfying Addition to Your Salad Routine
March 28, 2022
Story By: Mandy Kellogg Rye
Filed Under > Everyday

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How to plant an indoor lettuce cart, Waiting on Martha

I’m not sure if you remember, but this time last year I was falling in love with growing herbs in my garden.  That love for gardening, the taste of fresh-picked greens, and the fulfillment from seeing something grow and prosper at my very fingertips has only doubled, as can be expected.  So this year, I set out to expand my home garden by learning how to plant an indoor lettuce cart.  

The idea of an indoor lettuce cart struck a chord with me; I loved the thought of cultivating some of my most-used vegetables in the kitchen at home, and the wheeling the cart up to my counter whenever I wanted to use them.  And the fact that it’s INDOORS helps make it possible to enjoy homegrown greens all winter long.  I was in love with the idea of just with a little snip-snip-snip, having homegrown spinach in my salads, arugula on my flatbreads, cabbage in my slaw and broccoli on my plate!  

I did a little research, and after buying this super convenient salad garden on wheels, I set out to plant the already-sprouted varieties with fresh soil and fertilizer.  I visited my local nursery and bought already-growing vegetables: spinach, red leaf lettuce, cabbage and broccoli.  But you can, of course, grow the lettuce from seed and a seed starting mix (one that’s gentle enough to grow the crops from seed).   I really wanted to do arugula since it’s one of my all-time favorites, but sadly the nursery didn’t have it when I looked. And I know broccoli may be a little ambitious this time around, but I’m willing to give it a shot! 

You’ll find that lettuce is a very low maintenance vegetable to grow, but it does need a lot of sun.  One of my favorite things about this lettuce cart is that I can fit a lot of vegetable varieties on it, and since lettuce can grow pretty close together, I don’t run the risk of overcrowding the sprouted plants.  Since we may still get another frost here in the A before it’s truly springtime, it’s nice to have this cart that I can wheel in and out of my garage to get optimal sunlight. 

Tell me friends, do you have plans to grow an indoor lettuce cart this year?  Find a few essentials as you get started on your own indoor lettuce cart in the scrolling widget, and read a step-by-step tutorial below!  Truly, MKR


P.S. We just added these amazing Organic Grow Kits in the shoppe! Get started with your lettuce cart with one of these…so fun! xo

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Scout Your Location

Stack-n-Grow Light System

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You want to find a place in your house that gets 12 hours of bright sunlight every day. For lettuce especially, a south-facing window is apparently best.  Try to find a place that won’t have any cold drafts or too much heat (and of course, away from curious furry friends!).  If you can’t find enough light from a window, you can grow your crops under special lights like these. 

Gather the Container, Soil & Seeds

Organic Seed Starter

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Next, you’ll want to find good containers for your crops.  Look for flat, shallow containers that allow for good drainage. 

For the soil, stay away from “potting soil” – it’s usually too rough/course in texture for growing your plants from seeds.  Instead, this organic seed starter works great. 

 

Plant the Varieties

3-Piece Garden Tool Set

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For those of you (like me) who bought their crops already-growing, transfer them into the containers with the seed starter mix.  Otherwise, moisten the soil and fill the containers a few inches with the mix.  Next, scatter the seeds about an inch apart.  Top them with a thin layer of planting mix. 

You’ll want the containers to maintain moisture, so you can cover them loosely with plastic wrap to create a greenhouse-effect.  Keep the seedlings moist but not overwatered.

Watch Their Growth & Trim If Necessary

Easy Grow Fertilizer

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Check the crops daily for signs of sprouts, and once they appear, you’ll want to remove the plastic cover.  Thin the seedlings out with a pair of scissors so that they have about an inch around them to grow.

As soon as the plants start to have their first set of true leaves, you can give them liquid fertilizer like this one. Watch their moisture level, and make sure the seedlings stay moist but don’t ever get drowned in too much water.  

Harvest Your Crops

Gold Scissors

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Indoor baby lettuce will be ready to be harvested after 3-4 weeks (it will be about 4″ tall). To harvest, cut the outer leaves first, trimming the base about an inch from the soil.  You’ll want to leave the rest of the leaves to grow a few days longer.  When the plant is completely harvested, you can plant another from scratch.

Photography, Rustic White for Waiting on Martha

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