The Well Code

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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What I’m Reading: Vegetarian & Vegan Cookbooks

7 Vegetarian Cookbooks to consider adding to your collection...even if you're not a vegetarian
March 14, 2018
Story By: Mandy Kellogg Rye
Filed Under > Everyday

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The best vegetarian and vegan cookbooks

The Vegan Pantry, The Better Bean Cookbook, Superfood Soups, Vegetarian Tagines & Couscous, Deliciously Dairy Free, The Oh She Glows Cookbook, The Vegetable Literacy

8 years ago, I embarked on the journey of becoming a full-time vegetarian, part-time vegan.  And that journey all started with a book, The Kind Diet, and a movie, Food, Inc. 

During my 7 years of being vegetarian the number one question I received was, “what do you eat?” This always baffled me, because I NEVER felt like I didn’t have options at restaurants or recipes to make at home.  And to answer the question you’re probably thinking…no I did not eat a lot of salads.  In fact I’d say I only ate 1 or 2 salads a week.  Sure, I had to sometimes get creative with my meal planning, and I also invested in vegetarian cookbooks. Vegetarian and vegan cookbooks was the easiest way to stretch outside my cooking comfort zone.

Educating myself on our food system and how food fuels and functions in our bodies was one of the most important, and best decisions of my life.  And I urge you to do the same.  This post is not about guilting, or standing on a soap box of any sort. But I truly believe we are at our best when we stretch our boundaries and learn new things. 

Those boundaries can be as simple as eating one more vegetarian or vegan meal a week. That’s why Meatless Monday became a thing. Did you know that an estimated 1,800 to 2,500 gallons of water go into a single pound of beef. A single pound! Think about that. Anyway, I could talk about this all day, but my intention when I sat down to write this was simply to share the vegetarian and vegan cookbooks I’m loving now.

Today, while I’m no longer a full-time vegetarian (read about that here), I am still very invested in vegetarian cooking. In fact, I’d say I eat vegetarian/vegan about 60% of the time. So that’s why I still love picking up vegetarian and vegan cookbooks.  Especially now when it seems there’s a new cookbook on the shelf every week.

I’ve listed the vegetarian and vegan cookbooks I’m currently reading above and below. And if you need some other vegetarian recipes check out our vegetarian and vegan section in my recipe index. Some of my favorite recipes would be my breakfast nachos, stuffed sweet potatoes, and best every veggie burger.

I’d love if you’d share if you have a current favorite vegetarian recipe?  Truly, MKR


 

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Be Well: A Grounding Essential Oil Rollerball Recipe

A calming blend that enhances focus, relaxes the mind & fuels creativity
October 1, 2017
Story By: Mandy Kellogg Rye
Filed Under > Everyday

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"Be Well" calming essential oil blend recipe on Waiting on Martha

As many of you know by now, I’m deep into essential oils.  And by deep, I mean if you’ve got a problem, I’ve got an oil for it.   I find myself reaching for oils for just about anything these days; think immunity support, mood balancing, sinus issues, energy and creativity boosts, household cleaning…the list goes on and on. 

That’s why I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to share my love for the oily life down at 30-A this week during The Southern C’s Watercolor Wellness Retreat.  I’m dishing on social media and digital strategy to small business owners and creative entrepreneurs, but I’m also sharing my journey with essential oils and why I launched Waiting On Martha Everydaye, WOM’s sister wellness brand. 

The cat’s out of the bag on this one, but we’ll be sharing our favorite DIY essential oil rollerball recipe with all of the retreat attendees.  We dubbed it “Be Well” because its many benefits pretty much sum up our entire mission to keep your “well full.”  This special blend of essential oils includes lavender, cedarwood and orange, and it is incredibly calming, grounding and relaxing.  It’s perfect for the bosses and dreamers out there—hello, creative friends!—because it enhances focus.  The lavender and cedarwood work together to help relax the mind, while the orange really reinvigorates and enhances creativity. 

Like all DIY rollerball recipes, when making this blend yourself, pick up some 10-ml dark glass rollerball bottles.  The dark glass helps preserve the beneficial properties of the oils inside.  You’ll simply mix the essential oils in the bottle, and top off with a carrier oil of your choice.  If you’re new to all things oily, you can use whatever oil you prefer here; I used organic grapeseed oil in this recipe, but I also like to use fractionated coconut oil and jojoba oil too. 

If you’re interested in learning more about essential oils—or just have questions—don’t hesitate to email us at waitingonmartha@gmail.com, leave a comment below, or DM on Instagram at @womeveryday.  We’d love to help you get started on this holistic path to well-being and answer any questions you may have.  Truly, MKR

P.S. Looking for custom labels like ours? You can order them HERE. xo 

"Be Well" grounding rollerball recipe
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Ingredients
  1. 15 drops lavender essential oil
  2. 15 drops cedarwood essential oil
  3. 8 drops orange essential oil
  4. top off with carrier oil of choice, I used organic grapeseed oil
Instructions
  1. Combine the essential oils in a 10-ml glass rollerball bottle.
  2. Top off the mixture with a carrier oil (you can use fractionated coconut oil, grapeseed oil, jojoba oil, etc.)
  3. Apply to wrists, temples, etc. when in need of calming, yet energizing support. If you experience skin sensitivities at all, be sure to do a skin patch test (place 1-2 drops of a diluted essential oil on your inner forearm and take note if you have any reactions).
Welcome by Waiting on Martha https://waitingonmartha.com/
 

Photography, Rustic White for Waiting on Martha

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