dole salads

Bright Eyed & Bushy Kaled Bites

You guys are seriously too cute. I loved reading all of your comments about why I should keep writing personal posts! My favorite is when a couple of you said “If I only wanted to see recipes, I would just buy a cook book!” That totally stuck with me : )

Soooo ever since I started working with DOLE Salads, I’ve been BEGGING them for kale! At every event I would raise my hand and say “WHERE’S THE KALE?!” Seriously, this bunny can’t get enough kale!

Through the past year I’ve been pleasantly surprised seeing kale pop up in DOLE’s Chopped Salads, buttttt the moment has finally come for an entire package of kale! Drumroll please…

DOLE POWER UP GREENS!!!
DOLE Power Up Greens come in 3 different varieties:

Dole-Power-Up-Greens-Kale-Bites-3 Baby Kale: Just baby kale
Baby Kale and Greens: Baby spinach, baby kale, baby green chard, baby red chard
Spring Mix and Greens: Arugula, baby green oak, baby green romaine, baby red oak, red baby romaine, green chard, green tango, lola rosa, mizuna, red chard, tat-soi, spinach, baby kale, curly endive, green leaf, red tango, mache. <<< The perfect mix for the ULTIMATE green smoothie!

DOLE has been challenging me to think outside of the bowl by using salads in different ways, and for their new Power Up Greens, they’ve asked me to create a super power snack that is pop-able and bite-sized! My friend Beth has been telling me to use the name “Bright Eyed & Bushy Kaled” for months now, and I finally found the perfect time to use it! These adorable little Kale Bites resemble “cotton tails!” They may be cute but they’re tasty too!

These little morsels are baked not fried, and loaded with antioxidants and vitamins A, C, and K from the DOLE Power Up Greens! They’re an easy super power snack to serve to your friends and family that’s healthy and delish.

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Bright Eyed & Bushy Kaled Bites
Yields about 15 kale bites

1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 packages (4 cups packed) DOLE Power Up Greens – Baby Kale
1 large scallion
1 egg
2/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a pan over medium high heat, sauté yellow onion in olive oil until softened and translucent. Add kale to frying pan, sautéing until the kale wilts, about 1 to 2 minutes. Place cooked kale and onion into a food processor along with the chopped scallion, and pulse for several seconds. Transfer mixture to a mixing bowl and stir in the egg, breadcrumbs, and parmesan cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste and mix with a spoon until well combined. Using a one Tablespoon measuring spoon, scoop the kale mixture into 1 Tbsp sized balls. Place kale balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 15 minutes.

Tip: After 15 minutes, turn your oven to broil and let the tops of the kale balls brown for about 1 minute.

DOLE has definitely been thinking outside of the bowl, and they’ve created some super power recipes for you to try!

It’s a chip, its healthy, it’s Kale Chips!
These oven-baked chips are the crunchy, satisfying snack you’ve been craving. And, because they’re made from DOLE® Power Up Greens™ Baby Kale, they have the calcium and manganese your body needs. Try them as an accompaniment to a sandwich, a topping on a pasta dish, or enjoy a big bowl of them while you veg out!

Lentils “Meatballs” with Kale Pesto
Meatballs are a hit at nearly every mealtime and occasion. But what about a meatball without the meat? Round, flavorful morsels, our “meatballs” turn lentils and greens into small pleasures that even the most ardent meat lover will enjoy. A great way to get your protein, and topped with a robust kale pesto, it is easy to see why these little goodies are a favorite among vegetarians.

Interested in DOLE Power Up Greens?
Use their Store Locator to find greens near you!

Slam Dunk Lettuce Wraps + Dole Giveaway

I love DOLE Chopped Salads because it’s a quick and easy way to eat more rabbit food. They’re filled with all sorts of goodies like different lettuces (green cabbage, red cabbage, and kale), broccoli slaw, carrots, and even snap peas! It’s an easy way to change up my usual all spinach or all kale salad and get some different textures and new flavors in the mix. My fav way to eat a chopped salad is to pour the entire bag (yup, all 4 servings! Only 100 calories and 8 grams of fiber for the entire thing!) into a gigantic mixing bowl, throw on some homemade dressing, mix it up, and nom nom that shiznit up. Straight out of the mixing bowl. Awww yeahhhh. But besides eating the entire bag like a rabbit, I love branching out and making new recipes. For example, I love filling spring rolls with the Asian Blend for a quick and easy appetizer when friends come over!

Since March Madness is just around the corner and basketball is all about those slam dunks, I teamed up (no pun intended!) with DOLE Salads to make the ultimate dunk recipe! Serve them up while watching the March Madness games as a fresh snack that’s so healthy, you can dunk into that sauce alllll you want! I love that the Asian Blend is filled with green cabbage, red cabbage, kale, broccoli slaw, snap peas, and carrots. It makes for a super easy veggie filling for my lettuce wraps with little prep!

These fresh Asian lettuce wraps are so easy to make, and even easier to devour!
They’re a total slam dunk!

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Dole-Chopped-Salad-Asian-Blend-Helathy-Lettuce-Wraps-4Love this adorable chopping block from DOLE to chop my ingredients! This bamboo Mezzaluna style chopping block comes with a double-bladed herb knife that actually stores inside of the unit when it’s not in use!

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Slam Dunk Lettuce Wraps
Serves 4-5 as an appetizer or 1 as a meal!

Lettuce Wraps:
2 cups DOLE Chopped Asian Blend
1/2 cup cooked quinoa, chilled
2 Tbs cashews, chopped
2 Tbsp Sweet Chili Sauce
5 butter lettuce leaves

Sweet Chili Sauce:
3/4 cup rice vinegar
3/4 cup honey
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp chili pepper, finely chopped
2 tsp red-pepper flakes
1/2 tsp coarse salt

Cook and chill quinoa beforehand. Combine all ingredients for the sweet chili sauce, mix well, and refrigerate. In a mixing bowl, combine the DOLE Chopped Asian Blend, quinoa, and sweet chili sauce. Scoop the filling into lettuce wraps using a 1/4 cup measuring cup. Dunk into sweet chili sauce as desired, and enjoy while watching March Madness!

The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown
Produce: Dole Chopped Asian Blend and butter lettuce
Whole Grain:  quinoa
Protein: none
Plant Based Fat: cashews

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I’m hosting a giveaway in collaboration with DOLE Salads & EatingWell!
One lucky RFFMBT reader will win:

(Free) DOLE Salads coupons to try DOLE Chopped Salads
DOLE chopping block
DOLE reusable grocery bag
The Simple Art of EatingWell Cookbook
EatingWell Fast & Flavorful Meatless Meals Cookbook

*Must use a valid email address and be a US resident to enter.
Giveaway ends on Friday, March 14th at 11:59pm PST.
Winner will be announced on Saturday, March 15th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Want more dunk able March Madness recipes to make with DOLE Chopped Salads?
Checkout their “Super Dunk” dip & “Avocado Spring Rolls,” both featuring DOLE Chopped Asian Blend!