WEST COAST PREP MEETS CLASSIC CHICAGO CUISINE

Here at johnnie-O we live pretty active, healthy lifestyles. Plus, since we are based in Los Angeles, the birthplace of cold-pressed kale juice (fact checker, please) it makes sense we would share with you some tried and true recipes.
Kale is actually a game changer (sort of like our Tweener Button®). It’s a quite versatile vegetable. According to MindBodyGreen, per calorie, kale is higher in calcium than milk and higher in iron than beef. Gram for gram, it also has twice as much vitamin C as an orange. We would even go as far to say it is an important freshly grown produce, like those picked by Bill O’Donnell at Blue Ash Farm. So here are a few good recipes that blend our midwest roots with our Southern California vibes.
Chicago-Style Kale Hot Dog – Invented by John O’Donnell himself, a spin on a hometown favorite
Makes 1 serving
Ingredients:
1 all-beef hot dog
1 poppy-seed hot dog bun
1 tbsp. yellow mustard
1 tbsp. sweet green pickle relish
1 tbsp. diced white onion
2 leafs of kale
4 thinly sliced tomato wedges
1 classic dill pickle spear
2-3 whole sport peppers
A dash of celery salt
Directions:
- Prep the toppings.
- Boil a pot of water. Reduce the heat to low and place hot dog in water. Cook for 5 minutes or until done. Remove the dog and set aside. Carefully place a steamer basket into the pot, and steam the bun for 2 minutes or until warm.
- Place the hot dog into the steamed bun. Pile the yellow mustard, sweet green pickle relish and onion directly onto the hot dog. Then wedge the tomato slices on one side between the bun and the dog. Nestle the pickle spear on the opposite side. Add the whole sport peppers on top and sprinkle on a dash of celery salt.
Kale & Onion Pizza (via The Stone Soup) – Knowing that some of you hail from Chicago, we thought you would like to give this pie a try
Makes 1 medium pizza
Ingredients:
1 onion, finely sliced
Small handful kale, finely sliced
1 quantity pizza dough
Handful bocconcini or other fresh mozzarella, torn
Handful grated parmesan
Directions:
- Preheat oven on its highest setting and place a pizza stone on the floor of your oven.
- Cook onion in a little oil on a medium heat until soft but not browned.
- Add kale and cook, stirring occasionally until the kale is wilted. Season.
- Roll out pizza dough. Scatter over the kale and onion mixture. Top with both cheeses.
- Bake for 5-10 minutes or until the dough is cooked and the cheese melted.
Is your mouth watering yet? Yeah, us too. We wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to pair either of these dishes with a cocktail, maybe a glass of our signature Light & Sunny. Now get cookin’!