When we were in Hollywood this weekend, we ate at a fancy restaurant before watching “Wicked.” The rest of my meal was so-so, but I had a kale salad that was divine! I’ve recently fallen in love with kale, putting it in everything from soups to burritos, to roasting it into chips as a salty afternoon snack to munch on. I was happy to discover that it tastes amazing raw as well – the secret is to toss it thoroughly with a salad dressing that contains lemon juice, and then let it sit for about 15 minutes, which will soften it and cut the bitterness (according to a recipe I saw online). I adapted this recipe from this video and tried to replicate the restaurant salad I had had as much as possible. David really liked it as well and thought it would taste great with dried cranberries. Carmelized nuts would also be a fabulous addition. I think I love this even more than romaine, baby lettuce or spinach! The best part – we each got a huge helping of a staggeringly healthy raw superfood!
Kale Salad
3-4 TBSP Olive Oil
scant 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
juice of 1/2 of a lemon
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar or honey
Kale (I use Trader Joe’s bagged kale – it’s already chopped and washed)
1/2 of a shallot, thinly sliced, or a thinly sliced yellow onion
goat cheese, crumbled
pita chips, crushed
Whisk together the ingredients up to the kale until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Place enough kale for each person in a separate bowl (it will shrink up a little bit as it steeps in the dressing) and toss with some of the salad dressing. Using your hands, make sure each leaf is covered in salad dressing on both sides – kind of massaging the dressing into the kale. Add more dressing if needed, but don’t drench it. Let sit for about 15 minutes. Before serving, add the shallot, crumbled goat cheese, and crumbled pita chips. Enjoy!
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