The first time I made a salad using kale as the only green, Bill wouldn’t eat much. It was good, but a little tough. So I was thrilled to find this technique that uses the dressing to soften the kale.
I got this recipe from the caterer at a meditation retreat I recently attended in New Mexico. It comes from Denise Ladwig, Chef and Owner of Feast! Organic Catering (831 776-1033, FeastOrganicCatering@live.com)
Here is the recipe. I made it with Red Russian kale, a nice variety of kale. Denise’s recipe called for two tablespoons of the shoyu (or tamari, etc) – I cut it back because prefer less salt.
I think you could use this basic technique as a base and add just about anything you wish! The kale is softened by letting it marinate in the dressing.
Kale Salad
1 bunch of kale, any kind (green, red, dinosaur/lacinato)
Dressing:
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon Shoyu, Tamari, Braggs Amino Acids (or soy sauce)
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
2 tablespoons sunflower seeds, toasted
2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds, toasted
Optional:
sprouts, any kind, about a cup
thinly sliced red onion (marinated in dressing)
thinly cut scallions, shallots or chives
avocado
fresh or sun-dried tomato
Strip the kale from the tough part of the stock, and slice kale into thin ribbons (about ¼ inch thick).
Massage the dressing into the kale – you want it well distributed. Let it sit for 30+ minutes, this will soften the kale. If you are adding onions, scallions, shallots or chives add them at this time.
Toast the seeds in a dry frying pan on medium heat until they are lightly browned. You can make extra and store them in a jar for later use).
Toss in the seeds and other optional ingredients before serving.
While I don’t usually promote one vegetable over another (they are all good!), greens are really, really good. Besides being loaded with vitamins and phytonutrients, kale is part of the brassica family which are thought to help the liver process toxins.
Find more nutrition information and my monthly newsletter on my website: http://healthyhabitscoach.com . Eat Sustainably!
Great information. I have some raw food buddies. They live pretty far away so I don’t see them often. One gathering, I had a kale salad that was so delicious I could eat it everyday, even for breakfast. Jim, who make the kale salad said basic ingredients were the same as your salad. Only, with your recipe, the avacado and nuts adds protein, which Jim’s didn’t have.
Thanks for this and other recipes. Fantastic! I’ll a bit pressed for time, but will send you a couple of recipes that came from my raw food/vegan buddies (I’m still a carnivore). I think you’ll like them.
Julie
Thanks!
I don’t think of avocado as being a source of protein, but I guess it can be if you eat enough. A whole one has about 4 grams of protein – in 325 calories. The same calories worth of sunflower seeds (~ 1/3 cup) gives 13 grams of protein.
Kathy