Massaged Kale Salad
Salads made with raw greens, like kale, provide more Vitamin C and folate than cooked or dried greens and kale provides much more nutrition than a traditional lettuce salad.
5-6 cups of kale leaves will make a generous main course salad for 2 people or a side salad for 4 people.
Massaged Kale Salad:
Ingredients:
- 5–6 cups kale leaves
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (or large lemon, squeezed)
- 1/4–1/2 teaspoon salt
- Additions (optional): nuts, seeds, beans, cheese, fruit
Wash carefully in clean water
Strip kale from stems
Tear into pieces
For dressing, combine:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- Juice of 1 lemon (2 Tbl)
- Options:
1/4–1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ginger, garlic, herbs
Massage until kale softens (at least 1–2 minutes)
Additions (mix and match as desired):
- Grated apple
- Grated carrots
- Grated cheese
- Chickpeas (Garbanzo beans)
- Nuts or seeds
- Dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, etc.)
- Fresh fruit (pineapple, oranges, etc.)
This salad is a powerhouse of nutrition and flavor.
A related side note: You may have seen recent Internet stories warning people to avoid eating raw kale. Most of these are not based on solid evidence and greatly exaggerate the danger. Unless you are eating more than 2 cups of raw kale a day you are unlikely to experience any problems. Of course, any food eaten in excess is unhealthy. Moderation and variety are key to a healthy diet.
I hope you enjoy this salad as much as I do.
View this video on YouTube (and subscribe to our channel at Leaf for Life @ YouTube)
Other leaf-enriched recipes are in our book 21st Century Greens. You can view (and download) that portion of the book at this link: 21stCentGreens-Appendix-1-Recipes.pdf