Massaged Kale Salad

I knew that Kale was a superfood, but until now I had only made kale chips with the green leaf. Like it's cousins, broccoli and cauliflower, kale is a descendant of the wild cabbage and is a nutritional powerhouse that deserves to be on every Top Ten list.


My good friend Paulina (a health food junkie with an affinity to processed cheese) introduced me to this delicious massaged kale salad soon after I gave birth to Harper. Knowing the health benefits I thought I would "choke down" the salad she provided. After all, I would do anything for my Harper. Well surprise surprise, this is so yummy. An even bigger surprise was how simple it is to make. Calling this a "recipe" is a little of an overstatement. This post has everything going for it. Yummy, Easy, Fast, Healthy, Filling, Few Ingredients. I call that WINNING!

Curly kale has ruffled leaves with a pungent, peppery flavor. For this salad I used an entire bunch of kale.

I started by first cutting the thick stems off the leaves, and then chopping the leaves into bite size pieces.

The pieces then go into my salad spinner. Jim bought this for me and I absolutely love it!

Rinse well under cool water.

Then spin to get all the water off the kale.

My handsome husband with my adorable baby. He may or may not have spit up on his shirt. Two of my most favorite people on this earth!!

Once the kale is trimmed, chopped and rinsed it is time to dress the salad.

Squeeze half a lemon (you can always add more lemon later to suite your taste).

Sprinkle with a tablespoon of coarse kosher salt. The salt will help break down the kale when you massage the leaves.

Drizzle about a tablespoon of good olive oil.

Remove your jewelery and dig in with your hands.

Gently massage the leaves between your fingers (do not squeeze) and watch as the color becomes bright green and leaves slightly more tender.

After 3-5 minutes, taste and adjust your seasonings to your preferences.  From here you could add a totally different vinaigrette like Caesar or honey mustard.

Aarti Sequeira posts on the food network that she adds diced mango and toasted pumpkin seeds.  Paulina prefers her massaged kale tart with lemon, salty, and then adds fresh or dried fruit and a nut which is how I continued with this recipe.

Sprinkle with dried cranberries, about 1/4 cup.

Sprinkle with a handful of raw slivered almonds.

Toss and enjoy! This salad will keep for a few days in the fridge if you don't over massage the kale.

This is a great healthy boost in the New Year. Kale and other Brassica family vegetables such as cabbage and Brussels sprouts are rich in calcium, lutein, iron, beta-carotene, and Vitamins A, C, and K. I was surprised to learn that a single serving of Kale provides 192 percent of the recommended daily amount of Vitamin A, which can act as a preventative against lung diseases.

Amazing!!

Here is what I found out about buying and storing Kale:


BUYING - Kale should have a fresh green colour with moist, crisp, unwilted leaves. Young, small-leaved specimens are more tender; bigger leaves are well suited for use in soups.

STORING - Keep in a plastic bag in the fridge. Kale becomes increasingly bitter and strongly flavoured the longer it is kept and so is best eaten soon after buying.