I love kale salad. But I would be lying if I told you it was love at first bite.

It was a long while ago, but I remember my first kale salad. I had always eaten it cooked, blended or juiced, but never as a raw base for a salad.

I treated it as I would any other lettuce; I tossed it simply, with some extra virgin olive oil and a good balsamic. I was with C that day, I was so excited to share our first kale salad and finally see what all the fuss was about.

I hadn’t even made it to the table when he took his first bite. He glared over at me, with a look on his face that read What are you making me eat, as I saw him chewing from a distance.

Oh shush, I thought to myself, figuring he was just being childish. So I dove in and gave it a taste for myself.

Ok fine. The flavour was definitely there, but the texture was a miss. I was slightly dumbfounded, what could I have possibly done wrong?

Well, healthful and delicious as kale may be, it turns out that if you want to reap the goods from your kale salad, you’ll need to put some elbow grease into it.

Find out exactly what I mean in today’s video, when I talk about the one, very important step, for falling in love with kale salad.

Enjoy the recipe and to all my fellow Canadians, happy long weekend!

Was it love at first bite with your kale salad ? How will you be spending Canada day weekend?

 

 

 

Summer Kale Salad

A salad that gets better as it sits, making it a great fit for a summer BBQ spread.

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1 bunch kale, de-stemmed, washed and chopped (makes approximately 4 cups)
• Juice of 1 medium-sized lemon (approximately 2 tablespoons)
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs (parsley, chives, oregano)
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• Freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 carrot, washed and grated
• 1/2 zucchini, washed and grated
• 1 plum tomato, diced
• 1/2 avocado, diced

For garnish:

• Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese shavings
• Toasted pine nuts

 

Method

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, mustard, olive oil, herbs salt and pepper until emulsified.
2. Poor the dressing over the kale and using your hands, take care in massage the dressing into each leaf. This step is important to tenderize the kale. Do this for 3 to 5 minutes or until you notice the volume of the kale shrink down.
3. Let rest for 15 minutes.
4. Add the carrots, zucchini, avocado and tomato and toss.
5. Divide  and top with parmesan shavings and toasted pine nuts.

Enjoy!