March 15, 2011

Raw Kale in a Salad? Yep. Tastes Great.

Kale is great for you.  Kale ranks as one of the "world's healthiest foods" primarily because it lowers cholesterol, fights cancer, and helps the body to detox.  Among other things.

I've always had kale steamed or well, ... steamed.  It's cabbage and I've always had it cooked the same way that I grew up with cabbage being cooked.  Which meant throw it in a pot or pan and basically boil it with some salt pork or bacon or something akin thrown into the pot for flavor.  Sometimes, some onion and garlic got in there. 

As I typed this, a light went off in my brain and I do recall using kale in a chinese-y sort of chicken soup awhile back.  Worked well, looked pretty. 

Raw Kale in a Salad Works Great

However, once again I was watching one of those televised cooking shows, and I stumbled upon someone using raw kale in a salad.  Now, they had to chop it into small shreds and then shruch it with their hands awhile to help break the cabbage down ... but it worked.

Now, a new and delicious way to make a salad, eat some kale.  Thought I'd share it with you:

1.  The recipe that got me started on this road:  Food Network Star Aarti Sequiera's Massaged Kale Salad.
(As of this post, this recipe has over 460 reviews and it's got a five star rating.  Guess other folk like this recipe as much as I do.)

2.  I also liked this raw kale salad from Epicurious, maybe it's the pine nuts -- and maybe it's the dried cranberries that I substituted for the currants b/c I didn't have any currants at the time. 

3.  Finally, I tried my own.  Did the marinade with lemon juice and EVOO like Aarti's recipe and the hands-on schmuching of the kale (julianned this time), then I added a touch of honey, along with a perfectly ripe avocado, a bit of red bell pepper, chopped in some scallions too.  Thru in some chopped walnuts because I had them.  This was addicting it was so good.   

Kale is really great stuff, I must admit.  It's colorful, it's good for you, it's cheap.    
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...