Admit it. I had you at massaged.. didn't  I ? 


You are probably thinking that I've lost my mind. Or that I typed it wrong. But the truth is... massaging it is exactly how you make this delicious salad! 


Let's start at the beginning. 


Scott and I happened to come across a restaurant one day while house hunting.. True Food Kitchen. 


It is a restaurant based on the anti- inflammatory diet by Dr Andrew Weil MD.

 






It is an open- kitchen restaurant, where everything is made fresh, organic when possible, sustainable- in season , and crazily good!

The drinks are all amazing..  Kale- aid is my fav....  They have all sorts of crazy drink options, made with fresh juice, both alcoholic and non- alcoholic. 

Trust me, friends... if you were to come visit me  out here, this is the first place I will take you... I promise !


Scott bought me the cookbook and I have made a few recipes from it ( on a side note, I am so happy to be settled and have the time to cook again... this past year has been nothing short of crazy! ) 

One of my favorite recipes from the cookbook is the kale salad ( which is served on the side of many entrees) 
This is my version of it.. tweaked just a little bit. You can find the original on the web if you google it. ( otherwise I couldn't share the recipe here) 



~1  bunch fresh kale ( I like the lacinto or dinosaur kale, but any kind will work )  this time of year you can find it at any farmers' market... 

~juice of 1 lemon
~ about 1/4 cup olive oil
~ about a teaspoon of Dijon mustard
~ 1-2 garlic cloves... depending on how much garlic you like
~1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese ( plus a little extra for curls on top)
~1/4 cup dried cranberries
~ 1/4 cup slivered almonds ( not pictured.. it was an after-thought... but a very good one ;) 
~ sea salt and pepper




start by crushing garlic clove with the back of a knife ( or chopping super- fine) and add it to serving bowl. Add lemon juice, mustard, salt, pepper and whisk in olive oil.  Rinse kale and pull the leaves away from the ribs. Discard ribs. 

this is what your empty ribs should look like.... sounds sad, doesn't it? 
next tear up of cut your kale leaves into bite- sized pieces, adding them directly over dressing.

next, with clean hands... get in there and massage the dressing into the leaves.   it should only take 2-3 minutes. 


mmmm... look at that yumminess! 

next, top with the cheese, cranberries & almonds. 

cover and refrigerate until ready to eat. , Toss right before serving.

I like to make this a few hours in advance.... in fact it's one of those salads that is just as good the next day! 


and there you have it.... my favorite summer salad ( then again, I think that all of them are my favorites.  

you can have fun with the toppings here, too...  last week I made it with blue cheese, dried cherries and candied walnuts....

I encourage you to try this... it's a healthy, impressive easy one - dish wonder!
ciao bellas! 
Christina
7/31/2013 09:29:29 pm

yum yum yum. Reason #5000 you should be a personal chef ;) the candied walnuts and cranberries version sounds delicious!!

Reply
barefootgirl27
8/1/2013 05:04:48 am

Aww thank you! With the kale as such a great canvas, there are so many combinations that can stand up to it! The walnuts and cherries were awesome! Ox

Reply
Eshe
8/1/2013 09:17:18 am

Haha...I just had a yummy, yummy kale salad on vacation. I loved it! Hmm....maybe I'll try ;)

Reply
barefootgirl27
8/1/2013 11:26:45 pm

That's awesome! You should try this. The best part is that the leftovers are just as good the next day so even if you are the only one that will eat it, you should still make it ... 2 meals in 1!

Reply
mom
3/30/2014 10:06:37 am

Looks delish. Can't wait to try it.

Reply



Leave a Reply.