King of Greens: Fresh kale salad

It’s the super food of the century. Faster than a speeding multivitamin, more powerful than a handful of goji berries, able to feed an entire staff meeting from a single bowl. It’s a legume; it’s a seaweed; no, it’s kale! Our old friend and broccoli’s distant cousin. And a fine addition to any picnic or potluck. So let’s make some fresh kale salad!

Ingredients:

1 bunch garden fresh organic kale from your backyard or your local farmer’s market
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup Braggs® aminos

Add-ons: Use any you like, or whatever you happen to have.

cubed avocados
tomatoes
bell peppers
cucumbers
shredded carrots
shredded beats
red onion

cajun tofu
fried gnocchi

seeds (roasted pepitas, sesame, flax, sunflower, etc.)
nuts (walnuts, roasted almonds, etc.)

Instructions:

Prep time approximately 15 minutes. No cooking involved.

Start with one hearty bunch of kale — Tuscan, dino, curly, any variety will do. Carefully remove the leaves and tear into more-or-less bite sized squares, discarding the fibrous stalks into your nearest compost receptacle.

I like to cut or tear the kale first and wash the small pieces. It’s seems easier to remove dirt that way. I do the same with leeks.

Mix the lemon juice, liquid aminos and olive oil. I don’t usually measure them exactly. I squeeze a lemon, which is usually about a 1/4 c, and then add equal parts of olive oil and liquid aminos. If it’s a small lemon, I use two and adjust the other ingredients accordingly.

Pour the dressing over the bite-sized strips of kale and massage evenly until the kale feels tender. NOTE: it is important to actually massage the kale, rubbing and squeezing with your hands to really get the oil and lemon juice in there and soften up the leaves. Let the kale sit and the oil and lemon juice do their thing while you prepare your favorite add-ons.

Finally, toss everything together and call it done.

Mothers have reported that “the teenagers just devour it!” But rest assured, ordinary children and adults clearly crave it as well. In fact, kale’s widespread appeal could very well exceed your wildest expectations.

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