Salad Days

Sometimes I stumble across a recipe or idea for a salad that sounds so bizarre, I just have to try it. That’s what happened today when I started looking for a quick and easy way to eat the kale I had in my refrigerator. Turns out vegans all over the blogosphere are ga-ga for raw kale salad. Yup, you read that right. RAW kale in a salad.

The technique for softening kale is pretty simple - messy, but simple. Just combine it with some oil and salt and rub it with your hands until it wilts. Once that’s done, add whatever flavoring inspires you. I’m not a huge fan of oil. I’d rather eat the whole food (olives vs. olive oil, walnuts instead of walnut oil, sesame seeds instead of sesame seed oil, etc.), so I replaced some of the oil I’d seen listed in other recipes with avocado. For flavor I added some shelled edamame and a salsa.

Bon appetit!

Raw Kale Avocado Salad with Salsa
Serves 1

3 ounces kale (about 1/2 bunch), cut into 1” pieces
1 tablespoon olive or grapeseed oil
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 avocado
1/2 cup shelled edamame
1 cup fresh tomato salsa

Combine the kale, oil, salt and avocado in a big bowl and rub it with your hands until the avocado is mixed in and the kale “wilts.” Add the edamame and salsa, and stir to combine.

Per Serving: 534 Calories; 33g Fat (52.3% calories from fat); 22g Protein; 45g Carbohydrate; 19g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 1452mg Sodium. 
Exchanges: 4 1/2 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 5 1/2 Fat.

Nutritional wisdom: Kale is one of the most nutrient-dense foods we can eat. Take a look at the following table, which compares the nutrients in a 100-calorie portion of broccoli, steak, lettuce, and kale. Carnivores take note: kale has more protein, more iron, more fiber, more calcium, pretty much more of everything than meat.