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Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Mad about Kale

I love kale and to be honest, kale loves me right back! It's one of those "super foods" if I may use this overused term, that shows immediate results. With every bite my skin looks clearer, my eyes brighter and my all around attitude has, well, a little less "tude" shall we say. It really is quite remarkable and for those of you who haven't embraced kale for whatever reason, I encourage you to give it a try. Seriously, what are you waiting for??? You may just find something new to love. And if you already love kale then you're ahead of the game and are probably on the lookout for new delicious ways to use it. So read on, this is a great recipe for a massaged kale salad that was inspired by a recipe on my friend Kelli's blog http://www.ihadadelicioustime.com/
Massaged Kale and Quinoa Salad

1 bunch kale
1 tsp sea salt ( I use a large flake mediterranean sea salt)
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts (or I substitute slivered almonds -also toasted)
1/4 cup diced onion (I use red or walla walla sweet onions usually -although this last batch I only had shallots and they worked very well too)
1/3 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp Champagne Pear Vinegar
1 Tbsp White Balsamic

Wash kale and remove the spine. Stack and roll leaves and cut them chiffonade style (in ribbons). Place kale into a mixing bowl and sprinkle salt on top. Massage the kale and sea salt with your hands for approx. 2 minutes (until the kale is wilted and has a "cooked" appearance). Stir in the remainder of ingredients and set aside.

Cook 1 cup of quinoa (I use my rice cooker and it works beautifully). You can toast it before cooking to bring out a nuttier flavor.

Add cooked quinoa to the Kale salad, chill and serve.

Serves 2-4 people