Kale Salad

Another great idea from Snack Girl! I tried her kale chips a while back and didn't care for those at all. Here's a recap of that adventure. Anyway, this recipe uses kale in its raw form in a simple salad. Kale is like super crazy healthy. Here's a little blurb from WebMd about what's in kale:

One cup of kale contains 36 calories, 5 grams of fiber, and 15% of the daily requirement of calcium and vitamin B6, 40% of magnesium, 180% of vitamin A, 200% of vitamin C, and 1,020% of vitamin K. It is also a good source of minerals copper, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus.

Kale’s health benefits are primarily linked to the high concentration and excellent source of antioxidant vitamins A, C, and K and sulphur-containing phytonutrients.

Carotenoids and flavonoids are the specific types of antioxidants associated with many of the anti-cancer health benefits. Kale is also rich in the eye-health promoting lutein and zeaxanthin.

---

All that is enough to make me want to eat kale every day. And, BONUS, it tastes good in salad form! But there's a little trick. You have to massage your kale. It softens it and makes it a bit more palatable and it's actually kind of fun! Just squeeze it & stir it around with your hands till it turns dark and reduces in volume. Click HERE for Snack Girl's recipe. This is how I made mine:


Kale Salad

1 bunch kale
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
fresh lemon juice (I squeezed a medium sized wedge)

Wash kale and strip the leaves from the tough stem. Chop into small bits and place to large bowl. Add oil and salt. Massage kale until it reduces in volume. Then add sugar and lemon juice.



As you can see, I added tomatoes and croutons to mine. It was really good! It does have a little bit different texture and flavor but it's not bitter or strong. And it's so pretty! I'll definitely be making more of these in the future.