Kale Salad

I was listening to Melissa Clark on a talk radio show this weekend and she was talking about kale salad.  I was a little excited.  I love making raw kale salad (ever since our friends Billy and Angie introduced it to us I’ve made it pretty regularly),  and thought, well, if Melissa Clark, cookbook writer extraordinaire (32 cookbooks, yep), can talk about it on the radio, I can talk about this version on my little ol’ blog.

So, Kale: Leafy green, nutritional powerhouse, somewhat cheap, often used as a garnish.

Try this salad when you’re tired. It perks me right up. I’m not sure if it’s because of all the vitamins I’m getting or because I feel like I’m taking care of myself by eating it, or if it’s because it tastes like sunshine (if sunshine was lemony and too much of it didn’t give you cancer).

**This is the recipe (if you can call it that) as I made it today.  Feel free to double it, exchange sunflower seeds for pumpkin, add more avocado, change-up the veggies, add cheese, whatever.  It’s flexible and has been good every way I’ve tried it.

One bunch Kale, washed, big stems removed, and chopped or torn into bite-sized pieces.

1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

pinch of kosher salt

1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into ribbons with a vegetable peeler

1/2 a ripe avocado, peeled and chopped

2 tablespoons pepitas (roasted pumpkin seeds)

Juice from half of a small lemon (no more than 1 1/2 tablespoons, unless you love lemon!)

~Place the kale in a large bowl and add the olive oil and salt.  use your (clean) hands to distribute the olive oil and salt throughout, making sure every bit is slicked with the oil.  Let this sit for 5 minutes (it will soften the kale and  your hands!).

~Prepare the carrot and avocado while you wait.  Toss the carrot shavings, avocado and pepitas with the kale.

~Squeeze the lemon juice over the top (making sure the seeds don’t go in, too), and mix again.

~Taste and add a pinch more salt if needed.

Makes 2 large portions or 4 small