A tender lemon garlic kale salad that’s simple but flavorful.
You know when you have something like cookies or chips and you can’t stop eating it? Not even joking, I get that way about this kale salad. It sounds ridiculous, but it’s THAT good. I’ve also gotten to the point where “bad” things really don’t taste all that good to me anymore. I get excited about a piece of fruit over cake, or a hearty veggie soup over alfredo pasta. Eating healthy has slowly changed my habits and cravings and I’m 100% okay with it.
I grew some curly kale in a pot on my porch this summer, but I maybe had some a handful of times. It just did not like the heat. Once it starts cooling down I expect it to grow much better AND I planted two rows of it down in the garden and I already see some sprouts popping up. I act like a crazy person and check on the garden two to three times a day because I’m that obsessed with it.
Since my kale isn’t quite ready yet, I resort to buying kale at the farmers market, which is perfectly fine with me. I love spending my Saturday morning looking at fruit and veggies and mingling with fellow farmers! Gosh, I’m such a weird 22-year-old. I made the kale salad here with two different kinds of kale from two farmers—red Russian and some flatter kind (maybe hungry gap? The farmer wasn’t sure). Any type of kale will work though!
I laughed the first time I heard about “massaging” kale, but it’s an amazing trick to making it tender to eat raw. I usually just cook my kale, but adding some olive oil and massaging it for a few minutes makes it SO delicious. If you use curly kale, you may have to massage it a bit longer because it’s pretty tough.
I especially love this salad because of how simple, yet flavorful it is. There are few ingredients so each part gets to shine. First you taste the lemon and (a little) bitter kale flavor, with a kick of garlic at the end. The texture is tender, but crunchy at the same time because of the kale and seeds. I add sesame seeds, but this would also be excellent with sunflower, hemp, or maybe even some type of nut.
This kale salad is great as a side dish or as the main feature and will help you get a good dose of healthy greens into your diet!
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Lemon Garlic Kale Salad
| Prep: | Yield: Serves 2 people | Total: |
A tender lemon garlic kale salad that’s simple but flavorful.
You'll Need...
- 2 cups de-stemmed chopped kale
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 clove minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon seeds of choice (I like sesame seeds)
Directions
- Add kale, olive oil, garlic, and lemon juice to a bowl.
- Massage the kale for 4 to 5 minutes until it reaches your preferred tenderness. To massage it, just rub it with your hands, similarly to kneading dough.
- Add salt and pepper and seeds.
Additional Notes
If you want a heavier dressing, you can add more olive oil and lemon juice once finished massaging.
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