Tags
Cook, Dairy Free, Health, Kale, Leaf vegetable, Massaged Kale, My New Roots, Olive oil, Omega-3 fatty acid, Recipe, Salad, Sarah Britton
I have become a bit of a kale devotee. Granted, not the sexiest of produce but never the less, seriously good for you AND, it is possible to make it very tasty, too…
Kale is supposedly a nutritional powerhouse. Loaded with calcium, iron, vitamins A, C, and K, and 10% of the RDA of omega-3 fatty acids in every cup, it’s no wonder this leafy green is becoming more and more popular among the health conscious.
Of course, there’s a rather large reason why kale gained popularity as a garnish, rather than as the main course – the leaves are incredibly tough and fibrous! At first glance, not exactly the type of leafy green you’d want to feature in a salad.
But wait! – Just by massaging the leaves between your fingers breaks down their tough cellulose structure, making this cruciferous veggie not only taste less bitter, but also making it easier to digest. After just a few minutes of squeezing the leaves between your hands, they will turn a darker green and have a wilted, silky texture. I know it sounds weird, but trust me. It’s a wee bit of magic…
My favourite massaged kale salad (to date) comes from the super talented Sarah Britton of My New Roots, the award-winning blog that has become an online destination for foodies everywhere, not only for its one-of-a-kind recipes, but also for its amazing nutritional information and mouth-watering photography.
It’s like having dessert with your salad. (LM)
Sarah Britton’s Massaged Kale Salad and Grapes with Poppy Seed Dressing
For the massaged kale:
1 bunch kale, stemmed and sliced into ribbons
1 lemon
Cold-pressed olive oil
Sea salt
1. In a large bowl, dress kale with lemon juice and olive oil onto kale leaves and add a pinch or two of sea salt. Roll up your sleeves and massage kale until it’s deep dark green, soft, and tender, 2 to 3 minutes. (I use a timer. Anal, yes.)
2. Add anything you like: fruits, veggies, cooked or sprouted grains and legumes, nuts and seeds. Get creative. Once you’ve massaged your kale, store it in a tightly sealed container for up to 4 days in the fridge.
Here’s what Sarah added to her massaged kale (It worked for her, so who was I to argue?):
A couple handfuls each red and green grapes
1 ripe avocado
¼ cup toasted pine nuts
Poppy Seed Dressing
¼ cup cold-pressed olive oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ shallot, diced
1 tablespoon poppy-seeds
Pinch sea salt
1 teaspoon honey
Whisk all ingredients together. Store leftovers in a glass jar for up to one week.
Massaged kale keeps in the fridge and doesn’t wilt like normal lettuce. Honest! A large bunch of kale massaged into one of Sarah’s fab’ salads feeds LM and me for two nights. Try it. I reckon you’ll be surprised at how much you love it.
designtrolls said:
This looks absolutely amazing! Need to give it a go… Thanks for sharing 🙂
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This Sydney Life said:
If LM likes it (when it is so clearly GREEN!), you know its good!
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birdcagedesign said:
Love kale! I will get massaging:-)
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This Sydney Life said:
Let me know how you go, BCD.
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crazytraintotinkytown said:
I’m not a fan having been force-fed this as a child by my well-intentioned mother, however, your salad does look appealing and involves little or no cooking so we have a win win situation
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This Sydney Life said:
Nope – no cooking and I PROMISE it tastes great! Would I lie to you?
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Michelle Threefold said:
I’ve been seeing kale ‘chip’ recipes popping up left, right and centre – here’s one from the fabulous Miss Mardi: http://www.dinewineandmartinis.blogspot.com.au/2012/11/salt-and-vinegar-kale-chips.html
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This Sydney Life said:
Hey – thanks for the link Michelle. I have seen the kale chips, too – but have yet to try them.
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Barbra & Jack Donachy said:
Oh, wow… we’ll have to try this. We like kale in stir fry… massaging it is a new trick!
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This Sydney Life said:
B – it’s amazing – the whole texture changes. I reckon you’ll love it!
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marinachetner said:
That looks divine Syders! Thanks for sharing. I might just make it – love easy salads. I just had an edamame and kale salad from Trader Joe’s – topped with cranberries, almond slivers, and mixed with a lemon-mustard dressing. It was so good and the kale leaves were shredded quite thin so they were easy to chew. Ahh kale – who knew how much love it would receive in the new millennium 🙂
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This Sydney Life said:
Can hardly believe you just rhapsodised about kale, M! Go you!
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marinachetner said:
I love Kale – just not much of a cook 😉 But salads are my forte.
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sueannm66 said:
I’m a recently converted fellow kale devotee and have very happily jumped onto the kale bandwagon. Chucked in a bunch into a spinach pie the other day – delicious! I think Australians have been a bit slow to adopt kale – unlike the US where I think they put it in just about anything and everything.
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This Sydney Life said:
Hey Sue Ann – thanks for popping in! And, yes – when we were in the US last year, it was kale everything!
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paintlater said:
I spend a lot of time waving white cabbage moths from the kale in my garden. I’ve given up, after seeing your salad looks like the moths will be well fed and I’ll venture to the fruit market. Cheers
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This Sydney Life said:
Sue – I do not have a green thumb, so I get my kale at the Eveleigh Markets every week. My Dad grows it, with quite some success, in NZ.
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theglobalgarnishgeek said:
Massaging kale? Can I be a vegetable at your house?
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This Sydney Life said:
I only give kale the special massage treatment, J. Broccoli and Cauli’ are not so lucky!
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Shira said:
What a wonderful salad J! I so need to try this one…I am so terrible at following salad recipes (it’s not my best trait) ~ but this might be one I’ve GOT to try. It looks fab!
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This Sydney Life said:
The beauty of this one is that you can add whatever you like once the base is done. It’s a real winner! (Made it again last night)
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ecosare said:
I can’t wait to massage my kale!! Thought you might like to read the recipe of my breakfast staple. My monster juice! It’s at the bottom of the page. xx http://livinggreeninamodernworld.wordpress.com/2012/10/09/kale-the-super-food/
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