On Kale

Even with school back in sess, I am still spending time in the kitchen.  That time is very important to me. So here is the story: I never used to eat kale.  Years have gone by without kale ever making it on the shopping list.  Now that is bad since I feel I have bought (or have grown) every veggie known to man at some point in my life. Kale is a  different type of green.  You cannot just throw it into a salad bowl, chop some other veggies to accompany it, and have an edible meal.  That just does not happen with kale.  However, kale is not hard.  It just needs a little extra care.  It needs a massage. Yep, kale needs to be touched. 


How I handle my kale: 
First, I rinse it.  Then, I de-spine it, meaning, I take out that thick backbone structure that it has holding up its leafy leaves.  Then I toss it into a bowl and ground some sea salt over it and add a splash of olive oil.  Then: massage.  I knead the kale.  This causes the dark, leafy green to shrink a little.  It takes in the flavors of the olive oil and becomes much more tender and palatable.  You can eat just like so, but I like to embellish it.  


My latest kale salad included the salt and the olive oil (and of course the massage), but then I tossed in some freshly steamed brown rice, a mix of quinoa, some shredded carrot, some pinto beans, a dash of lemon herb dressing, and a warmed corn tortilla.  I made enough for lunch tomorrow since kale holds up remarkably well, even when dressed (think opposite of soggy lettuce the morning after).  Go green. Go dark, leafy green!