My future garlic bed, freshly turned with manure and compost |
Last night I made a beautiful salad and it occured like the most natural thing for me to pull out my camera and snap a picture of it, all the while I was planning my blog posting in my head. At that point I knew my fallow period was over! So in celebration of a new era of blogging, here's the recipe for a raw kale salad, taste-tested and approved by my loving bus driver.
The key to eating kale raw is cutting out the hard vein down the centre and then chopping it up into small (1 inch) pieces. This recipe serves 6 - really! I cut the recipe in half and served 2, and neither my bus driver nor I could finish the serving. That's just a lot of kale to chew through! That said, there is a whole lot of taste going on in this bowl, and we are looking forward to leftovers today.
Raw Kale Salad with Root Vegetables
Serves 6
Tender, long-leafed Lacinato kale works especially well in this recipe, but any variety will do if it's cut very thin and given a thorough rubdown with salt, vinegar, and oil. The grated root vegetables and maple-glazed pecans add just the right crunchiness.
Salad
- 2 12-oz. bunches kale, stems removed, leaves cut into thin strips or chiffonade
- 2 Tbs. olive oil
- 1 Tbs. apple cider vinegar
- 1 ½ tsp. salt, divided
- 1 medium turnip, peeled and grated or julianned (1 cup)
- 1 medium carrot, grated or julianned (½ cup)
- 2 green onions, cut thin on diagonal
Maple-glazed Pecans
- 1 cup whole pecans
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 2 Tbs. olive oil
- ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
Dressing
- 2 Tbs. lemon juice
- 1 Tbs. grated lemon zest
- 1 Tbs. olive oil
- 1 Tbs. low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tsp. maple syrup
Place kale in large bowl, and pour olive oil, vinegar, and 1 tsp. salt over top. Gently massage mixture into kale about 2 to 3 minutes by hand, or until kale starts to wilt. Let rest 30 minutes. Stir turnip, carrot, and green onions into kale mixture. Toss with dressing. Garnish with pecans.
To make pecans:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss together pecans, maple syrup, olive oil, remaining 1/2 tsp. salt, and cayenne in medium bowl. Spread nut mixture in single layer on prepared baking sheet; bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until pecans are brown and fragrant, stirring frequently. Cool in pan.
To make dressing:
Whisk together lemon juice, lemon zest, oil, soy sauce, and maple syrup in bowl. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.
(Modified recipe sourced from Vegetarian Times, October 2010 p.65)
ohhh this recipe looks good.. will have to try it.. just picking the last big pieces of kale from our garden now....
ReplyDeleteJ