Michael's Favorite Kale Salad
This recipe is pretty infamous among our friends and family. No one believed they might actually enjoy kale salad, least of all my husband. He was converted about 6 years ago and we haven’t looked back. We love the lemony dressing…we love the thinly sliced kale. Most of all, we love the fact that we love kale. That’s right, with this salad we become those people.
I almost always make this salad when we have friends over for dinner, and it shocks them too…EVERY TIME. You should definitely try it—you might surprise yourself by eating several heads of kale by yourself. This salad pairs with just about anything because the dressing is so simple. It’s also a great make-ahead salad. I often make it on Sundays and then have some dinner that night, and the gobble the rest up the next day. It’s the perfect bring to work salad because it gets better as it sits. Here’s a salad you can bring to work!
What You’ll Need:
1-2 bunches lacinato/dinosaur kale, de-stemmed and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (or more if you like the acidic flavor)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced (or more if you’re like us)
pinch of fine or coarse sea salt
pinch pepper
pinch of red pepper flakes
What I Did:
Destem the kale, by holding the stem and running your fingers down the to remove the leafy part.
Take the kale leaves and lay them on top of one another and then roll them up tightly into a cylinder. Take your knife and slice the kale into thin strips until you get to the end.
Mix the dressing ingredients in another small bowl.
Salt the kale (this will help it to break down). Pour the dressing over the kale and make sure to massage it well so that all the kale absorbs the dressing. When I say, “massage” your kale, I literally mean, get your hands in there and massage it.
Let it sit for at least an hour. Top it with pomegranate seeds, pepitas, or Parmesan cheese!
