I’m guessing most people saw the title of this post and decided not to read it… and I don’t blame you.  Often, kale just doesn’t taste good.  Sure if it’s sautéed in all the worlds butter or crisped up like a chip- then it’s good.  Or if it’s covered in a Caesar dressing… anything tastes good in Caesar dressing.  It has even been known to taste good in many of my soups and stews.  But raw… it’s tough.   It’s tough to make raw kale taste good and it’s annoying to break down.  The entire time I was breaking down this kale I thought “this isn’t even going to taste good”.  I was so grumpy that I was taking the time to delicately break down and clean this huge bunch of kale knowing I would take a bite of this salad and it would still taste like bitter, tough kale.

 

And then I tasted the salad.  It was one of the best salads I had ever had.   I ate the entire thing.  Which means I ate an entire bunch of kale (and 12 brussels sprouts).  Am I going to be okay?

 

Ways to make Kale Salads taste great:

 

Make sure you remove any tough stems- no reason to put yourself through eating those.

Cut the kale into small, easy to devour bites.

Massage the kale with a pinch of sea salt before dressing it.  This will give your body a step up on the breakdown of the kale.  I know it seems outrageous to have to give your salad a massage before eating it but this move is a game changer.

Always use thicker, creamier dressings on kale.  That doesn’t mean it has to be a super unhealthy dressing just use items like avocado, tahini, etc…. as seen in this salad.

Try not to eat the entire salad in one sitting… your body will thank you.

 

Inspired by CookieandKate

You’ll need:

1 bunch of curly green kale

12ish Brussels sprouts

3 tablespoons of sliced almonds

0.25 cups parmesan (grated/shaved/whatever- you can also omit if you want this to be vegan)

Sea Salt

0.25 cups tahini

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (or white wine vinegar)

2 teaspoons maple syrup (this does not make the salad taste sweet)

Pinch of red pepper flakes

0.25 cup water

 

 

Cut the ribs out of the kale leaves.  Clean your kale leaves.  Chop kale into small, bite-sized pieces.  Sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt and massage kale by lightly scrunching handfuls of kale in your hands.  Release and repeat until kale becomes a little darker in color.

 

Slice your Brussels sprouts as thin as possible.  I used a mandolin.  Use your fingers to break up any lumps.

 

In a small bowl whisk the tahini, vinegar, maple syrup, red pepper flakes and a pinch of salt.  Whisk in water until mixture is smooth.  Pour the dressing over the kale and sprouts and toss well.

 

In a small pan over medium heat toast the almonds until golden.  Add the toasted almonds and the parmesan to the salad and toss.

 

YUM!