Kokova Magazine

Kale is such a superfood and a great addition to our diet, but if you are not keen on the raw taste, try to massage your kale with a little olive oil and salt for a new taste sensation.

We discovered a kale salad recipe a few years ago and encountered the same resistance to kale many people have. It can taste bitter, it is too hard and chewy, it isn't something we want to eat - we heard all the reasons not to include it in our diets, especially not raw. However, after discovering the difference a massage makes to kale we decided to try it, and the results were amazing. It is now one of our favourite salads which we serve in a variety of ways. For a simple salad bowl you can add crispy bacon or chopped chicken to the recipe when you serve. We use it instead of vegetables so will eat it with pasta, cottage pie, or any other hot meal in place of cooked vegetables. It is a great recipe to experiment with - sometimes we use sultanas instead of cranberries, or if we don't have almonds we just leave them out. Other times we have not added in the broccoli. This recipe is a good starting point for you to tailor it to your own needs or taste.

Ingredients

• 5 cups chopped kale
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• pinch of salt
• 2 cups of chopped broccoli
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• one large shredded carrot
• 1 diced red onion
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup cranberries
• 1/2 cup cheese (optional)

Method

1. In a large bowl, massage the kale with a little olive oil and salt. Rub the kale pieces in between your fingers until they start to darken and go soft.
2. Add the broccoli, almond flakes, carrots, onion, seeds, cranberries, and cheese if you opted to add it.
3. Pour over and mix in the dressing and serve

Dressing

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• 1 finely chopped or minced garlic clove
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp honey

Method

1. Make the dressing by combining all the dressing ingredients
2. Mix well - we put it all in a jar and give it a good shake