I love kale. I was first introduced to this interesting, leafy vegetable a few years ago when I sampled kale chips. Since then, the kale craze has taken the world by storm. It seems I’m not the only one who likes this versatile veggie.
Kale is considered to be one of the healthiest vegetables around. It comes in a couple different colours and textures and when it’s fresh, it’s crunchy and thick. In my opinion, it’s not always the easiest to work with, though. If it’s not used right away, it can wilt, or, conversely, can be a bit rubbery.
I try and purchase kale once a week to use in salads, as a cooked side dish, or I toss it into soups to add some veg. It cooks up in a jiffy. If you’re buying standard curly kale (in green or purple), my tip is to wash and spin it as soon as you buy it and put it in a freezer bag with a moist paper towel. It will maintain its freshness and it’s ready to use when you need it. Conventional kale needs its center vein removed too — this can be quite bitter.
If you’re using an organic kale, like the black kale I used in my salad below, wash and spin and chop, but I didn’t find the need to remove that center stem. Black kale, or flat kale, as it’s sometimes referred, has a completely different texture. The leaves are bigger and flatter and it resembles a spinach leaf or a collard green. In fact, kale is often compared to broccoli, collards, spinach, and even cabbage. You can use it so many different ways. And now it’s available locally! Hooray!
Today, I give you my black kale salad. This was an experiment I made one day and it was a HUGE. HIT.
What You Need:
– one bunch of organic black kale
– 3-4 tbsps of extra-virgin olive oil
– handful of parmeggiano reggiano cheese
– handful of breadcrumbs (you could use croutons if you prefer)
– a few tbsps of lemon juice
– black pepper (optional)
This is so, so easy. Wash, spin and chop your kale. Add to a salad bowl. Add all the ingredients, in no particular order. Let sit for about 15-20 minutes for all the flavours to absorb. There you go! You can add more lemon or pepper or evoo if you need.
This is a great salad for the summer, can be used for pot lucks or even saved as leftovers. Note: if you use it the next day, the kale will have softened considerably.
There you have it! An easy, super healthy and affordable kale salad!
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Mmm, almost like a kale Caesar salad!
Yummy, always looking for ways to cook kale, and very informative post. I will be buying the black kale from now on as I am always in a rush to make food.