Thursday, June 2, 2011

Massaged Kale

I don't know what's gotten into me, but kale might have overtaken spinach as my favorite green.  I've been eating a lot of it lately, and not just on pizza!  It started with slightly roasted kale (on the way to kale chips, but not crispy) and morphed into massaged kale.



Just like roasting slightly, massaging kale softens it a bit while retaining some of its hearty texture.  More approachable than eating raw kale, I'd urge you to give it a try!   You can also use olive oil instead of avocado to massage the kale, if you don't happen to have an avocado on hand.




Massaged Kale Salad
Serves 2-4

Feel free to mix up the toppings, using whatever you have on hand.  I liked the play of the sweet mango with the sea salt here, and of course the creaminess of the avocado and edamame!

1 large bunch of kale, washed, destemmed and torn into pieces
flesh of 1 avocado, roughly chopped
2T lemon juice
coarse sea salt (optional, but I like it)
1 pkg shelled, cooked edamame (fresh or frozen)
flesh of 1-2 ripe mangoes, cubed
sunflower seeds

Place the kale in a large bowl (I needed two).  Add avocado, lemon juice and sea salt, then use your hands to massage the avocado into the kale leaves.  You really want to make sure and coat all of the kale, leaving no real chunks of avocado behind.  Set this aside for a little while in the fridge.

There's no exact time to let the kale marinate, it can be as short as the time it takes you prep the rest of the ingredients or as long as a day ahead of time.

To assemble the salads, top the massaged kale with edamame, mango and sunflower seeds.


What's your favorite leafy green?

17 comments:

Bridget said...

You know I read about massaged kale ALL the time and it sounds great, and sounds self explanitory yet no one really explains how to do it...so thank you! This sounds delicious!!

Kelly said...

I was always curious how the massaged technique worked. Thanks for laying it out for me Shannon!

Lisa (bakebikeblog) said...

I love spinach!!!

Fun and Fearless in Beantown said...

Ever since I saw Aarti make massaged kale salad on the Food Network, I've been intrigued. I still haven't tried it though!

Joanne said...

First Cara, now you...I really need to give this massaged kale a go!

Lauren @ Healthy Food For Living said...

I made a ton of massaged kale salads last summer, and this serves as a great reminder that I have to start making them again! I'm not a huge fan of plain raw kale, but roast it or massage it with olive oil and toss it with fresh fruit, and I absolutely love it.

Elizabeth said...

I've never made massaged kale, I won't lie, because it sounds tedious. But I have had them in restaurants, and this one does sound delicious.

Erica said...

Looks yummy to me! I love Kale, but Josh is not a fan! Stinks! Luckily, its pretty easy to sub spinach into most kale filled recipes. Hope you're having a good one :)

Kristen said...

I have never had kale. wait, did i already tell you that? I'm a little ashamed to admit it!!

sophia said...

Bok choy is my favorite leafy green. I'm an Asian, so I'm biased. But kale is super good, too. Especially in balsamic vinegar and a touch of maple sweetness. Oh and bacon of course! :-)

Anonymous said...

Kale is really making a come back, right?

Emily said...

Two of my favorites! I adore kale and I adore edamame. This looks like a good salad.

Anonymous said...

A very neat method of preparing kale, gotta try it!

Cara said...

Massaged kale is definitely my favorite way to eat it - I never could get into the kale chips!

Stephanie said...

Thanks so much I just got a bunch of kale in my CSA this is helpful!!!

biz said...

I wish I liked kale - it looks so pretty! Baby spinach is my go to - I kinda freak out when I run out. Hope you are doing well!

Kerstin said...

Ok, I'm convinced and will definitely be trying this :)

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