The holidays can be rough on everyone– and everything. Your wallet, your energy, your diet. As we head into a fresh, new 2016, everyone needs some rejuvenating… a massage even. You, me, a couple bunches of kale. We deserve it.
With all the resolutions, vows to quit sugar, exercise more, drink less… it is easy to get overwhelmed. Luckily, the Blogger C.L.U.E. crew has your sorted. This month the theme is healthy eating recipes so you can stack your meal calendar with good (for you) food galore.
This Massaged Kale Salad is where it’s at. Give it a go.
This month I was paired with Deb at Eliot’s Eats, a blog named after her sweet-faced kitty (who is named after T.S. Eliot). Beyond cooking, eating and a love for travel, we have kitties and an English Major in common. All good things in my book.
Eliot’s Eats blog is loaded with healthy options and appetizing ideas, but I knew her Massaged Kale Salad was perfect for this theme as soon as I saw it. I figured I could whip up a batch and have it for dinner and lunch at work, two birds, one stone and all. I especially loved the idea of making extra dressing to have for meals later in the week. As Deb said–“This recipe is quite versatile. Any kind of acid can be used. I have used lemon juice, red wine vinegar, Champagne vinegar and even apple cider vinegar. The dressing is delicious on any greens and I usually make a double batch just so I can have a jar in the refrigerator.”
Go have a look at Eliot’s Eats, there is so much scrumptious to choose from.
This is officially one of new favorite salads. I hope you like it, too.
I decided to switch up the recipe ever so slightly and used two types of kale. I love the balance of texture between the two, and the extra color. I went with lacinto and curly kale, then removed the ribs, washed well and tore into one inch pieces with my hands. Once you have torn into easy to manage pieces, place in a large bowl to settle, then drain any excess water. I hold a paper towel over the top to help keep all the kale in, and get the water out. Then, while resting, blend the vinaigrette, add in 4 parts to the kale and continue to massage. Let sit for about 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. I like to give it a little drizzle of olive oil to finish with an extra sprinkle of Parmesan.
- 2 bunches kale (about 7 cups) (I used one bunch lacinto and one curly)
- 1/2 c. freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 1/3 c. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 c. champagne vinegar
- 1-2 Tablespoon(s) freshly squeezed meyer lemon juice
- 3 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1 T. soy sauce
- 1/2 t. freshly ground pepper
- 1/4 t. fine sea salt
- 1/4 c. toasted pine nuts
- Strip kale leaves from the ribs/stems (discard stems). Wash and dry the leaves. Tear the leaves into bite-size pieces and place in a large bowl. In a blender, add the Parmesan (less a tablespoon or so to use for topping the salad), oil, vinegar, garlic, soy sauce, pepper and salt. Pulse until emulsified and cheese is evenly blended. Add dressing 1/4 cup at a time to the bowl.
- With clean hands, firmly massage and crush the greens to work in the dressing. Stop when the volume of greens is reduced by about half. Add more dressing as necessary. The greens should look a little darker and somewhat shiny. Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt and pepper, if desired.
- Add pine nuts before serving.
- Adjust the oil, lemon juice, vinegar to taste. This is a very versatile dressing that you can swap different vinegars or acids, in or out. I went with champagne vinegar and meyer lemons becuase they are two of my favorite flavors to work with. Have fun with it!
I absolutely love the flavor of pine nuts, I just have to caution you… if you have never had pine mouth, I hope you never do, it can be brutal on your tastebuds. Basically, it makes everything taste FOUL for days after you eat pine nuts. They way to prevent it, or try to, is to NOT purchase pine nuts sourced in China. It can be hard to find, but look for other areas like Spain or Italy.
Sorry to be a bummer… but I wanted to give you the head’s up. On to better news–toasted pine nuts, they’re amazing.
Toast the pine nuts in a pan over medium heat, tossing them in the pan until they are golden. Set aside until ready to top the salad.
Of course I had to pump up the antioxidants and have a glass of Chianti while I massaged the glorious greens. Good stuff– I recommend the combination.
Massaging the kale, although it sounds silly, is key to a tender salad. Kale can be stiff and lack flavor if you don’t take time to finesse the flavor right out of those stubborn little leaves. With all the love kale gets, it still just needs a little TLC.
Massage the leaves until they are shiny and have reduced in the bowl about half. You can see from the pictures how much I started out with to what you will end up with.
I decided to pair the salad with some lemon chicken for a nice, low-carb, dinner. It was the perfect combination and I can’t wait to try it again. Light, super flavorful and best part- no guilt!
Hop on through all the healthy posts…
- Apricot Muffins by Azmina from Lawyer Loves Lunch
- Broccoli Stalk Feta Salad by Stacy from Food Lust People Love
- Citrus Shrimp by Lauren from Sew You Think You Can Cook
- Couscous with Chicken and Vegetables by Sue from A Palatable Pastime
- Ginger-Citrus Grilled Salmon by Kathy from A Spoonful of Thyme
- Irish Seafood Cocktail by Kate from Kate’s Kitchen
- Massaged Kale Salad by Anna from annaDishes
- Mediterranean Chopped Salad by Christy from Confessions of a Culinary Diva
- Middle Eastern Vegetable Salad by Christiane from Taking on Magazines
- Orange Banana Matcha Smoothie by Kim from Liv Life
- Red Lion Inn Swordfish by Lea Ann from Cooking on the Ranch
- Roasted Carrots and Cauliflower (with a kick) by Debra from Eliot’s Eats
- Sophie’s Chopped Salad by Rebekah from Making Miracles
- Thai Salad with Peanut Dressing by Liz from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- White Bean Chili by Lisa from Authentic Suburban Gourmet
- Winter Salad of Roasted Beets, Avocado and Grapefruit by Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm
What is your favorite healthy new year meal or recipe?
Happy 2016!
-and-
Happy, Healthy Dishing!
I found myself in a conversation about kale a couple of months ago and someone said the key is massaging it. I’m not going to lie, I laughed.
I think your salad wins out as healthiest offering today! (Or at least of those I’ve read so far.) Kudos.
It does sound quite silly. Better than manhandling I guess, 😉
Thanks!! It’s tasty and good for you, win win!
Simple and delicious! I am a huge fan of massaged kale salads and this one looks top notch!
Thanks!! Me too. So flavorful! Happy Dishing!
I could tell right away that your person was Deb. I’ve seen that salad before and started drooling at the mention of toasted pine nuts. Your salad’s no different. It sill looks amazing (and I’m drooling). 🙂
It was definitely droolworthy when I stumbled upon it! So happy with this selection. It’s a new favorite! Thanks!!
Kale is in our veggie box frequently. It is nice to have a new recipe!
I hope you like it! 🙂
What an absolutely perfect winter salad.
Thanks! I totally agree! The pine nuts warm it up a bit, I think.
So glad you made this. This is truly our favorite salad and I have the recipe in at least a couple of different variations on the blog. I love mixing up the kale too and have used three-different kinds before! Happy Healthy Eating in 2016. (Thanks, too, for the warning to source the pine nuts from Italy or Spain!!!!)
Thanks so much for all the deliciousness to choose from! I really enjoyed your delightful blog. It is a new favorite here now! Happy Eating to you, too! Ohh sure thing, I don’t want anyone else to have to deal with that!
You had me at KALE! I love a great kale salad and this one is a must try. Nice choice for this month’s theme.
Definitely recommend it! Thanks!
Oh! I’ve actually seen that salad on Debra’s site, but I haven’t tried massaged kale yet. A big kale fan, I toss it into all kinds of things, and I’ve heard time and again how the massaging works beautifully. I’m feeling inspired!
It really does make a huge difference to massage it. I’ve made other versions where you pulse it in a food processor and that softens it up too. Hope you like it!
I can never see your photos – so bummed, can’t figure out why.
This sounds great, but between us, lets skip the kale and go straight to the massage!
Happy New Year!
Ohh no!! I wonder why?! Haha, I totally agree. Happy New Year! xx
This looks so healthy and more importantly, delicious! Can I please have a giant of bowl of those toasted pine nuts?!
Thanks!! Haha, I know, they’re good on everything!