Massaged Kale Salad

Massaged Kale Salad  

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Original recipe found here!

Ingredients

1 bunch kale

½ tsp salt

1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped (see note)

½ cup currants

1 apple, diced

¼ c extra virgin olive oil

2 T red wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)

½ c gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

Directions

Wash kale well and shake dry. De-stem kale (see note) and cut entire bunch into ribbons, about ½ inch thick. Stack all the leaves and squish them together to do this all at once. Put kale in a large mixing bowl.

Add salt and massage the kale for 2-4 minutes, just like you would knead bread. The kale will become darker and wet, wilting a bit.  I massage mine until the volume of kale is reduced by about half.

Stir in walnuts, apple and currants. Drizzle with oil and vinegar, mix well. Gently fold in cheese. Enjoy! 

Notes

This salad keeps very well in the fridge for a couple days, and is almost better the next day.

Toast nuts in a small, dry skillet over medium heat. Toss regularly. Heat for about 3-5 minutes, or until fragrant.

To de-stem kale, fold leaves in half and “slide” leafy greens off with your hands. Alternatively, you can cut the leaves off using a paring knife along the stem, but I find this takes longer than necessary. Ripping the leaves off is just great.

Gluten free? Some soft cheeses are on the 'no' list. Change the gorgonzola out for feta, or make without the cheese...it's still great.

People that "can't stand" kale love this salad, just sayin'.