Here's What's Cookin'

Since it was Ciera’s idea that I start this blog, the first recipe I’m posting is the one she wanted: Massaged Kale Salad with Mango and Avocado. Here’s Ciera with her sister, Jenna, her cousin, Alex (my son), and their cousin, Jack!

Kale is one of those super nutritious foods that isn’t so tasty unless prepared properly! Of course you can cook it, similar to spinach, but you get more benefit if it’s raw.

Raw kale is quite tough and bitter. The remedy for this (and other things) is massage (takes the tough and bitter out of lots of things)!

Here’s what you’ll need for the kale salad: Kale; Oil (olive or sesame oil); either one lemon or lime, salt and pepper; either pine nuts or pumpkin seeds; one mango and one avocado; and a little honey:

Remove stems by grasping with one hand and sliding leaves off the stem. Wash kale and dry it in a salad spinner, or blot dry with a towel:

Chop kale into bite size pieces:

Massage for a couple minutes until kale reduces by about 1/3 to 1/2 the amount you started with:

Slice mango down both sides as close to the pit as possible:Then score it vertically and horizontally, being careful not to score through the skin:

Take a grapefruit spoon and remove the diced mango from the skin, and add to salad.

Slice and dice the avocado the same way you just did the mango:

You don’t need to make much dressing, as the kale is partially dressed already (oh my!)  from the massaging. Place about 2 TB of whichever oil you used to massage the kale (olive or sesame) into a bowl. Add a couple cranks of fresh, coarsely ground pepper, a couple shakes of salt, the juice of the other half of the lemon or lime you used for massaging (about 1 TB or less), and a squeeze of honey (you can leave this out if you’re watching your sugar intake, and it’s still delish!). Whisk this together and taste it, adjusting salt, pepper and honey to your taste.

Toast 2 TB pumpkin seeds or pine nuts for a minute or two, watching so they don’t burn!

Add pumpkin seeds or (pine nuts), and dressing to kale, mango, and avocado. Toss salad:

And serve!

Massaged Kale Salad with Mango and Avocado

By Alison, August 11, 2013

When eating kale raw, massage it first with a couple TB of oil (I prefer olive or sesame, depending on what you'll be using as dressing), a shake of salt, and juice of 1/2 a lemon or lime. Massage for a couple of minutes, it should reduce by nearly 1/2. Add diced mango and avocado, either toasted pine nuts or toasted pumpkin seeds, and whip up a light dressing of  2-3 TB oil (either olive or sesame), the other half of the lemon or lime, some fresh ground pepper, a little salt, and a squeeze of honey. Toss together and serve!

• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 4

Ingredients:

• Organic Kale - one bunch
• Olive or Sesame oil - About 4 TB total, separated
• Salt -
• Lemon or lime - one or the other
• Pine nuts or pepitas (pumpkin seeds) - 2-3 TB (about a palm full)
• Mango - one
• Avocado - one
• Coarse ground pepper -
• honey - squeeze

Instructions:

Separate the kale from the stem by holding the stem in one hand and sliding the kale off the stem.

Wash the kale and dry with salad spinner or blot dry if you don't have a spinner:

Chop kale into bite size pieces, place in bowl, add about 1 TB oil, a shake or two of salt, juice of 1/2  a lemon or lime, and massage for a couple minutes until kale has reduced by 1/3 to 1/2 the amount you started with.

Slice the mango down both sides as close to the pit as possible. Dice the mango and remove from skin using a grapefruit spoon. Slice and dice an avocado in the same manner. Add these to the salad.

Toast 2 TB pumpkin seeds or pine nuts for just a minute or two, watching so they don't burn. Add to salad.

To make the dressing, add about 2-3 TB oil (olive or sesame) to a bowl, 1-2 TB lemon or lime juice (start out with the smaller quantities of these, you can always add more). You don't need much dressing for this since you've already pretty much dressed the kale when you massaged it. Add a shake or two of salt and fresh ground pepper, and a squeeze of honey. Whip this together and taste it, adjusting the salt and pepper and honey to taste. You want to end up with about a 1/4 cup of dressing, and you may not even need that much.

Pour on salad and toss with kale, mango, avocado and toasted pumpkin or pine nuts.