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Grateful for kale!

Day 79 of continuing recovery

Kale is such a great vegetable! I usually make it in the pressure cooker with leeks or sliced onions, garlic, ginger, Tamari, a teaspoon of toasted sesame oil, and water or vegetable stock (on high for 5 minutes followed by quick release steam).

I just saw an inspiring kale salad  by a restaurant that was featured in this past Sunday’s New York Times Style Magazine. The restaurant is Battersby in Brooklyn. Their Crispy Kale Salad with Lime Dressing is Bon Appétit’s 2012 Dish of the Year. In the Bon Appétit online version the kale is dressed with fish sauce and lime juice (and some sugar in the dressing which is not for me). In the NYT they mixed the salad with kohlrabi, and brussels sprouts and topped with peanuts.

This is such a great winter salad and, as a substitute for the peanuts, I can imagine this with roasted tofu or black beans or green lentils or a nice piece of grilled fish on top. My friend Pati makes a fabulous kale salad and uses grated Manchego cheese as her protein. Yum!

The vegetables I choose will be different each time I make this, depending on what’s in season and what’s in the fridge.

Here’s my version. It should make 6 portions.

Dressing:

  • 1/4 cup fresh lime or lemon juice, with some zest
  • 3 tablespoons fish sauce or olive oil if fish sauce isn’t your thing (I love it. Gregory does not.)
  • 1 tablespoon of Mirin (with no sugar added)
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1/2 red Thai chile or 1/4 red jalapeño, seeded, thinly sliced
Veggies:
  • 2 bunches kale – stem, bunch up and chiffonade (slice thinly)
  • 1 pound Brussels sprouts – shredded
  • Other optional veggies: 3 cups (loosely packed) mixed tender herbs (such as cilantro, mint, and basil); 3 cups mixed shaved vegetables (such as carrots, beets, and radishes); 2 cups pea tendrils, watercress, or baby arugula; and 1 cup thinly sliced cucumber
For roasting kale:
  • Organic olive oil spray
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preparation:
  • Arrange racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 250°. Spray (or toss) washed and thoroughly dried kale with olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer on 2 large baking sheets. Bake, rotating sheets top to bottom halfway through, until kale is crisp, about 30 minutes. Transfer leaves from baking sheets to a wire rack; let cool.
  • Mix herbs and veggies and top with crispy kale leaves. Dress and eat.
I would love to learn your take on kale! Please, let me know. I enjoy the give and take.

Love & Light,

Valerie

Photo: Salad at Battersby in Brooklyn by New York Times Edible Selby 

10 Comments to Grateful for kale!

  1. Cousin Anne's Gravatar Cousin Anne
    December 4, 2012 at 8:34 am | Permalink

    Sounds great!

  2. dana's Gravatar dana
    December 4, 2012 at 12:43 pm | Permalink

    Lovely! (Do you remember Terry Battersby from SSFS? He was from Bermuda. ) Kale is such a popular veggie. A lot of people are making their own kale chips in the oven.

  3. Sissy's Gravatar Sissy
    December 4, 2012 at 7:39 pm | Permalink

    These all sounds great.

    I make Kale Chips all the time. Very easy. Was and pat dry (I don’t fuss over it too much). Rip into pieces. Spritz lightly with olive or canola oil. Put in the ovena nd watch carefully! They crisp up fairly quickly. I put on old bay seasoning as they come out of the oven. Yum!

  4. December 5, 2012 at 7:00 am | Permalink

    thank you-all, that is very good news to me: kale salad and chips.
    Had heard of nor tasted either. Muchos gracias.

  5. December 5, 2012 at 7:35 am | Permalink

    8 cups raw kale (ribss removed and torn into small pieces) juice of one lemon,, 1 tablespoon of lemon zest, 1/4 C olive oil, 1-2 cloves of garlic crushed, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, and 1/3 toasted almond slivers. Yummmy.

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