TIP OF THE DAY: Kale Salad

January 21, 2014 at 7:38 am · Filed under Tip Of The Day, Vegetables-Salads-Herbs

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New Year’s Resolution Kale Salad. The
recipe is below. Photo courtesy Just Salad.

You may be sautéeing or stir frying more kale these days, based on their terrific nutritional profile.

But how about kale salad?

Here are three recipes from Laura Pensiero, executive chef of Just Salad and a Certified Dietician. For salads, young, tender leaves are best. Remove the stem and rib and tear the leaf into pieces.

Chef Pensiero also provides her recipe for Kale Pesto Dressing, which can be used on these or any salad.

RECIPE: WINTER VEGGIE SUPERFOOD SALAD

Ingredients

Kale

Iceberg lettuce

Spinach

Scallions

Quinoa

Broccoli

Toasted pumpkin seeds

Sesame grilled tofu

Dressing: Lowfat horseradish chive dressing is used at Just Salad. You can stir a bit of horseradish and some minced chives into a vinaigrette, to taste.

RECIPE: NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION SALAS

Ingredients

Kale

Red cabbage

Romaine

Turkish figs

Goat cheese

Walnuts

Seedless cucumbers

Dressing: Balsamic vinaigrette

RECIPE: WINTER CRUNCH SUPERFOOD SALAD

Ingredients

Kale

Romaine

Red cabbage

Multigrain or whole wheat croutons

Apples

Wheat berries

Broccoli

Shaved Parmesan

Dressing: Lemon vinaigrette (substitute lemon juice for half or all of the vinegar in your vinaigrette)

One of the many kale varieties, lacinto kale, also called dragon kale and Tuscan kale. Photo courtesy Burpee.com.

RECIPE: KALE PESTO DRESSING

Ingredients For 2 Cups

2 cups blanched kale leaves [6 cups raw needed]*

2 loosely packed cups chopped raw kale leaves

2 garlic cloves

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Fresh juice from two medium lemons(2 to 3 tablespoons)

1/3 cup stock (chicken or vegetable) or water

1/3 cup grated Grana Padana or Parmiggiano Reggiano cheese

Optional: 1/4 cup slivered almonds or pine nuts, toasted**

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. COMBINE the blanched and raw kale, garlic, mustard, lemon juice and stock in a food processor; pulse until chopped.

2. ADD the cheese and nuts. Pulse again to combine. With the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil.
3. TASTE the dressing and season with salt and pepper. Add a touch more stock or water if necessary to thin to desired dressing consistency.

*Blanching kale reduces bitterness and softens thick greens. Stir the leaves into boiling salted water for a minute or two, drain, then immediately run under cold water.

**To toast nuts: Heat a nonstick skillet to medium, add nuts and cook over medium heat. Toss nuts/shake the pan often, until nuts are lightly browned and fragrant.

KALE NUTRITION

Kale and its close relative, collards, are winter crops and among the earliest vegetables cultivated by man. Native to the Mediterranean region, they were popular in ancient Egypt and Rome. The Romans and Greeks introduced them throughout Europe.

Early British settlers brought kale and collards to America, probably in the late 1600s. But although they’re delicious, nutritious and low in calories, both vegetables became unfashionable over the past century, finally experiencing a renaissance in recent years.

If you have a home garden they’re easy to grow.

As far as nutrition goes, kale is known as “the queen of greens.” As members of the cruciferous group of vegetables, it has potent anti-carcinogens. One cup of chopped kale contains 33 calories and 9% of the daily value of calcium, 206% of vitamin A, 134% of vitamin C, and 684% of vitamin K. It is also a good source of minerals copper, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus.

Here’s more about kale nutrition and health benefits.

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