Kale is a wonder vegetable, full of nutrients – and good looking, too. But raw kale can be stringy and chewy. Here is a fast, easy trick to make tender kale, while keeping in all that green goodness:
Now, what should we do next? Here are three simple recipes to try, using the main ingredient: tender kale
Kale Caesar Salad
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup juice from fresh lemons
- 1 extra large egg at room temperature
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- 6-8 anchovy fillets (optional)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 bunch of kale, tenderized (see video at the top of the page)
- About 15 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano cheese
- 1/2 cup croutons
Directions
- Place the lemon juice, egg yolks, mustard, garlic, anchovies, salt and pepper in a food processor with a steel blade (you can also do this recipe by hand – you’ll get a slightly chunky dressing). Process until smooth.
- With the food processor running, slowly pour the olive oil through the feed tube until the dressing is thick. (Optional: add 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano cheese and process).
- Toss the kale with enough dressing to moisten well. Top with remaining Parmigiano cheese and the croutons
Alternatively, you can use the Meyer lemon version of Caesar dressing on our website
Healthy Mediterranean Salad
Ingredients
- 1 bunch of kale, tenderized (see video at the top of the page)
- About 15 cherry tomatoes, halved
- Cucumber, diced into 1/4″ cubes
- About 2 dozen pitted Kalamata olives – halved
- 1/2 cup Feta cheese
- 2 green onions, choppped
- Fresh juice from 1/2 lemon
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Ground black pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Directions
Place the kale, tomatoes, cucumber, chopped green onion, black olive, and feta cheese in a bowl. Add the remaining ingredients, and toss.
Some alternatives to substitute into this salad would be nuts (walnuts, almonds, for example), apples, pears, or dried cranberries.
An alternative dressing would be the Meyer Lemon vinaigrette recipe we posted on the Serious Foodie.
Kale Slaw
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- Juice from 1/2 lemon
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Fresh ground pepper to taste
- 1 bunch of kale, tenderized (see video at the top of the page)
- 1 cup shredded purple cabbage
- 1 yellow or orange bell pepper, julienne sliced
- 2 green onions, chopped
Directions
- Place the vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, mustard, salt and pepper in a food processor with a steel blade (you can also do this recipe by hand). Process until smooth.
- With the food processor running, slowly pour the olive oil through the feed tube until the dressing is thick.
- Toss the kale, cabbage, bell pepper, and green onion with the dressing
Want to add an interesting twist? Try squeezing some fresh orange juice into the mix. Or make it spicy with a few diced jalapeno peppers.
