19 Feb Kale for Beginners

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that kale is THE food to eat-primarily for the health benefits.

Loaded with Vitamins A, C and K, packed with fiber and full of antioxidants, kale has made quite a name for itself lately.

There are three kinds of people in this world. Those who love kale, rave about the benefits and consume it religiously. And then there are those who have never tried kale, but know that it’s supposed to be good for them and just haven’t worked up the nerve to try it. And finally, there are those who want to try it, but are turned off as soon as they see the large, somewhat unruly head of greens with that fibrous stem.  I have a solution for those of you who fall into categories 2 and 3.

Enter my simple kale salad made with pre-cut kale.  Four ingredient salad (+ dressing) with a five ingredient salad dressing (you can buy bottled dressing, too) and a no muss, no fuss preparation method.

Simple Kale Salad

Serves 1

1/2 to 3/4 container of kale greens or 1 small bunch kale, washed, trimmed and torn into small pieces 

1 cup red, yellow and orange tomatoes, sliced into halves or quarters, depending on the size

1/4 cup pistachios

2 T shredded Parmesean cheese

2 T balsamic dressing (recipe below)

For the salad:

Mound kale pieces in the center of a bowl or plate. Add chopped tomatoes and pistachios around the top of the mound. Add the dressing 15-20 minutes ahead of time to allow the kale to break down. Add cheese and serve. 

For the dressing: 

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 T chopped garlic

1/2 t salt

1/2 t freshly ground pepper

3/4 cup olive oil

Place all dressing ingredients in a screw top jar and shake vigorously  to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Photo: Ft. Worth Star Telegram