KALE CAESAR SALAD WITH A TOUCH OF CRISP

If kale is done right it is amazingly good. The trick is to massage the kale first to soften the leaves, as eating it raw is tough and bitter. As an added benefit, kale is an extremely nutrient rich superfood, with anti-oxidant and cancer-preventative properties. My husband and I fell in love with this recipe after the first try, and we practically lived on it for a whole summer.

SALAD INGREDIENTS:

• 1 big bunch of kale (approx. 1 lb. /450 g), stalks removed and discarded, and leaves thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoon of olive oil
• Lemon juice from ½ lemon
• Salt and pepper
• ½ – ¾ ripe avocado cut into cubes
• A small handful of slivered almonds, toasted in a pan with a few drops of olive oil
• ¼ cup of shredded pecorino cheese

CAESAR SALAD DRESSING:

• 2 cloves of garlic, mashed and minced
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ¼ cup / 60 ml of extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper

DIRECTION:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 ⁰F / 175 ⁰C
2. In the meantime, put the washed and cut kale into a big bowl with the olive oil, and massage the kale with your hands for about 4 minutes. Make sure that you rub/squeeze/massage the oil into all of the leaves. Take a 1/3 of the kale aside and spread it on an oven pan lined with a baking sheet. Add lemon juice to the bowl of kale and massage for another 3 minutes. The acid and oil will help break down the leaves from being tough and bitter to being sweeter and softer. Add salt and pepper to taste, toss the kale salad and let it sit while you prepare the set-aside portion of kale in the oven.
3. Take the oven pan with the set-aside kale and sprinkle pecorino cheese over it. Bake it in the oven for about 10 minutes, then turn the kale and bake for another 10 minutes or until the kale is slightly crisp and the cheese is lightly browned. Take it out of the oven and let it cool.
4. Make the Caesar salad dressing by combining garlic, mustard, vinegar, lemon juice and mayonnaise and mix thoroughly. Slowly add olive oil while mixing, and add salt and pepper to taste. You will only need a 1/3 of the dressing, but I am sure that you will like it so much that you are happy that you made extra for your next salad.
5. Add the avocado and about 1/3 of the dressing to the salad. Toss the salad, and then add the crispy kale from the oven and toss again. Sprinkle the toasted almonds over the salad and serve.