You Southerners may laugh at this, but growing up in my neck of the woods, I seriously never knew anyone who had eaten kale. And honestly, it had never occurred to me to try it. Like, why? Well, a year or so ago, I was challenged to try a new vegetable every time I went grocery shopping. So I did, and discovered (yes, for the first time) parsnips and baby bok choy and broccolini. And kale. It was Aarti Sequeira who took the hesitation away. Being a winner of The Next Food Network Star in 2010, I began watching her show. And lo and behold, one day, she made this Massaged Kale Salad. She raved on it, and to me, it sounded strangely enticing. Since I was in the middle of my 'try a new vegetable' stage, I tried it. And using Aarti's recipe, it was amazing.
Kale, by the way, is considered a superfood, containing all sorts of things I can't pronounce and don't understand, but the bottom line is it's really good for you. Since finding this recipe and realizing what a powerhouse veg kale is, I've tried to use it more often, by making this recipe, and adding it to soups, etc. (So, ok, the kale chips were so-so, but interesting, yes.)
Anyway, you can find the recipe {here}. I have subbed peach for the mango with great results, and I've heard of others substituting mandarin oranges and dried cranberries, as well as switching out the kind of seed/nut, though I really love pepitas in this salad, as the recipe calls for. Be brave! Give it a try!
And as an added quilty bonus, I thought you might like to see that my For the Love of Solids zippy is two-sided! So fun!
I have been blessed with adventurous eaters as well, and am so glad! I'm really not sure what I would do with picky eaters. I think I would just have hungry kids...Love the idea of trying something new every time you go to the store, its a great example for kids. We made kale chips last year, and my oldest really liked them. There is just such a fine line between getting them crispy and getting that bitter-burnt taste. Definitely going to try this recipe, if only to tell my husband that I massaged the salad!
ReplyDeleteI forgot to say how much I like the pouch! Great design and colors. She's pretty clever, isn't she?
ReplyDeleteMy family is "adventurous" as long as it doesn't involve anything with vegetables. Oh, it makes me groan, but then I have to remember that I did not like any vegetables while I was growing up and now I could easily become a vegetarian...if I didn't like everything else! I was introduced to Kale about five years ago by my and Uncle and have since then grown it in my garden and enjoyed it almost year round. Thank you for the link to Aarti - her blog is hilarious!
ReplyDeleteWell this Southerner has never personally eaten Kale, and my husband probably hasn't either. We tend to stick with Mustard Greens! LOL
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