Tuesday at the Table

One of my goals when I became a parent, was to raise children who were adventuresome eaters. Of course, we had a period where chicken mcnuggets and Kraft macaroni and cheese were their meals of choice, but it's been our routine to try new ingredients, learning as we go, and by the time they were in their teens, they counted among their favorite foods polenta, hummus, and risotto.

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!