Massaged Kale Salad

Some things, you just eat whole. Like...who makes croutons and then puts jam on them instead of having a piece of toast?

Wait, actually, that sounds strangely delicious.

Right. Well,this is salad. One of those things where you chop everything up and eat a bit of each thing in each bite.

I really like that about salads...and soup, and stir-fry/pasta things with veggies etc mixed in. It drives my grandmother bonkers though.

She's visiting.

She hasn't had the kale yet. But I guess since salad's pretty conventionally a small chunk item, it would be okay?

Oh, also, common scents of the day is that cake pops and meatballs are surprisingly parallel food objects (SPFOs). Mashed up stuff that's (usually) whole--meat/cake--with a binder.

So, for a zen eating experience, start with falafel, then have meatballs, and seal the deal with a cake pop.

 

This is not something you measure ingredients for. Just go for it.

It's all about giving your kale some love. 

Trim out the woody stems, roll to cut multiple layers at once, and toss them in a bowl.

Sprinkle on a good 2 teaspoons of KOSHER salt and however much olive oil seems right

Ready? Get your hands messy. Massage the kale with the olive oil and salt. It turns from a lighter, opaque green into this deep, vibrant, green.

If I were to describe the color, I'd say it's a liquid green. I promise, the salad is not soppy, though.

Squeeze on half a lemon (take out those seeds!) and crank on some pepper.

Toss again! It keeps in the fridge really well too!

We liked it with apricots or raisins and sunflower seeds, but pine nuts, almonds, cashews, or cranberries would all be great!

OH man.

These are not bitter greens. They're seriously addictive.

And olive oil makes nice hand lotion, too. Salt adds emollient benefits!