What the Kale

I'm enjoying a kale salad phase.  I have made a kale salad 4 out of the last 5 days.

If you go pick up some kale and try a bite, you may think kale salad doesn't seem like a wonderful lunch but once you tenderize it, add some other ingredients and a great salad dressing, you have a perfect meal.

I bought the already chopped and bagged kale from Trader Joe's.  It annoys me that it still has some of the stems in there but I pick them out.  You can just buy the kale from the store and chop out the stems yourself and then chop up the leaves but I so rarely go to a regular grocery store, I get by with the Trader Joe's kale.

I can make 3 or 4 salads from one bag of TJ kale.  I toss some in a bowl, pick out the stems and then squeeze 1/2 lemon over the leaves.  Then I tear the leaves into smaller bites, making sure to handle the kale a lot.  The more you massage it the more tender it gets.  I then let it sit while I make the dressing and cut up the other ingredients.  I don't know if this makes the kale get even more tender or not but I'm pretending it does.  For the salad in the picture, I added chopped heirloom tomatoes, some roasted corn and bacon crumbles.  You can add whatever you prefer.  I love the bacon taste!  And I like to add some red onion when I have it.

The dressing is a mustard vinaigrette.  Some crushed garlic, a blob of mustard and some vinegar or lemon.  I used champagne vinegar because that is what I have.  I don't measure but if I'm guessing about 2 or 3 tablespoons.  Then whisk it with some olive oil to emulsify it.  Again, maybe 2-3 tablespoons.  Salt and pepper to taste.  It may look like you don't have enough dressing but you do.

The secret - given to me by my daughter - is to make sure to put one chopped up hard boiled egg and a handful of goat cheese crumbles on the kale before adding the dressing.  Then mix it, mix it, mix it until you can't tell you have cheese crumbles and egg in there.  It seems like you have a creamy dressing instead.

Now eat!