It’s blood orange season, combine that with kale and quinoa and you have the makings of one awesome, healthy salad. Find my recipe below and read these tips for using kale:
1. Do Not Cook – You do not have to cook kale, yes that’s right. It’s just like lettuce, arugula, beet leaves – no need to cook the green stuff to get an incredible flavor and meal.
2. Chop Very Finely – First cut out the ribs (the long center stem), this takes out that hard crunchy middle that is hard to flavor and makes chopping much easier. Finely chop with your Chef’s knife or chiffonade by cutting into thin ribbon-like layers.
3. Decide Between Curly Kale or Dino Kale – Dino Kale aka Lacinato Kale is slightly darker in color and it’s more flat which some chefs believe make it less ‘grassy’ tasting.
4. Toss with Olive Oil and Salt – Once chopped, toss with olive oil and salt and let sit for an hour or more before mixing in other ingredients. This helps the kale absorb more flavor.
5. Massage – That’s right, once you toss in olive oil and salt, for 1 minute, massage the olive oil in the leaves, this breaks down the hardness of the kale.
6. Do Not Be Shy About Dressing – Be plentiful when it comes to adding your dressing, toss, and allow time to soak in before serving.
7. Add Salmon or Chicken – A nice piece of grilled salmon or chicken turn your kale ‘side’ into a main course that you will want to be part of your weekly routine. For a Kale recipe with Salmon click here Citrus Kale Quinoa Salad with Grilled Salmon.
Here is a simple citrus kale salad recipe:
Blood Orange Kale Salad, makes 4 servings
2 small or one large bunch of kale, finely chopped
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp kosher salt
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp citrus vinaigrette
2 Blood oranges, peeled, sectioned and cut into bite size pieces (you can use any orange that is in season)
2 Tbsp almond slices (optional)
1 c prepared quinoa
Directions:
Before you begin make sure that your kale is completely dry. Place the kale into a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Gently massage the oil and salt into the kale. Massage for about 1 minuted or until all the leaves are coated and seem to be softening up a bit.
Add in lemon juice and vinaigrette toss until well combined. Gently stir in the orange, almond slices, and quinoa. Plate each salad.