massaged asian kale salad

the day after new years we had our friends, zach and jess, over for supper and scrabble. jordan and i had been dying to make veggie enchiladas that we saw in the holiday issue of veg times. jess offered to bring a massaged kale salad. i had never heard of massaged kale before, but knowing how good of a cook jess is, i was very excited to try it.

there was not a shred of kale left in the bowl when we were done with it. i asked for the recipe, knowing i would want to eat it all the time as i am now in the final 8 months before my wedding ( nutritional crunch time!!)

i made this variation on her recipe last night for a semi- homecooked meal. i put an asian spin on the recipe and ate it with trader joes veggie gyoza. the kale salad is super delicious and ridiculously good for you.

ingredients

method

in a rice cooker/steamer, steam edamame.  shell and set aside to cool.

wash and dry 2 small bunches of kale (i used organic red and organic lacinto).  remove stems and slice into thin strips.  place in a large bowl.

drizzle some olive oil, a couple of capfuls of soy sauce, and a couple of capfuls of rice vinegar over the kale.  mince a clove of garlic (or more, depending on your taste) and a peeled 1inch chunk of fresh ginger, and add to the kale.  drizzle some honey and the juice of a lime over the mixture.

now for the massaging...the idea is to let the acid from the lime and the vinegar and the fats from the oil seep into the kale to soften it.  imagine you're kneading dough.  with clean hands, gently rub the kale for several minutes.  add the shredded carrots and the shelled edamame, mix with clean hands again, then cover and let sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

when ready to serve, sprinkle with sesame seeds and chow down!

it's even good left over... on a wrap with hummus and avocado.