Kale Salad the"Best Massaged Clean Salad"

Kale Salad is healthy and a great change from romaine or leaf lettuce. This was one of our “on the go meals” prepped in advance while travelling to an athletic event for our kids. It doesn’t get mushy and is a great way to avoid all of the unhealthy fast food options on hand. Add kale to soups for an extra dose of “greens”. Eat it raw or cooked in salad, soup and smoothies to provide an extra dose of nutrients. Now we are even “massaging” kale… that makes me laugh. Try it out, it really is the “Best Kale Salad”.

Kale Salad “Massaged and Clean”

“Kale.. love it or hate it, this recipe may help you love it. This hearty green gets a bad rap for being chewy and tasteless but I can assure you that if you are not a kale lover you will be after you try this recipe.

Kale is very fibrous and needs some love to taste its best. Luckily its super simple and takes little time with a little massaging it with lemon juice (acid) olive oil and some salt. This extra step is completely worth it, I promise. This salad also tastes better the longer it sits so its great for meal prep and meals on the go which is a bonus.”

Kale Salad Ingredients:

Serves 2 as a main or 4 for side dishes

1 large bunch of kale, washed, dried and finely shredded
One lemon, juiced
One clove of garlic minced
1/4 cup of olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Ground black pepper to taste
1 can of chickpeas rinsed and drained
1 cup of halved cherry tomatoes
1/2 of a cucumber diced *peel the skin if not organic
1/2 red onion thinly sliced
1/4 cup hemp seeds

Kale Salad “Perfect on the go meal”

How to Make:

First up wash, dry and finely chop your kale place it in a large bowl
Secondly add lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and salt
Thirdly with clean hands, start massaging. Yes, massage your kale. Use your hands to really break down the fibres of the kale. Do this for about 2-3 minutes.
Meanwhile add in tomatoes, cucumber, chickpeas, onions and hemp seeds
Then give it a toss and place in bowls or take out meal containers
Finally, garnish with more hemp seeds

Trina’s Tidbits: Kale Benefits

Kale is said to be anti-inflammatory *we all need this considering the junk we load in our bodies daily
Helps with natural detoxification
Rich in Vitamin C and beta-carotene *these are antioxidants known to counteract the damaged caused by free radicals
Perfect in smoothies, salads, raw and cooked
Low in calories, carbohydrates and has some natural protein
MOST Important Tidbit: Non organic kale is part of the most heavily polluted crops so buy organic *Kale is 3rd on the list for the most contaminated vegetable (source: EWG’s 2019 Dirty Dozen list)

Recipe & photo credit Ashley of Real Roots

In Conclusion

Are you ready to give the Kale salad a try? Be sure to schedule a massage for yourself before you massage your kale, lol. To sum up, be sure to buy organic kale whenever possible considering how heavily polluted it is.

xo Trina