For the past several years I've been eating this kale salad in the summer not because it's my favourite salad and not because I like kale. I eat it because it's easy and it's healthy.
I also like the taste of it, which is remarkable because I don't like kale. It's too kaley. However as far as kale goes, black kale is the least offensive. I'll explain why in a second.
Black Kale also goes by the stage names: Tuscan Kale, Lacinato Kale, Cavolo Nero or Dinosaur Kale. It is all the same thing; an elongated oval shaped dark green leaf with less frills and flop than regular kale.
Black Kale is the only kale I like.
Which is a good thing because as far as Kale goes (which we all know is a "superfood" blah, blah, blah) Black Kale has some very specific benefits.
The Health Benefits of Black Kale
- Black Kale contains a thing in its cells that gets converted to another "thing" once it's chewed. This second "thing" has been proven to inhibit and destroy cancer cells. You will get 10X the anti-benefits if you eat the kale RAW. Here's one of the studies if you're the medical journal type. The "thing" is called aIsothiocyanates (ITCs) by the way.
- Kale is also anti-inflammatory which helps with arthritis, asthma and autoimmune disorders.
- Per gram, kale is packed with more calcium than milk.
- In 2013 a study was done and preliminary findings were that Black Kale in particular had neuroprotective and immunomodulatory effects. This means Black Kale is now being studied as something that could provide health benefits for people with MS.
It's a favourite salad for 3 reasons: It has very few ingredients, it's easy to make and you can dress this salad and leave it in the refrigerator for a week and it doesn't go soggy.
The actual salad is made up of just 3 things. Black kale, parmesan cheese and toasted breadcrumbs (or croutons). That's it.
So the only prep work is making the dressing and cutting the kale.
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Kale has tough ribs so I remove those first. Just slice down either side of the rib and pull it away from the kale. Then, because even though black kale is the least tough of all the kales, you still need to slice it fairly thin to make it easier to chew. I mean, it IS kale after all. I cut my kale into anything from ¼" to ½" wide strips across the width of the kale.
Then I pour on my dressing (recipe at the bottom of this post) and perform the MOST important task with ANY kale salad. I touch it. I caress it. I give it a massage.
Massaging the kale does 2 things. It helps open the cell structure which makes the kale less tough and it allows the dressing to enter the kale giving it better flavour. Kind of like simmering a stew. Massage the salad and then put it in the fridge for a day. You can eat it right away but it's much better after it's been massaged and recuperated from it's massage for 24 hours.
When you want to eat it, just pull a handful out of the bowl, top it with shaved or grated parmesan cheese and some toasted breadcrumbs. I use spelt crumbs when I can find them otherwise I just crunch up a few croutons with my fingers and sprinkle them over the salad.
BLACK KALE SALAD
Ingredients
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 3 garlic cloves minced then mashed
- 2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Big pinch of red pepper flakes1-2 bunches of kale depending on the size of your family and their appetite for kale
- Parmesan cheese to taste shaved or grated
- Bread crumbs or croutons
Instructions
- Prep kale by removing ribs and cutting leaves into ¼" - ½" strips.
- Whisk together the first 6 ingredients.
- Pour dressing over prepped kale.
- Massage dressed salad then refrigerate overnight.
- Add big shavings of parmesan cheese and a handful of croutons or crumbs and serve.
- Salad will keep, dressed, in the fridge for up to a week.
If you want to make this salad UNFORGETTABLE, try sprinkling some Buzz Button flower petals on top of it. Not sure what those are? O.K., you have to learn about Buzz Buttons immediately. They make your whole mouth tingle and dance. You can even grow them yourself.
Two other things that help me out with making this the easiest salad ever is using one of my favourite kitchen tips, this little pre-measured salad dressing bottle DIY.
Are there salads I make that I think are more delicious? Of course. It's kale salad. Nobody actually likes kale, we just eat it until someone declares the next superfood.
There's the Spring mix salad with candied pecans, grapes, brie and a multitude of other delicious things. But you can't save it in the fridge for a week, and you can't brag about how healthy your nightly salad is.
Kath
Omg, if you haven't already can you do a post on how you bleach your fingernails?? I'm always looking for a better way than what I do...
I spend most of my workdays trying to remember to hide my less-than sparkling fingertips (and that's even with my nails clipped as short as possible).
Thanks!
Kathys
Dig your fingernails into bar of soap before you start Gardening.
Kath
Oh, that is genius. Thank you!!!!!!
Leslie
Kale Yeah!
Okay, did my Amazon thing, bought some seeds. Not sure if it is too late to plant or not, but gonna give it a try. Because, kale yeah! I suddenly want to try this salad, haha.
susan Whelan
I actually like the taste of kale, especially in fruit smoothies. It gives it a clean, summery taste. But I have a question. I planted a kale plant last year, don't have a clue what country it hails from, and it kept me in leaves to mix with salad or put in smoothies right up until December. I live in PEI so not much will survive the winter and I was very surprised to see it turn green again in the spring, grow monstrously big and produce a lot of yellow flowers, much to the delight of the bees! I was thrilled, love to do my bit for the bees and there were line-ups for every blossom. Are you supposed to cut them back? And if so, when? And how severely? If it's before blossoming, ain't gonna happen.
Kathy Savage
Did you know there is a gizmo for stripping the stalks from the leaves of thing and leaving the stalk? It is a plastic disk about the size of the palm of your hand with little to larger holes in it. Using the tightest but useable hole you feed the stalk through and strip off the leaves. I have done kale and thyme. Kale is easiest. I got it at Lee Valley and I think it was worth it but then I like my Instant Pot.
Karen
Ha! Instant Pot lover. I haven't seen that! I'd love one actually if it works because cutting the stalks is what takes the longest in this particular salad. ~ karen!
Laurie
Hi Kathy, do you know the name of your stripping gizmo? I have been on the Lee Valley site, but I can't find it.
Shauna Rudy
I don't know if this is the same one as you have, but I found this at Amazon by searching "leaf stripper." There are a number of versions. https://www.amazon.com/Chefn-Chard-Collard-Greens-Stripper/dp/B00QWNRGS8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1499556364&sr=8-1&keywords=leaf+stripping+tool&refinements=p_72%3A2661618011. Thanks for the tip!
KimS
Hey Karen,
This looks delicious. I make a food.com "Massaged Kale Salad" from Aarti Sequeira that I love. I have a question--is there anything at all other than compost that can be done with the stems of Kale? PS. Just seeing your post in my inbox brings a smile to my face everytime.
Karen
I think most kale is pretty much garbage, lol. But the stems especially. I think the only thing the stems could possibly be used for is to flavour vegetable stock. ~ karen!
Audrey
Get a rabbit, they like kale.
KimS
Ha! I knew someone would say feed it to pigs/bunnies/etc. unfortunately for me--no animals, thanks though!
marilyn meagher
I detested kale when I started reading this post and I detest it even more now. Masssage my food??? Nada.
Susan Claire
Amen, Marilyn. All the wondrous benefits aside, kale is a big nasty weed. I'll stick to spinach.
Mary W
You must have been very tired and went to bed early (having finished the post on your porch) since you haven't responded to anyone and it is almost 7:30 AM! Good for you. BUT, probably you are out in your garden harvesting and even more tired but smart to get out in the heat before Noon. I do love kale and thank you sharing the difference between black and other kale.
Amy Watson
I make kale slaw it is so good, I just do a rough chop and add it to my cabbage and then use my regular cole slaw dressing it is yummy..
Sandra Lea
I'm struggling to believe that you can dress this salad and it will keep for a week but I'm going to give it a try.
Karen
It's true. :) ~karen!
Julia
I make a salad very similar to this with a homemade yogurt Caesar dressing (that has a tiny bit of mayo too). Yours sounds delicious. I can't wait until my garden kale is big enough to harvest - because the only kale the store seeks in northern Minnesota I'd the curly kind. But at least they sell any kale at all.
Paula
Omg - I eat exactly the same salad every night except I use a bit of Caesar dressing and sometimes I add beet tops, lettuce, and other greens. So yummy!
wendy
Karen, Here are a couple more summer quotes to mull over while lolling in the grass:
"Hey! It's summer! Be free and happy and fanciful and uninhibited and now-y!"–Terri Guillemets
"A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing, and the lawn mower is broken."–James Dent
I enjoy your musings about almost anything. Glad you were in the NYT.
Karen
Thanks Wendy! ~ karen
MrsChrisSA
That sounded so yummy that I am going to have to give it a whirl. No breadcrumbs though - will have to try nuts or perhaps even chickpeas........
Hazel
I like the fact your salad doesn't involve remembering to buy pomegranates and walnuts (because the children have eaten the rest of the walnuts for breakfast). I'll definitely try it.
I know as soon as anybody says they don't like something, everybody else immediately feels the need to challenge it, but if you ever get the chance to try red russian kale (well, that's what it's called in the UK https://www.chilternseeds.co.uk/item_1758b_kale_red_russian_seeds ), I find it even more tender and less bitter than cavalo nero- I eat it from the bag it's so good. Like a substantial salad leaf rather than kale. Anyway, you might like it.
Karen
Hi Hazel! I've grown pretty much every kale including ... red russian kale. I'm gonna stick with the black. ;) ~ karen!
Hazel
Fair enough :-)
I like the sound of the salad with any kale.
Kathleen Aberley
Okay - you win... I'll try it. I like the idea I can make it in advance and it will last for up to a week. Good for work lunches. I can just add my own extras to it. Thanks Karen.
Karen
That's the beauty of it Kathleen! ~ karen
martina
I've been making this same salad for years, and this may sound odd, but instead of breadcrumbs I put in smoked almonds, chopped dates (or cranberries), and thin sliced onions. Maybe that helps with some add-in ideas? It's addictive.
Kathleen Aberley
Sounds yummy. I'm definitely going to give it a try. I will prep it all this weekend and see how it goes next week. I will report my findings soon! :)
Therese
My teenage twin daughters HATE kale - especially cavolo nero. BUT, one of them has insisted on giving up dairy products, so I'm going to sell this salad to her as containing more calcium per gram than milk. Ha ha - I'm going to have such fun forcing them to eat it. I think it sounds delicious, by the way.
Robert
Also if you didn't knew after almost 3 years of being the bigger person Katy perry became lame by releasing a very bad song about the feud with Taylor swift that none of the 2 had actually confirmed, just when everyone had lost interest and she was actually winning the fight by no acknowledging it
Robert
Also, happy early birthday to your youngest!
Karen
I *did* know that! Not that it matters to me. I'm team Selena. ~ karen!
Robert
Quintanilla or Gómez?
Karen
Meyers. From VEEP. ~ k!
Robert
Selina Meyer then! Isn't JLD the best? With women like her and you I'm amazed at how some people say women can't be funny
Karen
That's right ... Selina! Not Selena. Selena is Gomez. Selina is Meyer. Loveeeeeeee her in that show. INSANELY good! ~ karen
Heather
Love kale! Have you tried substituting seasoned rice vinegar for white vinegar in your dressing? Yum!
Brenna
Thank you so much for this recipe! I have a hard time digesting raw kale so I usually avoid it but the 'massage' and overnight soak in acid will help break it down a bit so I too can enjoy the deliciousness and reap the health benefits. Genius!
Karen
It makes allll the difference. :) ~ karen!
Brenna
I finally tried it and....I love it! That dressing is so amazing I want to marry it. Seriously. I'm going to use it, and some version of it with different oils/acids, for all my salads from now on. I can't believe I've been buying dressing all these years when I can make a much better tasting one at home. Thanks for changing my salad world Karen!
Lisa
How on earth did you do that? You made Kale sound delicious. OK I'll give it a go - but only because it's you (and you rescued a cheetos bag). PS: I really don't like Kale.
Brandy
agreed!!
Karen
Nobody really likes kale. ~ karen!
Lisa
I love that you are honest...but I'm going to pick up some of that kale and make it this weekend. My farmers market stallholder doesn't call it black kale - calls it the "floppy edible one" :)
Karen
Ha! ~ karen