Massage Your Kale, Talk to Your Vegetables

It never fails. Every time I share my recipe for kale salad, it is received with giggles. “…and then I massage the kale.”

The recipe was shared with me by a former Esalen Institute chef who lovingly prepares three delicious meals a day at the week-long Dance Camp I’ve attended the past several summers in the Sierras of Central California. I love everything that she makes – but kale salad is the one “camp dish” that I consistently recreate at home throughout the year.

Wash, dry and chop a bunch of kale.
Wisk together a dressing with the juice of one lemon and olive oil. I like a ratio of about 1:1 but you can adjust to taste. You’ll also want to add a good pinch or two of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Minced garlic and/or honey can also be added.
Use your hands to coat the kale with the dressing – and here it is! – spend a few minutes massaging the dressing into the kale. The kale will soften significantly and will glisten, now evenly coated with the dressing.
Give it a taste – it might need more acid (lemon juice) and/or salt. Don’t be afraid to season generously – it should have a nice flavor. And don’t be afraid to spend some time getting to know your kale – really massage it – it’s fun to play with your food, anyway.
Then you can add any “toppings” you like – I often mix and match depending on what I have on hand. I always add either pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds or sliced almonds. Sometimes I add corn kernels, or golden raisins, or dried cranberries. I really like it with some diced ripe mango and/or red pepper.

So much of what we’re doing as CSA members is celebrating foods and flavors. You might say that we’re blessing our food every time we admire our new CSA baskets and every time we thoughtfully prepare a meal. In a lot of ways we’re already “massaging our kale and talking to our veggies.” So, let’s continue to love and appreciate our veggies…and be sure to give them a little massage every once in awhile.