Don’t be scared, I still don’t believe in superfoods and I’m not here to sell you on the dubious miraculous qualities of the current hip foods. I am here to tell you that despite all you’ve heard, kale is delicious and that this here is my power lunch, my favourite lunch, my usual lunch. Sure, sometimes the supporting players are substituted, but its core remains the same. This salad fills me up, contains some of my absolute favourite things and comes together in a snap; which is totally necessary when you’re spending all day developing new recipes (and cleaning up the mess that comes with that). There are a few basics to getting a meal salad right and while I’m not ready to get into details right now (another day, another long post), you can definitely play with the textures to get somewhere you’re happy with. For more on kale, you can read my feature right here (x).
A few things: Whatever kind of kale you like or have, is going to be just fine. I buy a clamshell of already washed and torn mixed kale for the week. Use a really tasty balsamic vinegar, it’s part of what makes this worth the daily revisit. Your mango can be anywhere from not quite ripe to overly ripe. I find all variations thereof work very well . You want more vegetables? Go for it! Just make sure they’re sliced thin enough to not monkey with the toothsome quality of this salad. I like cucumber and very thinly sliced carrot, too.
Rubbed Kale Salad
Serves One
Prep Time: Five Minutes
2 handfuls kale, washed and torn into bite sized pieces
1/2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon good quality balsamic vinegar, more to taste
Pinch of salt, freshly cracked black pepper and garlic powder
1 rib celery, sliced thin
1/4 mango, peeled and chopped
1/3 avocado, peeled and chopped
A few thin slices watermelon radish, or other radish such as daikon
1 tablespoon raw pumpkin seeds, or other seed or nut
In a medium bowl, drizzle olive oil and balsamic over kale. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Dive right in with your hands and massage the kale until all the oil has been evenly distributed and the kale has started to soften, about a minute. Add the remaining ingredients, taste for seasoning and eat!
