Magic Kale Salad

I am not one to follow trends, but for once I am going to tell you: yes, do believe the hype around kale! This curly, crunchy uber-nutritious leafy green has been all the rave for the last two years or so, and it indeed is one super hero of a vegetable that I have welcomed into my kitchen with open arms! It is just too freakin' delicious! I consume it in all different sorts of ways, and one is in my magic kale salad.

Woo, what is so magical about it you might ask? Well for starters, it is full of healthy stuff: kale, parsley, mint, pomegranate and avocado. An edible fountain of youth for self-explanatory reasons, loaded with antioxidants, vitamins and the good fats. Secondly- and just as importantly- it is titillating in taste and colour! So what are you waiting for? Go ahead and make this easy peasy of a salad and eat to your health! 

Oh- and before I post the recipe- I wanted to share a little detail around how I deal with pomegranates. Yes they are pretty and all, but opening one can also reveal one red hot splattery mess (any of you know what I'm talking about here?)! To overcome that, I fill a bowl with water, chop my pom into quarters and proceed with removing the seeds with my hands and the pom under water. The seeds will fall onto the bottom and the white skins float to the top. Then just transfer to a strainer, pick out any remaining white skins and you're left with the good stuff. 

Recipe for Magic Kale Salad

Guys- this is a straightforward salad, no rocket science here. I typically eyeball the ingredients, so quantities are not included. 

A bunch of kale, washed and dried

A bunch of fresh parsley, washed and chopped

A bunch of fresh mint, washed and chopped

Pomegranate seeds (about 1 pomegranate for a large bouquet of kale)

Avocado (1 to 2 avocados), chopped into chunky slices

Extra virgin olive oil

Freshly squeezed lemon

Pinch of salt

Pinch of sumac (optional- if you have)

Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl (except oil, lemon, salt and sumac). Drizzle olive oil, lemon juice and season with salt. If you have some sumac, it will add an interesting tang to the salad. Eat away and enjoy!

Notes:

Be generous with the parsley, it will add a lot of great flavour! I personally use a kale to parsley ratio of 2:1. 

Also, I use a 1:2 ratio for the olive oil & lemon. But that's just me. Adjust to your personal taste.

Dry all the leafy greens real well. It is not OK to have a salad swimming in a puddle of water :)

For the kale, here's a useful tip: once you've washed the leaves, roll a paper towel around them and gently "massage" the leaves. This will both dry the kale but also softens the texture and taste.