Go Green Salad Recipe

​​Go Green Salad Recipe
Love this salad that I've slightly tweaked from Sprouted Kitchen - its easy to make and will last in the fridge for the work week.

                                  Ingredients 

• 3 cups ribbed and chopped kale
• handful of chopped parsley
• 1-2 tbsp of lemon juice
• 1 cup cooked black lentils or garbanzo beans
• 1 green apple, diced
• 1/2 diced avocado
• half an english cucumber, diced
• Dressing
• one clove garlic
• 1 Tbsp of dry white wine
• 1 Tbsp. honey
• 1 Tbsp. dijon
• juice of one lemon
• salt and pepper

In a large salad bowl, combine the (massaged) kale, parsley, lentils or garbanzo beans, apples, cucumber, avocado

For the dressing, blend everything in a food processor or blender, with salt and pepper to taste, until the garlic is smooth.

Pour the dressing on the salad and toss well to coat.The salad will keep in the fridge for a full day and slowly lose it's crunch from there.

                                                            Secrets and Tips 
Buying and Types of Kale
Kale should have a fresh green color with moist, crisp, un-wilted leaves.  There are normally 2 types of kale you'll find at the supermarket 

• Dino Kale or Tuscan Kale - best for salads
• Curly Kale - great for soups, stews, and in warm meals

Storing
Keep kale in a plastic bag  with 1 paper towel (to absorb any extra moisture) in the fridge. Kale becomes increasingly bitter and strongly flavored the longer it is kept and so is best eaten soon after buying.

Preparing 
For all types of kale its good to give it a nice wash in water to remove any dirt clinging to the inside of the leaves.

• Always cut the ribs from the leaves, especially if you're not cooking the kale.  The stalks are fibrous, slightly bitter, and take forever to chew  
• If using your kale for a salad, make sure to cut the kale into thin ribbon like pieces. 
• For salads MASSAGE, MASSAGE, MASSAGE!  Once you've sliced your kale, add a splash of extra virgin olive oil, a squeeze of lemon, and a pinch of salt and massage the leaves through your hands for about 3-5mins.  After a quick rubdown you'll notice the green leaves transforming from being bitter and tough to silky and slightly sweet with a darker hue.  Massaging helps to breakdown kale's natural waxy coating.
• When cooking kale, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to large, heated skillet. Heat oil; add strips of kale. Cook and stir over medium-high heat 2 to 3 minutes until wilted and tender (older leaves may take slightly longer). Or just toss rinsed leaves into a soup or stew.