It's been awhile since I've written, but as Basil gently questioned me the last time I saw him at JL's party about the blog. I guess it's time for another entry.

This recipe is out there on the net and I made it a long time ago while I was working in the prepared foods section of Whole Foods but not EVERYONE knows it yet so I'll post it here with my own little spin.

Oriental Kale Salad

So you'll need

• A couple bunches of Kale 2 or 3 (don't get it if it's limp)
• Carrots 2
  
• Red Onion 1/4
• Dressing
  
• Sesame oil 1/4 cup
• Honey 1/4 cip
• Soy Sauce 1/2 Cup
• Toasted Sesame Seeds 2 tbsp
  
• Flax Seeds 4tbsp

So for the kale separate the stems from the leaves about 2/3 of the way up and cut into 2-3 inch pieces. for the leaves a rough 1 1/2 - 2 inch chop is fine.

Throw the stems into a steamer and get them going.

While you're steaming these get an ice bath ready in a bowl so when they're ready you can stop the cooking process and keep that awsome crunch that keeps these greens from having grandmas collards texture. Not that there's anything wrong with that it's just not the texture I want for my salads. You can also take this opportunity to gather the ingredients for the dressing.

Oh and if anyone wants my old pots let me know. you can see them back on the right side of the picture. :)

Go ahead and combine the honey, soy, and sesame oil with the seeds and give it a whirl.


Now it should be about time to add the rest of the kale to the steamer on top of the stalks. 5 minutes or so or until just crispy enough and not too hard for you. Go ahead and try it, the stalks kind of taste like broccoli to me.

Cook the kale till it looks perfect.
like this.

Bright green and still crunchy. About 1.5 to 2 minutes.

Put it directly into the ice bath to cool it off then squeeze it some and put the drier stuff in another bowl. What this does is removes all the watery liquid so that you can replace it with all the tasty liquid that you have just so painstakingly out together. Like so.

Brrrrrrrr.

Anyway.

Thinly slice as many red onions and carrots as you want and add everything together and mix it up.

It tastes pretty good with a couple shakes of cayenne. Or if you have some chili's in your garden you can slice one of those up too. Otherwise you can eat it right away or refridgerate it. It tastes better after a day in the fridge, which is why I usually make enough for 3 or 4 days :)...

You can leave out the flax seeds but they're pretty and chock full of omega 3's. You could even toast them for more nutty goodness.

Yum.