Massaged Kale Salad
Massaged Kale Salad is a terrific way to enjoy this healthy, flavorful green! An easy manual technique will make you a kale fan!
Before the days of baby kale, putting kale in a salad could give your jaw a workout. But a simple technique makes for a delicious salad no matter the type of kale greens are used.
Massaged Kale Salad
Yup, I’m a wee bit late jumping on the massaged kale salad bandwagon that hit the net over the past year. All it took was a nudge from my brother-in-law (yes, this is the brother of my picky hubby) to find some kale recipes for his family. Apparently, their CSA deliveries were heavy on greens and they needed some palatable options. I referred him to a kale salad recipe on Epicurious…which he immediately tried and gave extremely positive feedback.
I tweaked the original recipe by using tomatoes instead of mangoes and sprinkling with salted sunflower seeds versus pepitas. I made a small batch, knowing that there wasn’t going to be any miraculous change in the hubby’s palate.
Easy Kale Salad Recipe
I recommend using baby kale so you don’t have to deal with any tough ribs or leaves, but it’s not mandatory. But a word of caution if you have even a wee paper cut on your hands…the massaging process will sting! And I was truly surprised how much I enjoyed this simple salad preparation. I will be whipping up this massaged kale salad again. Maybe if I don’t mention the “k” word, the hubby might give it a shot!
Massaged Kale Salad
A massaged kale salad with cherry tomatoes and sunflower seeds
Ingredients
- 10 ounces baby kale
- Juice of one lemon, divided
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- Kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons honey
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1-pint grape tomatoes, cut in half
- 2-3 tablespoons salted sunflower seeds
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix kale, the juice of half the lemon, a bit of kosher salt and a drizzle of olive oil. With your hands, massage the kale for about 2-3 minutes.
- In a glass measuring cup, whisk the rest of the lemon juice with the honey and black pepper to taste.Slowly drizzle in the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil, whisking constantly to allow for emulsification.
- Drizzle the kale with the dressing and toss. Add tomatoes and sunflower seeds, toss again and serve.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 342Total Fat: 30gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 25gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 2089mgCarbohydrates: 16gFiber: 5gSugar: 7gProtein: 8g
57 Comments on “Massaged Kale Salad”
I love kale salad, I eat one once a week! However I haven’t done your method, I usually just toss and go!
This salad is so fresh and delightful…Definitely, an ideal summer dish!!!
Meditation in a salad 🙂 I know it is a craze but you are only the 2nd I see. I have to try it, looks very nice.
Dear Lizzy, I grew up with dishes like this. My mom always made a first dish that was similar. I love this with delicious crusty bread and lots of grated cheese. Blessings dearest. Catherine xo
I had no clue that “massaged kale” was truly massaged!
Love the honey in the salad – Great idea!
THis looks and sounds fabulous Liz, I just noticed that my local grocery store is carrying baby kale and picked some up yesterday — perfect timing.
Well Lizzy you beat me! I have yet to make/eat Kale. But this really must change and this looks like a great place to start!
massaging Kale? alright… =)
The salted sunflower seeds are a brilliant addition to the salad. That will give some crunch and a different texture choice while enjoying the salad. Nice one Liz!
I love the changes you’ve made.. I’ve never massaged my kale, I wonder if it is to soften the texture? Baby kale is much more palatable for my taste, but not easy to find. I so wish I had those CSA deliveries.. I must look into that here!! Lovely photos today!! xx
What an interesting salad! Massaged Kale is a new one for me, thanks for sharing! I’ve learnt something new today!
This is perfect timing – I have lovely Kale in the garden and have been wondering how to serve this. Tonight’s salad! Thanks Liz.
I’m planning to make a kale salad tonight. I had no idea that massaged kale was actually massaged… hmm maybe I should try this on ours tonight.
LOL…not used to seeing green over here, but I think I like it!! I’ve got a big bag of kale in the fridge dying to be used!
Love your salad! How simple, nutritious and perfectly easy! We’re going to feature this on our Facebook page and link here so people can see how you made it, and your lovely photography. Please come LIKE us on Facebook for more recipes and tips on super healthy greens like kale, chard, beet, mustard, turnip, collard and other green leafies.
–Your friendly Southern California farmers at Cut ‘N Clean Greens
Hmm. Apparently I missed this memo altogether because I had no idea people were fondling their greens this way. 🙂 Usually kale is too bitter for me and only the oven roasting (kale chips) makes it sweet enough. Maybe I need to massage it?
I’m still scared of kale…
It’s really massaged? I thought that was just a name for, I don’t know, stirring vigorously. It looks amazing. I love your changes too. I’m not a mango fan but I’d jump all over the tomato idea.
LOL. I’ve been enjoying kale for quite a while now but had no idea people were literally massaging the greens…Thank you for bringing me up to speed, Liz =)
Your choice of seeds and tomatoes look to be a good dress up for kale =)
You make the prettiest salads
I have yet to try a massaged kale salad but I think yours would strongly convince me to give it a try ;). Love the sunflower seed topping!