Raw Kale Salad

I had the most amazing lunch yesterday. A raw kale salad! Now, I'm a big fan of kale (probably my favorite dark green leafy vegetable, actually), but I've always eaten it sauteed. Or, baked into kale chips. It seemed like it was too tough to be eaten raw. It needed to be cooked to soften it up a bit.

Boy, was I wrong!

This kale salad was amazing. It is reminiscent of a caesar salad, but with a heartier texture, from the kale. The dressing is very lemon-y and gives it a nice tartness, that balances the slightly bitter kale.

The other great thing about this salad? I get to use up the ends of loaves of bread. You know, the kind that no one wants to eat as a sandwich. They make perfect croutons. I had never made croutons before I tried this technique. Now, I can whip them up in about 5 minutes! Amazing!

Start with the dressing. It's a simple mixture of lemon juice, olive oil, parmesan cheese, and crushed red pepper flakes.

Next, chop the kale. I like to chop it into thin ribbons.

Make your croutons (I promise, you'll be doing this again and again. Who needs store bought croutons?)

Then, toss everything together. Note: the dressing is pretty thick (with the cheese in there), so it will take a bit of tossing to make sure all the kale gets coated. But, it's worth it!

Raw Kale Salad
Adapted from 101cookbooks.com

1 bunch kale (doesn't matter which type, you'll be making this salad again, so you can try them all)
2 ends of a loaf of bread
1/2 garlic clove
pinch of salt
3 TBSP olive oil
Juice from 1 lemon (about 1/4 cup)
1/4 c finely grated parmesan cheese
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Handful kalamata olives (optional)
black pepper, to taste

Toast the 2 ends of bread. When they pop up, toast them again to make sure they are browned on both sides. Then, leave them in the toaster to cool while you prepare the other ingredients.

Trim the thick stems from the ends of the kale. Then, slice into thin ribbons.

For the dressing, whisk lemon juice, olive oil and garlic together until emulsified. Stir in the parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper flakes.

To finish the croutons, chop the cooled toasts into small squares. (wasn't that the easiest crouton making you've ever heard of?)

In large bowl toss kale with the dressing. Make sure to continue tossing until all the kale is coated well with the dressing. Add olives, if using and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle with croutons. Garnish with a bit more grated parmesan.

Note: The original recipe states to let the salad sit for 5 minutes before serving (probably to allow the flavors to mingle). But, there was no way I was waiting, so I dug in right away!