Kale has been looking great lately! Rather than using it in
my typical stir-fry, I have recently been enjoying it raw – throwing it in
sandwiches, eating it in salads, etc. It doesn't have a bitter, pungent taste
that many other raw greens have, and its hearty texture prevents it from
wilting when accompanying dressings and sauces. One cup of kale (raw or slightly
cooked) provides well over our daily need for vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin
K! It is also a good source of fiber, folate and many minerals.
I like this salad because the Caesar dressing and croutons
are homemade so I know exactly what’s in it. Oh, and because it’s oh so tasty
and refreshing J
Don’t let the raw egg yolk and anchovies scare you off – they are nicely
balanced by the other components in the dressing. If you’re worried about
consuming raw egg yolks, you could omit the egg in this recipe. However, you
may lose some of the creaminess factor by doing this.
Kale Caesar Salad
Dressing
1 large garlic
clove, minced, sprinkled with salt and smashed into a paste
2 medium anchovy
filets
1 large egg
yolk
2 tablespoons
freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ teaspoon
Dijon mustard
¼ cup
cashews
¼ cup water
¼ cup extra
virgin olive oil
Croutons
2 thick
slices of bread, torn into bite size pieces (your choice – crusty ciabatta
works nicely, or you could use whole wheat for a healthier option. I used sprouted english muffins here; it's what I had on hand)
2 tablespoons
of olive oil
Dash of salt
and thyme to season to your liking
Salad
1 bunch of
Kale, washed and torn from the stems into bite size pieces
1/3 cup
grated Asiago cheese
Freshly
ground black pepper to taste
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Tear bread into pieces and toss with olive oil and seasonings. Place on a foil lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes at 350°F.
- Wash and tear kale into pieces. Place leaves onto towel to dry or use a salad spinner if you have one; set aside.
- With the exception of the ¼ cup of olive oil, mix all dressing ingredients in a blender until smooth. Some of the cashews may not fully blend and that is okay; it adds a nice texture to the salad.
- Slowly incorporate the olive oil as the dressing is blending. Give it a taste to see if it needs additional lemon juice. The dressing will be quite tangy on its own, but is great once mixed with the kale.
- Toss half of the dressing with the kale to determine how much you need – everyone has a preference when it comes to how much salad dressing is needed. Although this dressing is composed of healthy fats, it is pretty high in fat nonetheless. A little goes a long way; use it sparingly.
- Divide into kale into serving bowls, top with croutons, asiago cheese and black pepper.
- Enjoy!
You might also want to add some protein to this salad to
make it a little more filling. If so, I found that canned salmon works
wonderfully; it’s easy, it tastes great and it’s a great source of Omega-3
fatty acids.
I hope you enjoy this salad as much as I did!
