We love our kale in the foodie tots’ house — yes, even tofu-fearing husband has learned to appreciate it — so of course we had to jump on the Kale Day bandwagon on social media today. You see, the blog Eating Rules has an “October Unprocessed” challenge, now in its third year.
The challenge urges people to go one month without processed foods, using a simple “kitchen test”: if the item you’re buying contains only ingredients that could be made in a home kitchen with whole ingredients, it’s okay. This rules out artificial colors and flavors, preservatives and high fructose corn syrup, for starters. It’s a great way to jump start a change in your family diet, if you’ve been contemplating a switch to real foods, or just follow along for a ton of great information and recipe ideas. And, as part of the real food love fest, founder Andrew Wilder declared today International Kale Day. Kale is a superfood packed with fiber, antioxidants and vitamins A, C and K, and most of us could stand to eat a little more of it.
Like the classic lemon-parmesan version, making this apple kale salad begins by massaging kale with salt. (Kids love to help with this step.) Let it stand while chopping the apple and nuts, and whisk together a quick dressing of maple syrup, apple cider vinegar and olive oil. Toss it all together and let it sit while you finish up the rest of dinner. The salt and dressing help tenderize the kale, and the finished salad is simple and full of fresh fall flavors. (Credit is due to my friend Jill, who first turned me on to the apple-kale combination.)
Recipe: Apple Cranberry Kale Salad
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
- 1 bunch kale, rinsed, drained and chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 apple, cored and chopped
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup pecans, chopped
Dressing:
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- pinch black pepper, optional
Instructions:
1. Place kale in a large bowl and sprinkle with salt. Massage salt into kale for two minutes.
2. Whisk together maple syrup, apple cider vinegar and olive oil (and pepper, if using–I usually add to the adults’ salads later). Add apples, cranberries and pecans to kale, add dress and toss gently to combine. Let stand 5 to 15 minutes before serving.
Check out the link round-up for more kale inspiration — and feel free to add a link of your own. Happy Kale Day!
