Kale Salad with Grapes and Poppy Seed Dressing

In May 2014, a friend and amazing osteopathic manual practitioner, Catherine Cabral-Marotta and I hosted a wellness retreat, Be Well, Live Deliciously.  It was a beautiful day at the Ecology Retreat Centre in Mono for 20 of us where we ate well, laughed, did yoga (thanks to my sister Angela!), got massages by the wonderful Helene Roby, and ultimately disconnected and reflected on our health.  This was one of the salads I made for the day.

Kale is an anti-inflammatory superfood and also a cruciferous veggie! Kale is extremely high in beta-carotene, an antoxidant that the body can turn into vitamin A, which is an important vitamin for the immune system! The avocado in this salad is a healthy monounsaturated fat that is anti-inflammatory.

For the massaged kale:

1 bunch kale (ideally dinosaur kale), stemmed and sliced into ribbons
juice of 1 lemon

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
pinch of sea salt

1 ripe avocado
¼ cup toasted pine nuts
Handfuls each of green and red grapes, sliced in half.

1. In a large bowl, dress kale with lemon juice and olive oil onto kale leaves and add a pinch or two of sea salt. Roll up your sleeves and massage kale until it’s deep dark green, soft, and tender, 2 to 3 minutes.

2. Once you’ve massaged your kale, add the remaining salad ingredients.

Poppy Seed Dressing

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

½ shallot, diced

1 Tablespoon poppy seeds

Pinch sea salt

1 teaspoon raw unpasteurized honey

1. Whisk all ingredients together. Pour on prepared kale salad and enjoy!

Also in Sides & Salads