Massage Your Kale

Kale leaves can be a bit tough eaten raw, so if you want to have kale in a salad, I know it sounds strange, but you need to massage the dressing into the leaves. Disposable plastic gloves come in really handy for this procedure.

Kale Salad—Japanese Style
1 bunch kale
¼ cup white miso paste
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1 T mild hot sauce
3 medium radishes, thinly sliced

1. Remove the thick stems and ribs from the kale and discard them; cut the leaves into bite-size pieces.

2. Put the miso, olive oil, lemon juice, and hot sauce in a medium salad bowl and whisk together until smooth. Add the kale and massage the leaves to combine. Let the salad sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. Toss in the sliced radishes just before serving.

It's trendy to add cranberries and walnuts and/or feta or goat cheese to a salad. Massage kale leaves with any purchased vinaigrette dressing, or make your own with 3 parts salad oil and 1 part vinegar and a bit of Dijon mustard, sugar and lemon juice. After massaging, the kale leaves that is, toss in the dried cranberries and chopped walnuts and cheese as desired.