My Favorite Massaged Kale Salad

My favorite massaged kale salad is the perfect side kick for any autumn meal: it’s quick, ultra umami, and satisfying.

This salad was born out of two experiences: First, my love for everything that Seed To Sprout offers (my favorite restaurant locally), including their massaged kale salad with nutritional yeast. I’ve been trying to decode the recipe for some time, and although it’s not the same (it’s never the same!) this is equally good.

The second experience was when my friend and chef Laura visited and brought me a salad that was marinated in loads of lemon and garlic, nutritional yeast, and added in the sweet crunch of carrots which I’ve since fallen in love with adding to this salad. This kale salad has been my standby recipe that I make on a weekly basis, because I know it’s delicious and filling every time. I never get tired of it!

Which Kale Works Best?

There are many varieties of kale that are worth their weight in nutrition, each with their own texture and utility. However in this recipe, I opt for curly green, curly purple, or Dinosaur kale (called lacinato kale). They tend to carry the marinade better because of all their nooks and crannies, where flat kale does not.

Proper Preparation for Kale

Kale tends to be crunchy, fibrous and sometimes difficult to eat (imagine lots of chewing), and so it needs to be prepared in a specific way to soften it. There are different compounds that soften kale: acid (lemon, vinegar), salt (it’s abrasive and breaks down the cell wall) and a fat (oil or avocado). This recipe has all three of these compounds to help soften it and make it absolutely delicious too.

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Recipe For My Favorite Massaged Kale Salad

• 1/2 head torn Dinosaur kale (or curly kale)
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• drizzle of good olive oil
• pinch salt (or two)
• 2-3 tablespoons nutritional yeast (I like this one and this one)
• One carrot, cut into small batons

First, prepare the kale. Hold the stem with one hand and then use your other hand to pull the leaf off (it should come off easily). Alternatively, cut the stem out. Add the kale to a bowl, and tear the leaves so they’re relatively all bite sized.

Next, add in the salt, lemon and oil and massage for about 20 seconds with your hands. This should wilt the kale and make it very soft.

Lastly, add in the carrot and 2 tablespoons of the nutritional yeast to the salad, and gently toss. Serve and add one more tablespoon nutritional yeast on the top.

This salad pairs well with:

• Tempeh
• Beans
• A hearty lentil soup
• Roasted autumn veggies

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