12 Kale Salads that Prove Kale is Here to Stay

Thanks for having me as an admirer of your cooking and styles and taste.Both My Husband and I cook. I must say I am more of Caribbean Style Cook and he is an experimenter. Either way , we both love eating good food as much as we can . And I must add we love kale . grew some last year and will again . I will also try some of the recipes listed .

Northern Spy's kale salad is still the best. It's simple and easy, but magnificent.

You said it, sista – because classic never goes out of style!! Your tone in this article had me laughing Looks yummy, I may have to venture deeper into the kale world. Intriguing insights from Lynne, too!

ALL HAIL THE MIGHTY KALE, or Kale to the Yeah!
heh

I bet a little crispy pancetta paired with a soft cheese and/or some peaches would be yummy too with (blanched!) kale.

Okay. How come, except for the recipe with anchovies, none of these have ANY meat in them? Spanish chorizo or some good smoked ham, browned bacon lardons or even turkey, smoked or not, rock in combination with raw kale.

Much as I like the taste and crunch of raw kale, it's not good for you when eaten raw. According to Oregon State U Micronutrient Info site: "Very high intakes of cruciferous vegetables…have been found to cause hypothyroidism... Two mechanisms have been identified to explain this effect. The hydrolysis of some glucosinolates found in cruciferous vegetables (e.g., progoitrin) may yield a compound known as goitrin, which has been found to interfere with thyroid hormone synthesis. The hydrolysis of another class of glucosinolates, known as indole glucosinolates, results in the release of thiocyanate ions, which can compete with iodine for uptake by the thyroid gland. " See also, Jeffrey Steingarten, The Man Who Ate Everything, Chapter "Salad: The Silent Killer" for an explanation of why raw veggies have toxins and raw fruits do not. Steingarten argues that vegetables have evolved a “complex system of chemical warfare” over time to stave off predators. Most of these defense mechanisms are thwarted with the simple act of cooking. He goes on to say:

"Generally speaking, there are four categories of chemical weaponry the salad deploys against its human predators: nutrition blockers, toxins, mutagens (which alter genetic material), and carcinogens (p. 178)."

Buy the book or check it out from your local library to read the full story. Steingarten makes a strong case against raw spinach - which was the IT veg when the book was written.

"Nutrition blockers are chemicals that bind with some desirable vitamin or mineral and prevent your intestines from absorbing it. My favorite is the oxalic acid in raw spinach, a vegetable exalted for its high content of calcium and iron. Oxalic acid, it seems, forms an insoluble complex with calcium and iron—not only the calcium and iron in the spinach itself but other sources of them as well—and renders uncooked spinach a non-nutritious green (p. 179)."

My solution to Kale salads is a quick steam in my pressure cooker (like 1-2 minutes), but blanching in hot water briefly may do the trick. I always blanch my cabbage for 1-2 minutes before making coleslaw too.

Just thought I'd weight in...

Truly, there can never be too much kale! Here's my recipe:
http://gathering-flavors.com/2013/12/03/winter-greens-salad-with-kale-tahini-and-lime/

I love how you use Kale in this - we use it with Citrus fruits, Gorgonzola and Walnuts: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ey5usZmw5Y

This is one of my favorites and is now the most requested by friends for holidays and get togethers. http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/kale-and-brussels-sprout-salad

I cannot stop making this Kale salad: http://eat-drink-garden.com/2013/10/autumn-kale-salad-vegan/
I even added some julienned persimmons and it added phenomenal color and a lil sweet crunch.

I love this kale salad: http://food52.com/recipes/1558-tuscan-kale-salad-with-currants-pecans-in-a-resonant-dressing. I have made it many times now and with so many variations (fresh pomegranate seeds instead of the raisons are our favorite). We have a raised bed devoted to lacitano kale, just to keep up with the demand for this salad! These others look good too, so I may have to expand our kale horizons.