Kale - Love it or Hate it? I think i LOVE...

Before reading The Kind Diet I rarely tried new veggies but now I love so many of the ones I used to despise, namely cucumber, mushrooms, brussel sprouts, red onion and KALE, especially kale.We went to Whole Foods this weekend and I decided I needed to try something that scared me and stumbled upon a whole lotta kale and figured 'what the hell?' 

Kale is a great veggie to add to your shopping list because it has a crazy amount of nutrients, high levels of anti-inflammatory agents and cancer fighting power; it is chock full of fiber and calcium (a huge plus for me!) and when prepared alongside the right ingredients it's pretty freaking delicious. In my research, I also learned that this superfood is great for people fighting diabetes because it helps maintain normal blood sugar levels and it also can help lower (the bad) LDL Cholestorol. So, it's basically something we should all incorporate in our meals as much as possible.

We tried the following recipe adapted from Oh She Glows - one of my fave blogs - and it was DELICIOUS - the ingredients compliment each other so well, even my meat-eating hubby was raving about it! The key to this is to massage the dressing into the kale leaves so you don't get the usual bitter kale taste ... Enjoy!
Note: This recipe could have been vegan-proof but I wasn't able to find the key ingredient in the Tahini Lemon dressing so I went store bought and this is now a good 'flirt' dish. You can find the vegan version on Oh She Glows.

What You'll Need: (use however much you like of each - i'm not big on measurements)
-  Cucumber
- Tomatoes
- Red Onion
- Kale (duh)
- Cranberries
- Carrots
- Avocado 
- Walnuts
- Red Pepper
- A yummy dressing.  We used *Annie's Goddess Dressing and it was delish!


You'll want to prep the kale - pull off the bushy parts from the stems (the stems are super bitter) and rinse in a collander. Let sit. Cut all your veggies. 

You'll want to marinate your kale in the dressing - mix it in and massage it into the kale. Add your veggies and put the salad in the fridge for 10-15min. After the salad sits for a bit toss in the walnuts and cranberries and eat!

  
This salad is a great side to any meal and it can be a meal in and of itself. It's also a great salad to make for parties or large groups.. I will definitely make this again, and again ... i'm thinking with tofu & quinoa next time - YUM!

*A note about Annie's products - if you're looking to add more organic & vegan friendly items do your diet they carry a bunch of yummy options ... click here to browse.