Massaged Kale Salad w/ Farro & Orange
Massaged Kale Salad w/ Farro & Orange
The trick to really enjoying kale raw is to give it a good massage first. Just like us it relaxes! The leaves become tender and have a more pleasant chew. It also makes the kale less bitter and easier to digest. Once your kale has been massaged with a bit of olive oil and lemon juice, adding in a variety of flavors and textures really rounds out a great salad. This one has chickpeas for plant protein, farro which provides a nice texture, salty olives and refreshing orange segments. The entire salad is tossed with a mild and quite lovely orange vinaigrette.
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 small bunch curly Kale, stems removed
15.5 oz (439g) Chickpeas or Garbanzo Beans, rinsed and drained
1 Orange, segmented (Cara Cara, Blood or Navel)
1 1/2 cups (350g) cooked Farro
1/3 cup (75g) chopped Kalamata olives
1/3 cup (35g)chopped Red Onion
2 tsp (10ml) Olive Oil
Juice from half a Lemon
Orange Vinaigrette
1 tsp (3g) Orange Zest
1 Orange, juiced
1/3 cup (79ml) good Olive Oil
1 1/2 tsp (7g) Dijon Mustard
1 tsp (5g) Rice Vinegar
2 tsp (10ml) Vegan Honey or Maple Syrup
1/2 tsp (2.5g) dried Thyme
1/4 tsp Salt & Pepper to taste
Note
To cut an orange into segments: use a small sharp knife to cut away all of the outer peel and white pith leaving behind the exposed fruit. Hold the orange in one hand over a bowl or plate (the orange will be juicy) and gently cut in between the thin membrane of the segments. The orange segment will easily slide out. Repeat until all segments have been cut out. Cut away any remaining membrane. Cut each segment in half.
Directions
1.Make the dressing by adding the dijon mustard, orange juice, orange zest, rice vinegar, vegan honey, olive oil, thyme and salt & pepper to taste to a lidded jar. Mix well until emulsified (blended) and set aside.
2.Strip the kale leaves by running your fingers down the stem. Give the leaves a good chop. Wash and dry the leaves and add them to a large bowl.
3.Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice and massage the kale by picking up handfuls at a time and squeezing the leaves and then by rubbing the leaves between your fingers. Repeat this a few times making sure to get all of the leaves.
4.To the kale, add the chickpeas, orange segments, cooked farro, chopped olives and chopped red onion. Pour over the desired amount of dressing and toss well.
5.Serve as a meal or as a side and enjoy!
