Kale salad with apple, brussels sprouts and pistachios.
Continuing with the salad series from the last post. I have been trying to eat clean at least for lunch or once a day. The morning green smoothie or juice followed by another small breakfast of oatmeal or granola and coconut milk. Followed by a hearty soup and/or salad for lunch is a great start to a half day at least.
In hindsight, I should probably experiment with a heavier lunch and maybe a lighter dinner and switch things around a bit. Two consecutive days of just a salad for lunch gave me a slight headache but then again it could be that I was detoxing:). Well, I switched things around this week and am feeling much much better. So keeping the heavier meals for the mornings and going lighter as the day unfolds seems to work for me. It’s amazing how the head feels much clearer as the food gets cleaner – the mind, body, soul connection is not a bunch of hogwash, for the non-believers out there. You are what you eat.
I got this tangy kale salad recipe from Epicurious, but modified it a bit to suit what I had in my pantry and fridge of course. I LOVE what massaging kale with citrus does to it’s taste and texture. I know I have gushed about kale before but it’s truly a wholesome, leafy green bar none. My most favorite leaf out there. Ok I’m done.
Recipe:
- 2/3 cup pistachios, roasted for 15 seconds in the microwave
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from 1 large lemon)
- 2 tbsp spicy or Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp finely chopped shallot (about 1 medium)
- 1 tbsp raw honey
- 1 small garlic clove, finely grated
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 pound kale, stems removed and thinly sliced
- 3/4 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed, thinly sliced
- 1/4 log of goat cheese
- Bread crumbs
- 1 crisp Fuji apple cut into matchsticks
- 6 radishes, halved, thinly sliced (optional)
Method:
- Microwave the pistachios for 15-20 seconds until crisp.
- Whisk lemon juice, mustard, shallot, garlic, 1 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper, 1 tbsp honey in a medium bowl. Add olive oil in a slow, steady stream. Set aside.
- Mix together kale and Brussels sprouts in a large mixing bowl. Add about 3/4 of the dressing, and use your hands to massage dressing into greens. Taste and add more dressing as needed (you may not need all of it). Reserve any leftover dressing for another use.
- Meanwhile slice about 1 inch thick slice of goat cheese, roll in bread crumbs and saute this in a skillet with a little olive oil, until the slice turns a light golden brown.
- Add the apple, and half of the radishes; toss together to combine, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a serving bowl, and top with nuts and remaining radishes.
To serve, add the kale salad in a bowl or plate and top with the crusted warm goat cheese rounds. Enjoy!