Kale has been steadily increasing in popularity over the past few years. I tried it awhile back after reading a magazine article which gushed about how wonderful oven baked kale chips were. (And they are wonderful. I have a recipe for them here.)

Since then, I’ve regularly added kale to soups and salads and cooked it up as a hearty, but healthy green side dish.

One of my favorite ways to serve kale is in a Massaged Kale Salad. It always fascinates me how a brief rubbing of oil renders bitter, slightly tough kale leaves into a bowl of silky, sweet dark leaves. The addition of crunchy vegetables makes this salad even more fresh tasting. I’m planning on adding pomegranate seeds the next time to make it a more Christmasy looking dish.

Massaged Kale Salad

Ingredients:

4 cups torn kale leaves, stems removed
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1 tsp maple syrup
Sea salt and pepper, to taste

Vegetables:
1 radish, thinly sliced into rounds
1/2 avocado, chopped
1/2 English cucumber, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1/3 cup red onion, chopped

Directions:

1. Place kale in a large bowl and drizzle on the oil, lemon, and maple syrup. With your hands, massage the kale until all leaves are coated with oil mixture. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper.

2. While the kale marinates, prepare the vegetables. Mix into kale and serve.

Serves 2

Recipe slightly adapted from Oh She Glows

Austin-based band The Black And White Years have a new album titled ‘Strange Figurines’ coming out in January.

“Little One” is full of electronic goodness. I love the catchy beat.

Check out The Black And White Years on Facebook and Bandcamp, where you can learn of upcoming gigs in Texas. The new album can be pre-ordered here.

Cheers!