Kale, that darling of the produce section, stars in this riff on a Caesar salad. The bold dressing doesn’t have egg yet derives much creaminess from the Dijon and olive oil. The notes of lemon give the dressing brightness. Don’t worry that you think you don’t like anchovies. They are perfectly balanced by the other ingredients.

Kale Caesar Salad

Ingredients:

Extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch of red pepper flakes
2 slices day-old Italian bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for topping
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 anchovy fillets
2 shakes Worcestershire sauce
1 bunch kale, stems removed, leaves cut into ribbons

Directions:

1. Coat a large sauté pan with olive oil. Add half of the garlic and the red pepper flakes and bring the pan to medium heat. Cook until garlic is aromatic, about 1 minute. Toss in the bread cubes and cook, stirring frequently, until golden and have absorbed all the oil. Remove from the heat and reserve.

2. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the Parmesan, lemon zest and juice, the remaining garlic, mustard, anchovies and Worcestershire sauce. Purée until smooth. With the machine running, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup olive oil through the feed tube and process another 10 to 15 seconds.

3. In a large bowl, toss the kale with the croutons and two-thirds of the dressing. Let the kale sit 3 to 4 minutes to soften. Toss to combine then sprinkle with more cheese.

Serves 4

Recipe courtesy of Anne Burrell for Food Network Magazine

If I had any photoshop chops I would have had THØSS offering up some kale instead of Ryan.

THØSS, the easy on the eyes guy above, released his debut EP ‘Benchwarmer’ in June. It’s a collection of 4 tunes that highlight his smooth voice over some solid, catchy songs. I adore opening track “IWITW” but felt “The Meter” captures that summer tune kind of feel that I crave this time of year.

Check out THØSS on Facebook. You can buy his music here.

Cheers!