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~ raw, vegan, gluten-free, nut-free ~
In this recipe, magic happens! But before I get into that let’s acknowledge that this salad is packed with some dense nutrients. These particular greens are as green as green gets when it comes to veggies. And dark green veggies are packed full of goodness.
But, as exciting as that news may be, not everyone enjoys them because they are tougher, more bitter and very fibrous to eat. I am surprised as to how many people I know have never eaten any of these three greens that I have listed in the recipe. Granted they are not the most palatable of greens so this makes it a win.
So how do we make these three greens more appealing? There are several techniques within this recipe that will transform these tough, bitter greens into a wonderful salad. First, one of the main keys in how you cut the greens. Trust me, this makes a huge difference.
In French this means “made of rags,” so slicing a food into very thin strips is known as a chiffonade. Lining up the leaves of greens and slicing across yielding long thin strips is a chiffonade. This is also done with herbs, such as basil or mint, by stacking the leaves, rolling them up in a tube and cutting across the roll into ribbons. This method is useful for softening tougher greens like kale and chard, which can be hard to chew when left in bigger pieces.
Wait a minute… I want a massage?! Massaging greens breaks down the tough cellular walls which makes it easier to chew and for our digestion to break it down. With the leaves chiffonaded, we now want to sprinkle them with salt and lemon juice. The salt draws water out from the greens (softens them), and the acid in the lemon juice also breaks down the cellular wall (soften them). So as you can see, just a few simple steps can make all the difference in how this dish will be received.
Ingredients:
Awesome, I just bought some Kale salad at whole foods for 8 bucks I could make so much more at home. thanks for the tips
Your welcome Petrina!
We’ve grown all three greens in our class garden. We’re having a salad preparing party tomorrow. Your site will make a great visual aide for 80 first and third graders. Thanks from Miami!
OH my gosh Beth… that brought tears to my eyes!! How awesome! You are planting great seeds in the hearts of these young ones. I would love to hear how it went if you have the time. Blessings, amie sue
Hi Amie-Sue!
I am glad to have found this website as I am looking for raw ways to prepare more greens since I’m starting out eating more raw as a vegan. I just went to buy ingredients for this, but I’m not sure if I made a mistake. When you said “head”, I took that to mean a bunch. I have 2 bunches of kale, 1 bunch of swiss chard, and 1 bunch of mustard greens…it is a lot of greens! By head…did you mean one stem leaf or did I do this right?
Also, at the end of the directions you said to save adding in the avocado and pine nuts for last, but pine nuts aren’t in the ingredients. Did you mean cherry tomatoes? Can we use another vegetable instead probably?
Thanks so much!
Blessings,
Daina
Welcome Daina! I am glad that you stumbled upon my site. I hope it brings you great inspiration!
A head = a bunch. It is a LOT of greens but trust me after you massage it down, it will shrink to 1/3-1/2 of the amount. :)
Yes, I meant cherry tomatoes. I fixed it. Thank you pointing that out. You could easily add other veggies. Create it to fit your taste buds and ingredients on hand! Have a blessed evening, amie sue
Thank you! :-)
Thank you Amie, for your wonderful wedsite and to see that your following God`s Health plan from His word the bible.Danile 1:12 and much more from His word, God bless you Joan.
Thank you Joan! No better plan to follow. :) Have a wonderful evening, amie sue
Thank you Amie for the whole site. Couple days ago I stopped at the farm next to my house to buy some greens and I got some fresh curly kale and Swiss chard. I got home and googled salad recipe with kale and Swiss chard and I luckily picked yours and tried it. Both my husband and 15 years old daughter loved it and asked for it again yesterday and today. I loved it and I just wanted you to know that you are doing a wonderful job in this site. Can’t wait to try more recipes. God bless your heart Amie!
Thank you so much Koubess. It means so much to me to hear from those who visit my site. And always thrilled to hear that the recipes are being enjoyed. This salad is perfect for those Farmer Market finds! Thanks for posting and keep in touch. Blessings and joy, amie sue