Oh Kale!

This past year has been a whirlwind.  My husband and I spent 10 week over the past year living in the hospital while I went through part of a clinical trial and IL2 treatments.  Through it all we tried to stay on top of our eating, but when you feel nauseated sometimes you just have to eat those mashed potatoes.  Well I am happy to say I am done with my address being the Cancer Center's.

We eat NSNG (no sugar no grain) for the most past I should say. Basically it's a high fat diet, focusing on a lot of veggies! Yes, I have read the reports about these types of eating plans, but I'm on borrowed time already so I'm not too worried.  Sorry that dark humor escapes me most days.  My hubs can just program his mind to do something and boom he's in the zone and of course looses 5lbs to my 1lb All. The. Time.  But, it's more about being healthy.  I thought along with my clothes and shoe finds I would sprinkle in a little bit of our life in the mix.

This recipe is a take on the classic Caesar and is adapted from Jean-Georges Vongerichten's kale salad.  I love it, because the dressing is crisp and tangy with lemon and garlic (plus 2 cups of Parmesan doesn't hurt.)  It's a dense dressing, but one that will soften the tough kale.  And finally the best couple award goes to sliced jalapenos and mint that is sprinkled throughout the salad.

Ingredients:

• The zest and juice of 2 lemons
• 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
• One clove of garlic minced
• 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 Egg Yolk
• 1/4 Teaspoon red chili flakes
• 2 Cups grated Parmesan
• 1 1/4 Cups extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt & ground black pepper
• 1 Cup sliced mint leaves
• 1 Sliced jalapeno
• 1 Bunch of kale with ribs removed                                                                                                    and sliced into bit size pieces

Directions:

Slice the jalapeno into thin slices.  Julienne the mint leaves, aka slice them.  Set both aside.  Remove the ribs from kale and slice into "ribbons" or as normal people call it bite size pieces.  Whatever amount of kale you want to put on your fork in your mouth. Put kale into mixing/large salad bowl.

Use a food processor to blend ingredients for the dressing.  Combine lemon zest & juice, red wine vinegar, minced garlic clove, egg yolk, chili flakes and grated Parmesan in food processor.  Mix together and with the processor and slowly drizzle in the olive oil.  After all of it is combined, season the dressing to taste with salt and pepper.

We use all of the dressing on one bunch of the kale, but you can dress to taste.  Then mix in the jalapenos and mint and you have yourself a delicious and filling salad.  I also love this salad, because the kale can stand up to this dressing and unlike other dressed salads I will refrigerate the leftovers and eat them the next day.  I don't have a slimy mess, but the flavors have had time to become even more pronounced.  Enjoy!!  xoxo-Allie