The World's Most Refreshing Kale Salad

Ok, don't fall over in shock or anything, but I actually have a brand new recipe. It's been a kind of long hiatus- I was busy, I made some stuff that was good that I didn't take pictures of, some stuff that I took pictures of but that wasn't good, and some stuff that I was to lazy to post. Somehow all of the snow this winter put me into some kind of coma. Charlotte loved it. So, now, let's just forget about all that and get back on track.

At this point, it is thisclose to being April, and it is STILL cold around here. I have had soup, and stew, and things made in the slow cooker and I am sick of it  all! So today I decided that I can't be forced to comply with this madness, and I'm just going to go right on ahead and eat as much summery food as I want.

Exhibit A.

My Mom used to make this really good salad when we had enchiladas, with avocado, and grapefruit, and red onions. This is sort of a riff on that, and I must admit, avocados would be the icing on the cake.

Ingredients:

-kale (4 cups, when it has been cut)

-1 pink grapefruit, supremed

-a smidge of red onion, sliced thin (less than a quarter of a small one)

-2/3 can of garbanzo beans

-1 small red pepper, julienned

-1/8c chopped cilantro

-1 tbsp olive oil

- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar or citrus juice

-1/8 tsp salt

-1/8 tsp pepper

-1/8 tsp cumin 

-queso fresco (which I used) or avocado, crumbled or chopped depending which one

What to do with them:

Kale- when I make a kale salad, I like to cut it in very thin strips. I take out the pieces of rib that are by themselves but if they're attached to a leaf then I leave it (hey, fiber). Then I "massage" it which is less exciting than it sounds. Basically, grab it in your hands, almost like kneading bread, just to sort of soften it. It really makes the end product so much more appealing. Then, chop the pepper and cilantro

Garbanzo beans- you're not cooking these or doing anything so really wash them super well so that they don't have any of the slimy broth from the can.

Grapefruit- you're going to need to "supreme" the grapefruit. You have to slice off the peel, including the white pith. Then, very carefully slice along the membrane that separates the sections, so that you have a little section of just the inside part of the section. Go along for each one, and do that. This website has really good instructions http://chefinyou.com/2010/01/how-to-supreme-fruits/

Dressing- mix the oil, vinegar, and spices. It is not a ton, but the grapefruit also makes liquid that contributes to the salad.

Combine it all....

Toss, and serve! It's really good- the grapefruit just bursts in your mouth, it really is the most refreshing salad in the world! In the queso fresco vs avocado debate, it's worth pointing out that taking the avocado choice is the obvious way to veganize it.

One of the reasons I'm so into kale salad is that it's one of the few salads I can think of (involving actual greens) that stands up in the fridge for leftovers. Tonight I had it with some leftover arroz con pollo but tomorrow, this is lunch!