Massaged Kale Salad (Edit recipe)

Let’s talk kale. Kale has become as ubiquitous a health buzz word over the past several years – it’s like the “fat free” of the 90s. It’s everywhere. We’ve moved beyond kale as a weird garnish on your dinner plate through the world of kale smoothies and kale chips and into a new kale culture, include kale cocktails, kale sweatshirts and a buzzfeed list of the extreme kale fad – plus it’s the go-to punchline for comedians talking about healthy eating. It’s a “superfood” among newly anointed fellow nutrient power packed foods. But it’s not something many enjoy eating. It can be tough, bitter and off-putting to some. Your own family members or friends might have the “ugh, kale?!” reaction or maybe even you do! One of the best ways I’ve found to eat kale (besides braising it southern-style with bacon) is as a massaged kale salad. When you massage kale, it breaks down. Softening to a point where it’s almost like it’s been cooked! It’s a pretty cool. You just have to add a little salt to help the process and then dig in (literally) with both hands. It takes a few minutes, but once you get them going, you’ll soon find yourself with a great new salad base. We’ve added tons of texture to the massaged kale salad, adding in the dried cranberries (we love Steve’s Club ones, they’re sweetened with fruit juice!), pecans and luscious avocado all tossed together with an easy Honey Mustard Vinaigrette. This is a great side salad to compliment your dinner or make it into an entree sized salad for two by adding protein such as a baked salmon fillet on top! I hope all those kale-haters in your life enjoy this salad as much as we do! Let us know in the comments!