1 bunch of kale, stems removed & roughly chopped
1/2 tsp pure salt
1 cup grape tomatoes (more or less) (can slice them in 1/2 or leave whole)
1/4 cup hemp seeds
For the Dressing:
1 avocado (or substitute tahini)
1/2 of a chipotle pepper (see notes below)
2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
1 TBSP lemon juice
1/2 TBSP honey (or a drop or 2 of liquid stevia)
- Place kale into a large bowl, add salt and start to “massage” the kale until it wilts and takes on a cooked texture.
- Add the tomatoes and hemp seeds to the bowl and mix.
- Blend all dressing ingredients in a high-speed blender (or food processor) until creamy and mix into kale.
Serves 1 or 2.
______________________________________________________________________________________
SIDE NOTES:
~ Adapted from http://therawchef.blogs.com/russell_james/2006/11/wilted_kale_sal.html. I have scaled the recipe down as I don’t think anyone making this for the first time wants to make such a large quantity (I didn’t anyway). I think the only thing I changed was the salt. I found it too salty, so reduced it a bit (though the salt is what gives the kale its good texture so don’t eliminate it completely). You can play around & see what works for you. At any rate, this is DEFINITELY worth a try as it is sooooooo good.
~ Hemp seeds are one of the few vegetarian ‘complete’ protein sources. They contain all of the essential amino acids. They are tasty, and surprisingly for their size, soft & chewable (as opposed to sesame, flax & poppy seeds that are hard & difficult to break down by chewing).
Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Egg Free, Nut Free, Sugar Free, Grain Free, Vegan, RawIf eating sugar free, use stevia instead of honey. If eating strictly raw, substitute a mixture of cumin, chili powder, garlic powder and unpasteurized soy sauce for the chipotle peppers.
~ Chipotle peppers are smoked, dried jalapenos. You can find them in the produce section of your regular grocery store. Would be in a plastic bag, probably hanging on the side of a display with other dried peppers & similar items. The first few times I made this recipe I mistakenly used canned chipotles in adobo sauce (as I couldn’t find the dry ones). Don’t do that, as the adobo sauce changes the recipe for the worse. I finally just asked my produce guy & he pointed out where the dried ones were (I had passed by them a million times but somehow never noticed them). If you can’t find them substitute a mixture of onion powder, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder and tamari to help replicate that smokey flavor.
Pictured below: Chipotle peppers and hemp seeds