Did you know you could massage your food?
Yes, it’s true!
I first learned of this technique several years ago, when I was new to eating kale salads – or kale anything, for that matter.
What intrigued me, was how infinitely more tender this salad was, than the kale salads I typically made at home.
I happened to be dining at one of my favorite gluten-free restaurants – Posana Cafe in Asheville, NC. (Yes, this is a long way from home, but it’s worth the trip, in my opinion since their Kale Salad is the absolute best).
But what had the restaurant done to make the salad so tasty?
Before too long, I learned about “massaging” your greens, and quickly realized this was the exact same process the restaurant had used to perfect their kale salad.
The sky’s the limit here, by the way – you’re not limited to kale.
Just about any greens can be massaged – chard, spinach, collards, arugula, lettuce – you name it.
Why the focus on Greens?
Kale, spinach, swiss chard and the like are the basis for a healthy, well-rounded diet.
Not only do leafy greens add necessary fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants – they are also considered essential to reducing the risk of cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis and other age-related illnesses.
Add the fact that they’re naturally gluten-free, and you’d be doing yourself a disservice not to include some of these leafy greens on a daily basis.
I’m still fairly new, to introducing some of these nutritional powerhouses into my diet – being a strictly lettuce and spinach kind of gal for the longest time.
Until I decided to expand my horizons.
And the height of summer is really the perfect time to do this, when you can load up on kale and other vegetables at your local Farmer’s Market.
At first, I played with the original recipe which called for lemon juice, a little salt and olive oil, sunflower seeds and currants, adding chopped avocado or pumpkin seeds or whatever my mood dictated – but I still knew nothing about massaging my greens.
That came later.
What happens when you try this simple technique, is that it reduces any bitterness, and has the effect of wilting the greens, so they appear to be cooked without applying any heat.
The end result is a tender leaf, still raw and slightly chewy.
I suppose you could describe this as taking the edge off the “raw”.
Blanching has the same effect, by the way.
But massaging your greens is a little different from blanching, because it requires you to get your hands dirty, and – yes – play with your food.
Think you can handle it?
MASSAGED KALE SALAD
Per serving:
3 cups chopped Kale*
½ Tbsp Olive Oil
½ Lemon
1/8 tsp Sea Salt
Sunflower or Pumpkin seeds
Avocado, chopped
*To prepare the kale: Thoroughly wash the leaves under running water & dry in a clean dish towel or paper towels. Remove the center rib. (An easy way to do this is to hold the leaf in one hand & simply run your hand down the stalk, pulling off the leaves in the process).
Stack the kale on a cutting board, and slice. Don’t worry if it looks more chopped than sliced – it won’t make any difference to the final recipe.
For the Salad: Pile the chopped, or sliced, kale on a plate. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Squeeze the juice from the lemon directly onto the greens, being careful to catch any seeds.
Now for the fun part: with clean, bare hands (or tongs, if you must) massage the greens thoroughly between your fingers – as if you’re kneading bread – until they are glistening & wilted. They will look as if they’ve been cooked – a process that takes all of 30 seconds, or so.
Sprinkle with your choice of sunflower or pumpkin seeds, and add the chopped avocado.
Enjoy!
NOTE: If you’re digestion seems a little more compromised, you might want to hold off on the raw salads for the time being and blend your kale and other greens into a smoothie, or consider juicing.
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