"Kale Mary" Salad w/ Pomegranate Seeds, Pine Nuts, Parmesan & Lemon Olive Oil Dressing

Switching my usual order at the Book Passage Cafe to the new "Kale Mary" salad must have been divine intervention.

"It's my favorite salad," said the woman who took my order. "Wow, that looks good," said the woman at the table next to me. She took a taste before I started, and we tried to figure out the ingredients.

A quick google search at home brought up "Lemon Olive Oil Dressing" from Leah's Kitchen, and another site described how important it was to massage the kale.

So here is a recipe for only the second "5+" rating on My Paleo Marin. The salad was as good as, if not better than, the one at the cafe (maybe due to fresh lemon juice and better cheese?). But a thankful nod to the Book Passage chef ~ out of all the recipes for kale salad, his palette definitely deserves a “Hallelujah!"

My Paleo Marin Rating: 5+

Ingredients:

Dressing:

1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 cup good quality extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup freshly-squeezed organic lemon juice
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar, preferably Napa Valley Organic Red Wine Vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard, preferably Edmond Fallet Dijon Mustard
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Salad:

1 large bunch of curly green kale, stem removed, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 cup pomegranate seeds
1 cup parmesan cheese, grated (omit for vegan or paleo)
1 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted in a large frying pan over low heat

Directions:

Dressing:

1. With a mortar and pestle, make a paste of the minced garlic and salt. Set aside.

2. In a mason jar, add together the olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, mustard and sugar. Cover tightly and shake to mix well. Add the garlic and salt paste, and shake again to combine all ingredients. Taste for personal preference. Dressing is tart so adjust accordingly.

Salad:

1. In a very large bowl, add the prepared kale pieces. Shake the dressing, and pour about 1/2 over the greens. Toss, and then massage the greens with your hands for several minutes, until they start to “soften.”

2. Add the pomegranate seeds, grated cheese and toasted pine nuts. Toss well to combine. Taste for salt and amount of dressing. Add freshly ground pepper if desired.

Serve as a side or main course. Store leftover salad and extra dressing separately in covered containers in fridge.

#paleo-inspired #kale #salad #pomegranates #pinenuts #glutenfree #healthyeats #raw #vegan #paleo

My Paleo Marin Rating 1-5 Persimmons

I try out these recipes so you don't have to (and modify them for Paleo where possible). The rating will reflect my opinion of the final result in terms of taste, ease of preparation, nutrition, and sometimes, cost.