Before my older son leaves for college, I want to equip him with as many dorm-friendly, delicious, and nutritious recipes, like my easy garlicky potato salad, simple cucumber dill salad, and this steamed kale salad. The request for easy recipes came from him (I patted myself on the shoulder).
Raw versus cooked kale:
Raw kale is edible, but I don’t recommend to eat it raw because it’s hard to digest. I always tell my boys, “What’s hard to chew is hard to digest.” If we had four stomachs like cows, it would be a different story, but we don’t. If you don’t want to cook it, slice it finely and massage it with olive oil and salt to soften it.
Unless you’re slow-cooking the kale in a stew or soup, always remove its tough spine. To do so:
- Fold the kale in half lengthwise, with the stem on the outside, put it on a cutting board, and cut it with a sharp knife or scissors.
- Hold the stem at the bottom and pull the leaf with your fingers. (See video below for demonstration.)
For a creamier dressing, soak the cashews for two hours or overnight before blending. We have an extra blender but I decided it would be easier for him to use and clean—therefore more appealing— a small blender such as a Magic Bullet or Ninja.
Simple Steamed Kale Salad
Ingredients
- ½ cup raw cashews
- 1 bunch kale
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- About ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Put the cashews in a mug and cover with boiled water.
- Remove the stems of the kale and tear the leaves with your hands. Put them in a small saucepan with ¼ cup water and cook for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and let it cool down.
- Drain the cashews and put them in a blender (a small blender such as Ninja is better) with the rest of the ingredients (except for the kale) and blend until smooth and creamy.
- Put the kale in a medium bowl, add about 4 tablespoons of dressing and toss well. Taste and add more dressing if desired. Put the remaining dressing in a jar and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
