Kale Salad with Almonds and Dried Cranberries

If you're like most people you probably don't love kale. I mean, you might like it or tolerate it from time to time when you're on a healthy kick or want to get more superfoods into your diet. But I don't know many people who say, "I LOVE kale." I didn't either before I knew this secret, but guess what? Now I do! There's a secret to making kale amazing, and it's all in how you prep it. Kale isn't like most leafy greens. It takes a little work to get it to it's best. It's like me in the morning. I can't just wake up, pop out of bed, and look great. I need a little work to look my best. That's kale. You can't just throw it in a salad and expect it to be delicious. You have to show it a little love and spend a little time with it first. If you have 2-3 minutes, you're going to be so happy you learned this secret because you'll never eat bad kale again.

What's the secret? You have to massage it. That's right, I said massage. I know when I first learned this, I laughed too, but it makes all the difference in the world. First, you're going to cut that awful stem off. It's really big, and it's really hard, and it's not the right texture in a salad. Cut it out and get rid of it. Then you're going to cup up the kale, put it in a bowl, give it a dash of salt and drizzle it with a little olive oil. What comes next? Dive right in! Get your hands in there and start massaging. There's no wrong motion. You can knead it similar to how you would knead dough. You can pinch. You can squeeze. You can rub bunches back and forth between your hands. Don't be shy, you're not going hurt it. They're really strong leaves. What you're doing is changing the cell structure in the leaf and breaking it down. This is what makes amazing kale. It turns into a more tender, sweeter, and more palatable leaf. Do this for about 2-3 minutes. The more you work it, the better it becomes, and you'll see it changes to a beautiful bright green. Once the kale is tender and soft, your job is done. Definitely give this a try. It's so easy, only take a few minutes, and it's a game-changer to start eating (and enjoying) more kale.

Oh, and did you know that cooked kale offers more iron per ounce than beef? Pretty impressive, right?! It belongs in more than just smoothies!

Recipe for Kale Salad with Almonds and Dried Cranberries:

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch kale, washed and dried

• 1 tablespoon olive oil, more if desired

• 1 healthy pinch of sea salt, and more to taste

• 1/4 cup sliced almonds

• 1/4 dried cranberries

• 1 lemon, halved

• freshly ground pepper, to taste

  Instructions:

  Wash your hands. Cut the stems off each kale leaf. Stack leaves on top of one another and chop into bite-size pieces.

  Add the kale to a large mixing bowl. Add the sea salt and drizzle it with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Massage it for 2-3 minutes, until bright green and tender. The more you work it the better it becomes.

  Add the sliced almonds, dried cranberries and juice from half the lemon. Add a little more salt and freshly ground pepper to taste and toss to coat. Taste. If you'd like to add more olive oil and/or lemon juice, add now. Serve.