Eating Healthy: Kale Salad with Honey Lemon Dressing

So, my original plan was to post healthy recipes on Thursdays so you can buy the ingredients over the weekend and have a healthy meal for the following week. But I soon realized it's the beginning of the week that I need encouragement to eat better to recoup from the not so healthy stuff I ate over the weekend (like Sunday brunch).

I came up with a vague idea of a massaged kale salad last Thursday but was so surprised by the results that I knew I wanted to perfect the recipe. Massaging oil into the kale softens it up quite a bit so you're not left with dry, coarse leaves.  It was light and hearty and the same time and the sweetness of the honey dressing was a nice change from my usual balsamic vinaigrette. You can cut the rib out of the kale if it's too tough, but I don't mind eating it. If it's really thick I'll save it for one of my smoothies.

I added the radishes on a whim because we just received them in our CSA box. Before this, I don't think I'd ever prepared them myself. I was expecting them to be bitter and unpleasant but found them to taste like the Chinese radish cakes that I grew up on. Roasting them into chips added a nice texture and I liked the hint of red it gave as well.

Kale Salad serves 2

1 bunch, about 6 cups kale, chopped/torn 5-7 radishes, sliced 4 tbsp pine nuts, or any nut of your choice

marinade: 1 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp honey

dressing: 2 tsp honey 2 tsp lemon juice 1 tsp olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.

2. Chop kale into bite sized pieces. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tsp honey. Pour over kale and massage into leaves for about 2 minutes. You will notice the kale getting a bit softer and settling down into a smaller bunch. Set aside.

3. Thinly slice radishes, then place in the previous small bowl (with your marinade above) and toss in residual olive oil mixture. Separate each slice on a baking sheet and bake for about 15-20 minutes, turning the radishes halfway through, until crisp.

4. Make your dressing by whisking together 2 tsp honey, 2 tsp lemon juice, and 1 tsp olive oil. Right before serving, toss pine nuts, dressing, and kale together. Season with freshly cracked pepper and top off with radish chips.