Raw Kale Salad

Raw kale doesn't really appeal to many people. It's tough, it can be bitter-tasting, and it just isn't as salad-inducing as, say, fresh romaine or mesclun mix. However, it's all in the way you prepare it. Massaging dressing into raw kale with your hands softens the leaves and takes them from tough and unpalatable to absolutely delicious. Letting the salad sit for an hour or two (or overnight) softens it even more...

It's the perfect thing for a packed lunch, becoming more delicious throughout the day. It's extremely healthy, and addictive! Kale is high in beta carotene, vitamin K, vitamin C, lutein, zeaxanthin, and reasonably rich in calcium, and hemp seeds give you a nice boost of protein, amino acids and omegas 3 and 6.

 I make this salad a lot, especially when I am working long hours on theatre projects and need a power-packed lunch to get me through the day. Pair with some hummus and crackers, and you have a feast!

Kale salad ready to go in my glass snap-lid container.

Raw Kale Salad


Kale for one person, de-stemmed and roughly chopped (prepare twice as much as you want to eat)
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp olive/flax/hemp oil (or walnut or almond oil...whatever you like)
1/4 tsp himalayan salt
1/2 tsp dried thyme
cracked pepper
handful of chopped walnuts
handful of hemp seeds
handful of raisins/currants/dried cranberries

Place the kale in a bowl or directly in the container you plan to pack it in for lunch. Add the vinegar, oil, salt, pepper and thyme. Wash your hands and roll up your sleeves - and then start massaging the dressing into the kale. You want to massage for a few minutes, until its volume is reduced by half. Then all that's left to do is to is add the nuts, seeds and raisins, mix together and let sit, for at least 1/2 an hour but ideally 1-2 hours, or overnight. This salad keeps very well for a few days and makes a great snack or side dish too.