More Green for Me: Kale Ginger-Berry Salad

     If you've read one of my earliest posts, "A New Dark Leafy Green for Me...", you already know of my new love of kale, especially when paired with fruit and citrus.  I just never tire of that orange-apple-cumin kale slaw.  The change of season has also changed the availability of some key ingredients for my beloved kale slaw.  Oranges are not a summer fruit and those available are not very tasty.  The same can be said for the apples - just pretty ho hum until the new fall crop comes in.  It was time to try something new.  

     The citrus is an important element since the acidic juice helps to soften the somewhat tough kale leaves.  I chose to substitute a lemon for the orange since I usually have some in the frig (they're so versatile) and used strawberries for the apple, since I had those on hand, too.  Those two flavors are great together - I usually add lemon zest to a simple yellow cake recipe when I make strawberry shortcake.  Last weekend I passed on the cake part and served fresh strawberries that had been macerated in lemon juice, lemon zest and Splenda and they were scrumptious!  

     I now needed to find a flavor that added a punch like the cumin did in the original version - cumin was just too earthy for the summery marriage of lemon and strawberry.  Then, on my kitchen counter, I saw the container of candied fresh ginger I had bought for cookie-making and there was my answer!  This new version which I call Kale Ginger-Berry Salad is beautiful to look at, has a slightly sweet citrus tang, juicy bites of summer strawberry and a heat/warmth from the fresh grated and the candied gingers.  It's perfect for summer and I hope you'll try it for yourself!

Another dark leafy green for me, Kale Ginger-Berry Salad.

Kale Ginger-Berry Salad

Ingredients:

• Fresh strawberries, rinsed and halved
• A bunch of kale; rinsed, de-ribbed and cut into thin strips
• A lemon, zested and juiced (about 1 teaspoon of zest and 2-3 tablespoons of juice)
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh grated ginger or ground ginger
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Half an ounce of candied fresh ginger, chopped finely

Keep ginger root in your freezer, peel then grate frozen, as needed.

Look for candied fresh ginger in your store's produce, baking or bulk foods sections.

Putting It Together:

     Rinse the individual leaves of kale; fold each leaf over onto itself (like a Valentine), grip the two sides and rip away from the woody spine and set aside.  Stack the de-ribbed pieces on a cutting board and cut into thin strips; place in a large serving bowl (I estimated 5 cups of cut, packed kale).  Sprinkle over 1/4 teaspoon salt, the fresh lemon zest and half of the freshly squeezed lemon juice.  Using your hands, toss and massage the kale strips and set aside.

Time to massage in the salt and lemon.

     Rinse and de-hull the strawberries; halve or thickly slice the berries and set aside.  I had about 1-1/2 cups of halved/sliced berries.  In a small bowl combine the remaining half of the lemon juice, grated fresh ginger, coriander, Dijon mustard, pinch of salt, a few grinds of pepper and the honey; whisk to combine.  Add the sliced strawberries and chopped candied fresh ginger to the massaged kale, pour over dressing and gently toss to combine.  Check and correct the flavor if necessary - may need more sweet or sour or heat.  Refrigerate salad for a minimum of three hours to allow kale to continue to soften, flavors to mellow, strawberries to macerate. 

The candied ginger really adds some zing to this salad.  The kale is already beginning to darken and soften.

     Weight Watcher's Recipe Builder totaled 10 Points Plus for this recipe when made as described above.  That would make each of 5 servings 2 Points Plus.  The fresh grated and candied ginger do add a punch of heat which I love, but if you are new to using ginger I suggest starting with less, tasting and adding more if needed.      

My husband and I agree, the Kale Ginger-Berry salad is our new favorite!