Recipe: Kale & Nori Salad

This delicious Kale Salad is at the center of this beautiful plate from the Women Acupuncturists dinner I recently attended.

Kale is a nutrient-packed veggie that I encourage folks to eat -- as long as you cook it first! Cooking your kale not only makes the nutrients more available for use by your body, it also eliminates compounds in the kale that can actually work against your body's optimal well-being. But "cooked" doesn't have to mean "hot." This kale salad recipe features chilled cooked kale marinated in an Asian-inspired dressing for a refreshing cool salad for the hot afternoons and evenings of our "Indian summer" days.

Ingredients:

• 2T white sesame seeds
• ½oz dried nori or other thick, firm seaweed, cut into ¼in strips
• 4c boiling water
• 1 bunch kale, center veins removed, torn into salad-sized pieces
• 1 small red bell pepper, cut into 1in slivers
• 2-3T toasted sesame oil
• 2T liquid aminos or tamari
• 1 clove garlic, pressed
• 1 1in piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• ¼t Dijon mustard

Directions:

1. Place sesame seeds in small skillet on medium heat, stirring or tossing almost constantly. When seeds begin to turn brown, smoke lightly and sizzle, immediately remove from heat. Cool.
2. In a large bowl, cover nori with boiling water and soak for 30min.
3. Steam torn kale leaves for 7min. Drain kale and remove excess water with a salad spinner.
4. Drain nori and remove excess water with a salad spinner. Combine with Kale.
5. Add bell pepper to kale & nori mixutre and toss gently.
6. Combine oil, liquid aminos or tamari, garlic, ginger and mustard in a small blow. Whisk to emulsify. Add to kale mixture and toss. Cover and refrigerate up to 4 days if desired. Just before serving, toss salad and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.