I’ve always loved kale but have struggled to find ways to incorporate more of it into my diet. My two go-to recipes are green smoothies and Acquacotta, or Tuscan peasant soup (Marcella Hazan has a killer recipe for this in her Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking).
Now I can happily add this one to the list. The recipe is based off of Heidi Swanson’s kale salad recipe in her gorgeous new cookbook, Super Natural Every Day.
I fiddled with the proportions a bit, upping the greens and decreasing the coconut. I also added a hefty dose of garlic, since I love me some garlicky greens. The kale get nice and crispy, the coconut nice and toasty with a bit of chew. And it’s all bathed in a flavorful soy-sesame dressing atop a bed of millet, or other grain of your choosing.
Garlicky Kale with Toasted Coconut
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients:
* 1/3 cup olive oil
* 1 teaspoon sesame oil
* 2 Tablespoons Bragg’s liquid aminos or gluten-free tamari
* 1 large bunch kale, stems and large ribs removed, and roughly chopped (about 6-8 cups unpacked)
* 1-1/4 cups unsweetened large-flake coconut
* 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
* 2 cups cooked millet (optional)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and set the rack on the top third of the oven.
In a small bowl combine the olive oil, sesame oil and Bragg’s or tamari. Place the kale, the coconut and the garlic in a large bowl and toss with about 2/3 of the oil mixture.
Spread the kale across a large, rimmed baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for approximately 20 minutes (tossing the mixture halfway through baking) or until some of the kale has turned crispy and the coconut is a light golden brown.
Place the millet on a large serving platter, if using, and top with the kale mixture. Drizzle the remaining oil mixture over the top. Serve immediately.
Note: This salad tastes best immediately after making it. You can refrigerate some for later, but the kale and coconut will lose some of their crunch.