7/18/11

Cauliflower Kale Salad


Pop quiz time.

The white parts of this salad are:

a) feta cheese
b) cauliflower
c) queso fresco
d) all of the above

Did you guess "a"? That's wrong. Wait, you say you guessed "b"? Really? How could you tell? 

Oh, you read the title of the post. I see. I'll have to think more about my quizzes in the future. 

Yes, this salad is made up of cauliflower, but cauliflower in a way that you've probably never seen it before. It's been grated on the large holes of a box grater, making it:

a) much easier to eat
b) lend crunch to the rest of the salad
c) easier to coat with dressing
d) all of the above.

If you guessed "d", you are on a roll. It really is amazing all the things that grating cauliflower can do for it. I don't even like cauliflower and I devoured this salad. Come to think of it, I don't eat much kale, either. Both ingredients came in my Bountiful Basket this week (like a CSA, but you buy in weekly and the shares come from places like California and Mexico when local crops aren't available.) and I knew I'd have to find some recipe to help me enjoy them before I had another repeat of the radish slime massacre of a few weeks ago at the bottom of my fridge. (R.I.P. pretty radishes. I had such great, but non-definite plans for you.) 


This salad not only used up the ingredients, but may just be one of my new favorite salads. It is crunchy and light, with a great dressing that isn't too oily or overpowering. I originally made it with the intentions of bringing it to a potluck picnic, thinking that if it tasted bad I'd casually sneak it on the table and back away inconspicuously. (Am I the only one who has done this? Please say no.) The salad never made it to the potluck because I ate a good portion of it for lunch right after I threw it together and convinced myself there wasn't enough left over to bring. (Basically, I'm a horrible person to invite to a potluck.) Unlike most salads, this one stays crunchy 1-2 days after you dress it, which makes it easy to make ahead of time. I'd say this salad deserves an "A" because of its:

a) fabulous taste
b) crunchy texture
c) ease of preparation
d) visual appeal
e) all of the above

You said "e"? Go ahead and give yourself an "A", too.



Cauliflower Kale Salad

3 large kale leaves
1/2 head of cauliflower
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 stalk, green onion, finely chopped
1 sprig fresh parsley, minced
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon kosher/sea salt (1/4 teaspoon table salt)
freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Tear the soft leaf of the kale away from the center stalk that runs throughout the length of the kale. Discard the tough stalk. Using a chef's knife, finely chop the kale leaves. Rock back and forth with your knife over the leaves like you are mincing. Add to a large bowl, along with the cherry tomatoes, green onion and parsley.
2. Grate the cauliflower using the large holes of a box grater. Add to the bowl and mix.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper and the olive oil. Pour dressing into the bowl and toss gently. Taste and season with additional salt if needed.

Recipe Source: Steamy Kitchen


0 Click For Comments:

Post a Comment

 
Pin It button on image hover