Remember when I mentioned that I wanted to get excited about kale? I wasn’t even kidding! I promise I’m not about to turn into some kind of hipster health food blogger. I did just put gin in ice lollies and encourage triple chocolate cookie consumption, after all. But, I am currently experiencing unprecedented levels of excitement about leafy greens so that should tell you something.
Let’s start from the beginning. Generally when a new ‘superfood’ appears on the scene, I’m sceptical. Sceptical about whether or not it’s actually more ‘super’ than any other veggie/grain/fruit, and even more sceptical about how it tastes. So, it took me a looong time to actually get round to trying kale.
Lindsay of Pinch of Yum, aka the Queen of all Food Bloggers, recently posted this parmesan kale salad. Because I’m a massive fangirl and trust her recipes implicitly, I decided that if any recipe was going to make kale taste good – this was the one.
Against all odds, it was incredible! And I’ve since discovered that kale is actually pretty damn amazing in all sorts of recipes. I can’t vouch for the health claims but I can vouch for flavour. Kale leaves have quite a tough texture, which sounds odd but is actually great – no limp, wilting salads here! Although, it does make me question how good it can actually be in smoothies, which seems to be all the rage these days. Any verdicts on that front, folks?
So, to the spicy kale salad! I’ve taken a couple of components from Lindsay’s recipe – shredded kale and toasted bread – and paired them with chicken, shallots & a spicy dressing for a good kick. This has been my go-to lunch for the past few weeks and I haven’t even got sick of it yet. That right there is all the endorsement this salad needs.
Ingredients
- half a small baguette/about 100g crusty bread
- 25g melted butter
- 1/2 clove garlic, finely minced
- pinch of salt
- 100g kale
- 200g cooked chicken, shredded
- 1 shallot, finely diced
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1/2 a lime (juice of)
- 1-2 tsp hot sauce (depending on taste)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180c. Cut the bread into cubes about 1cm wide. Mix with melted butter, garlic and salt and transfer to a baking tray. Bake for 5-10 minutes.
- Wash the kale and finely chop. Add to a large salad bowl with the chicken, diced shallot and croutons.
- Whisk the dressing ingredients together and toss with the salad.
I love salads in the summer! I’ve never tried kale, it brings back a lot of childhood memories though as it’s what my guinea pigs used to eat haha x
Josie’s Journal