Growing up, the only kinds of salads I ate were the lightly steamed Kosumbari, or many types of Raita. These dishes were made with raw cucumbers, onions, tomatoes, legumes etc. And all were topped off with a fiery tadka (tempering) of mustard seeds, curry leaves, hing (asafetida) and green chilies.
The Super Foods
I had never heard of kale until a decade back, when it became a mad craze and THE hep food to consume. I found the idea of eating bitter greens like kale, mizuna, dandelion and arugula sounded pretty unsavory.
Same with strawberries: I had never set my eyes on strawberries until I came to the US, and the only image of these berries was through the avid reading of the adventures of the Famous Five and the Secret Seven. Who can forget the wonderful strawberry jam they relished, while solving edge-of-your-seat mysteries! Enid Blyton’s books, that my friends and I devoured with the greatest literary hunger, are full of simple, timeless things that never go out of fashion. Friendship. Thrilling adventures. Using your imagination. Getting lots of fresh air. And the comforting reassurance that only home-cooking can bring.
All in all, there was no room for salads in my cuisine, especially with greens, fruits and herbs that I didn’t grow up with.
Change in Tastes
However, we all change with Time, and so do our palettes and palates. I am not sure if it is because one moves to a different region or country and adapts other cuisines, or because, many of us become more adventurous eaters and expand our taste experiences. As we grow older, “taste” becomes more a matter of our minds and memories than our physical reaction to sweetness or bitterness. This is when, we’re likely to overcome our aversion to beets or cauliflower.
Baby Kale
Growing Kale
Slowly, as I started to absorb and get absorbed by the melting pot of this land, I began experimenting with bitter greens in my kitchen garden. Then, the inevitable happened: when it is growing in your backyard, thriving with all the love and hard work you are putting into raising them, how can you not eat them??! There is established research that shows kids are more apt to eating a variety of foods if they are exposed to seeing them growing in kitchen gardens.
Kale does extremely well in Dallas winters (if you can keep the Cabbage White Butterfly Caterpillars out). Baby kale are the delicate leaves of the young immature kale plant. Milder in flavor than that of traditional kale, it has a slightly peppery flavor, like arugula. Though still hardier than most lettuce varieties, the small leaves of baby kale are much more delicate than mature kale. Most any kale variety can be harvested at this young stage, resulting in a more tender crop suitable for fresh eating or cooking.
Colorfully-Crunchy Strawberry Grape Kale Salad
How to Make a Great Strawberry Grape Kale Salad
Two things that are needed to make a great salad in general, and one additional thing that’s relevant to kale salad. One, is the combination of greens, veggies and proteins in your salad – more color, fresher, crunchier – the better. Two, the dressing. You could have the greatest of greens and veggies, but without a good salad dressing, the venture is sure to be a failure. Three, there is a trick to making really good kale salad. It’s all about the dressing and how it is applied.
Unlike other salads, kale salad needs a good massaging, especially with the mature leaves of the dinosaur and Lacinto variety. Not so much with baby kale, but it won’t hurt. Massaging the dressing into kale is what makes for tender flavorful salad.
When we are adding softer ingredients like fruits or crumbled cheese, the massaging should be done before adding those ingredients, so they don’t get smashed. These are a MUST for one to fall in love with salads. And this salad does just that. It is wonderfully colorful and crunchy and brings out the five fundamental tastes – sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami – through for you. It’s an unexpected combination of flavors, perhaps, but they’re truly irresistible together.
Salads n Sides
Do you love eay-to-put-together sides and salads? Then check out a few of our favorites:
- Zesty Carrot-Garbanzo Usli
- Balsamic Caprese
- Spicy, Tangy, Sprouts & Carrot Salad
- Tangy-ly Spicy-Sweet Jicama Salad
- Blistered Shishito Peppers
- Baba Ghanoush
- Spiced Purple Sweet Potato-Cauliflower Bake
- Pesarattu Kura
- Hummus
- Guacamole
- Baked Okra
- Sautéed Asparagus
- Crispy Air Fried Masala Okra
- Cabbage Wada
Eating salad almost every day may be one of the most healthy eating habits you can adopt — and one of the simplest, experts say. A recent study from the National Cancer Institute suggests that people whose diets are rich in fruits and vegetables may have a lower risk of developing cancers — even those who smoke and drink heavily!!
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Colorfully-Crunchy Strawberry Grape Kale Salad
Ingredients
Colorful Strawberry Grape Kale Salad
- 1/2 Pound Kale - I have used Baby Kale
- 1 Cup Strawberries - Hulled
- 1/2 Cup Red Grapes - Cut in half
- 1 Tablespoon Feta Cheese - Crumbled. Or use vegan cheese
- 1/2 Tablespoon Sunflower Seeds
- 1/2 Tablespoon Pumpkin Seeds
- 1/2 Tablespoon Sunflower Seeds
Herb Dressing
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar - Use the organic variety with the "Mother"
- 1/2 Tablespoon Honey - Use local, raw
- 1/2 Teaspoon Herbes de Provence - Optionally use other dried herbs like oregano, thyme, parsley, rosemary or marjoram
- 1/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper - Freshly cracked powder
- 1/4 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt - Or To Taste
Instructions
Herb Dressing
- Whisk olive oil, apple cider vinegar (ACV) and honey rapidly in a bowl. Add herbs of your choice, freshly ground black pepper, salt and whisk some more until everything is blended well. Taste, and add more salt or honey if needed. This dressing can be stored in your pantry for several days.
Strawberry Grape Kale Salad
- In a large bowl, assemble the salad: add baby kale. Pour in the dressing (use more or less, based on your preference). Gently massage the entire salad using your hands, until the dressing the evenly spread throughout. Add cut strawberries, cut grapes and crumbled feta cheese and mix everything gently. Top with sunflower and pumpkin seeds and serve!
