Sweet, Spicy, Savory Kale Salad

Organic Kale with Dried Cherries & Shirataki Noodles
Garlicky Chili Lime Dressing

I’m not usually a fan of those free food samples at the supermarket. Seen too many “grazers” with poor manners and questionable hygiene, I suppose. But every once in a while, when there is a conscientious host passing out tastes of a unique offering, I might give it a try, as was the case this past weekend at Whole Foods.

A charming older woman was enthusiastically portioning out little cups of this interesting raw kale salad. It turned out to be an outrageous combination of flavors and textures, so fresh and bright, with an unexpected umami note. I put a bag of her shirataki noodles in my cart, and went home to create a salad inspired by that sample.

Sweet, Spicy, Savory Kale Salad Recipe

Tear one bunch of cleaned/dried organic curly kale into bite-sized pieces. Place torn leaves in a large bowl and squeeze the juice of two limes over all the kale. Let  kale “cook” in the lime juice for at least 30 minutes.

Dressing

• 3 T. olive oil
• 1 T. Bragg Liquid Aminos
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1 t. red chili pepper flakes

Whisk ingredients together and set aside.

Rinse a package of shirataki noodles. Cook them in boiling water for 2 minutes. Rinse with cold water, drain well. Use a kitchen shears to cut the noodles up a bit. Add the dressing and toss. Add dried cherries and toss again. Spread noodle/cherry mixture on top of the kale.

Gluten-free, yam-based shirataki noodles have little flavor on their own, but they absorb the intense garlic chili flavors of the dressing and add a contrasting chewy note to the crunchy kale. Bragg Liquid Aminos, made from soybeans, adds the umami quality, while sweetness comes from the cherries and tart sour flavors from the fresh lime juice. So glad I gave that little sample a try…

Something Pretty From My Garden

Silver Waves Camellia
Camellia japonica

With its large wavy silvery white petals and fluffy yellow stamens, this is a stunning winter flower.

Camellias are native to China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. I read that red camellias are a symbol of wealth and white camellias signify loveliness. Last year, I planted red, white, as well as pink varieties to add more winter interest to my garden.  My first Silver Waves bloom is such a beauty! Silver Waves was a seedling from an unspecified japonica variety and was introduced in 1970 by Nuccio’s Nursery of Altadena, California.