Massaged Kale and Craisin Salad with Feta Cheese

Finally, kale that I can eat! Of all the timesucks on the Internet, Pinterest is at the forefront for me right now. But it did lead me to a great food blog: Mel's Kitchen Cafe. She has several great recipes using normal spices that you'd have in your pantry, which I like. I've used several of her recipes this week and so far, every one has been a winner.

Especially this salad. Jared didn't scarf it down like he will something with beef in it (I did pair this salad with her Beef Stroganoff - solid recipe), but he did say it was good and ate it all, which he normally doesn't do with salad. Kale is such a sturdy green, that normally to eat it, I throw it in a smoothie or a soup to mask its bitter chewiness. I didn't realize that massaging it with just a little bit of salt could go such a long way. Once I added the rest of the ingredients, this salad was healthy and delicious and good the next day for lunch too.

As a sidenote, I've been working on presentation lately, and this salad looks pretty on the table.

*Serves 6

INGREDIENTS:
1 bunch kale
3/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt or sea salt
1/4 cup finely diced red onion
1/2 cup dried cranberries/craisins (I used maple candied cherries that I had)
3/4 cup small-diced apple
1/3 cup toasted sunflower seeds
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/3 cup crumbled Feta cheese

DIRECTIONS:
Wash the kale and pat it dry. Slice off the stiff stems below the leaves and continue slicing the stem away from the leaf until you have cut a thin v-shape into the kale leaf and removed the tough stem all the way up. Stack the kale leaves two or three at a time, roll them up, and slice the leaves into thin ribbons.
Place the kale ribbons in a large mixing bowl. Add the salt and massage it into the kale with your hands for two minutes. You’ll notice the kale start to turn a darker green and the texture of the kale will begin to soften a bit.

Toss in the red onions, craisins, apples, and sunflower seeds. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar and sugar. Pour over the salad and toss. Sprinkle feta cheese over the top and serve. The salad can be refrigerated for up to a day before serving (if doing this, I would suggest refrigerating the salted kale separately from the other ingredients and tossing the salad together an hour or two before serving).