Raw Tender/Wilted Tuscan Kale with Spicy Ranch Dressing

I'm a bad raw foodie. 

I have a serious disdain for raw kale. I know! What's wrong with me? 

It doesn't seem right for a veggie addict to "not like" kale. But don't worry, I won't give up without a fight...

A couple weeks ago I embarked on a mission to come up with a way to transform raw kale into something that would seduce my palate. I didn't want to just "like" raw kale, no siree, I wanted to go into full fledged creeper mode over this veggie. I wanted to fall asleep at night dreaming about fields of dark green leaves, begging to be eaten. I wanted a tasty love affair. 

Have I weirded you out yet? I hope not. This is a serious topic, people.

The more I thought about this daunting fibrous leafy green, my mind kept taking me back to the things I loved; tender brussels sprouts, tender broccolette, spicy wilted collards, wilted cabbage with mustard cream sauce. Mmm.

All of the aforementioned greens had the same thing in common; they're tender. Then it hit me: It wasn't the raw kale that I hated, it was just the raw kale's texture.

Today's recipe is a kitchen miracle. It started with a giant bowl of Tuscan Kale leaves, and ended with a new-found obsession. Cue dance of joy:

So, if you're like me and only enjoy kale if it's been made into a crispy dehydrated chip, or ground up and hidden in a flat bread, burger, or smoothie then this recipe is especially for you. After one bite you'll be dreaming about fields of leafy greens along with me.

Raw Warm Tender/Wilted Kale - with Spicy Ranch Dressing

Yields one to two servings

For this recipe you will need:

*2 bunches of Tuscan or Rape Kale //or// roughly 1lb

2 Tbsp Lemon Juice

2 Tbsp Grapeseed Oil

Salt to taste

*Please note that I haven't tried this with Curly Kale yet - the leaves are much more fibrous so you may end up with different results

• Remove your Kale leaves from the Stem
• Wash and Dry your Kale leaves
• Break apart or chop leaves into desired size for your eating enjoyment
• Place Kale leaves in a large bowl and proceed with the following
• Gently toss your kale, coating the leaves evenly with the lemon juice/oil/salt. 
• Do NOT massage it!

Transfer your Kale leaves to a ziplock baggy and proceed to remove all or as much of the air from the bag as you can:

• Place the Kale in the fridge and let it chill for at least 3 to 4 hours -- overnight is even better
• While it's refrigerating the lemon juice, oil and salt begin to work their tenderizing magic

When you've finished waiting for your Kale to refrigerate the final steps are really simple!

• Toss your Kale with 4 Tbsp of *Better Than Kraft Ranch Dressing, and 1/4 tsp of Cayenne -- or as much fresh cracked black pepper as you'd like
• Choose from one of the following Raw Food Warming Methods noted here.
• Proceed to warm your Kale for roughly 30 minutes (maybe even less), just until it's warmed through and slightly *wilted. 

*There are many different sauces and dressings to choose from - and my Ranch Dressing is just a suggestion (but a very tasty one at that). Do a quick recipe search by typing in the keyword "sauce" or "dressing" into the search box on the upper right hand column of this page. 

*You'll notice the kale will have already wilted quite a bit during the refrigeration process, so yo u won't need to dry it for very long.

The only think left to do from here is, well, you know...

Is there a particular veggie that makes you squirm in your seat? Tell me why? 

Wishing you all a very tasty and very lovely weekend! 

I'll be back on Monday with (hopefully) something very fattening, and wonderful!

xoxo,

Sarahfaé - AtV