Smoky Kale Salad with Egg

I love a good cookbook, especially one unencumbered by meat. For a plant-based eater like myself, there’s nothing better than perusing through a cookbook full of gorgeous dishes that I can actually eat! This is why I’m excited to share a new cookbook with you. Yes, it’s a veggie cookbook, but one that meat eaters will enjoy, too. Why? Because it’s chock full of recipes for what might be the hardest veggies to cook…the brassicas.

What are Brassica vegetables? They are cauliflower (my favorite), kale, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, broccoli, leafy greens like mustard, collard, arugula, watercress, bok choy, radish, turnip and the lesser known rutabaga, kohlrabi and mizuna, just to name a few. These are the veggies my clients tell me they don’t really know how to make taste good. I can relate…I’ve never made rutabaga or kohlrabi and don’t really know how.

But now we can all get confident about cooking up the world’s healthiest vegetables! Laura Russell has written an easy to use cookbook that’s perfect for us home cooks. The recipes are smart, too. She skillfully uses cheese, dried fruit, and fat (like nuts and olives) to balance out the sometimes bitter flavor of the brassicas.

All of her recipes are gluten free with vegan variations and tons of gorgeous pictures. Some other recipes I’m looking forward to trying are the Creamy Cauliflower Gratin, Greek Shaved Cabbage and Fennel Salad, Broccoli Rabe with Romesco Sauce,and the Spicy Soba with Wilted Watercress.  Is your mouth watering yet?

I tested this delicious and super simple smoky kale salad with egg for lunch. I love the flavor from the smoked paprika and to me, kale is quite filling. I was able to whip it up pretty easily using ingredients I had on hand. I even improvised a bit to suit my tastes (and my recent obsession with pumpkin seeds).

Here’s the recipe:

Smoky Kale Salad with Toasted Almonds & Egg

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Ingredients

  

• 2 eggs hard boiled
• 1 bunch kale center rib removed, leaves finely shredded
• 1 Tbsp sherry vinegar I used white balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/3 cup toasted sliced almonds I used pumpkin seeds

Instructions

 

• Place kale in a salad bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, paprika, salt and pepper. Add the oil and whisk to combine. Pour dressing over kale and massage into leaves until kale wilts and gets soft. Add the almonds (or pumpkin seeds) and eggs and toss again. The original recipe states to crumble the eggs into the salad, but I just placed mine on top. Taste and adjust seasonings.