Meatless Monday: Part 1

I've been waffling between whether to post the recipe for the Kale salad that I've been obsessing about for the past few days, or the recipe for the Cookie Dough Dip that has caused a stream of requests to pour in since the 4th.

So in the spirit of Meatless Monday, eating dessert first, and giving the people what they want, I'm going to give you both.

Consider it your lucky day.

I shall begin with the obvious: Jesus's Kale Salad



I do hope this doesn't offend anyone. It's just that truly, if Jesus made a salad I believe in my heart that this would be it. It's a blessing and you will understand once you try it. I saw said kale salad for the first time on the 4th of July. It was nestled cozily in among guacamole, salsa, carne asada, potato salad, and margaritas. It didn't look like anything special (sorry Chelsea) but I took a little bit knowing I needed to up my green quotient for the day. One nibble and it was like oh hayyyyy. Where you been all my life, Kale Salad?  Without asking whether or not they wanted it, I began taking plates from my friends' hands and garnishing them with the delish lettuce-cousin (don't quote me) masterpiece.

Guess what. Everyone had the same reaction. Even Danny who absolutely prefers things like Oreos to kale was excited.  So of course I emailed my friend, Salad Goddess-slash-creator of Amazing Kale Salad for the recipe.

Salad:

Kale

Shredded carrots

Unsalted sunflower seeds

Manchego cheese (grated on top)

Dressing:

Olive oil

Lemon juice

Minced shallots

Salt + pepper

You will notice there are no measurements. That's because you can do all of it, like 100%, by taste - it's super easy.

You might also notice that i doesn't sound like anything to write home over, but don't be fooled. I literally wrote home over this.  Like "Hi mom, there is this salad I've been wanting to tell you about..."  I've made this 3 times in the 4 days since I got the recipe.  I've also gotten experimental and made a few variations to each round: I've added avocado once and swapped the Manchego for a very sharp Parmesean another time (it's considerably less caloric, but the Manchego is really amazing),  I've also added salmon when I ate it as a main.

Since this is a Meatless Monday recipe, I suggest adding white beans - they're a good protein source and the mild flavor still let's the salad be the star.

Now go eat your meatless dinner you sexy thing!

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