Cranberries are the gateway vegetable

My kids eat kale salad. Surprising, right? One thing that might have helped them get to that point was how I usually put dried cranberries and nuts or seeds into the salad. If they wanted those berries, they had to get a serving of the green stuff.

Kale Salad
I like curly green kale the best, but this method works for any hardy greens. Remove stems from kale and tear or chop into bite-sized pieces. Place into a large, heatproof bowl. Fill the bowl with your hottest tap water (110-115 degrees) and let the kale soak for 10-15 minutes. Swish it around, to loosen any dirt. Lift it out by handfuls into a colander, and let it drain for a bit. (You could run it through a salad spinner too.)

At this point, you could store the kale for several days, in a paper-towel lined bag or container. It’s nice to have ready-to-toss kale salad on hand!

Place kale in a large bowl. Drizzle with dressing (this one is good) or build it as you go: Olive oil, and an acidic ingredient such as lemon juice, balsamic or sherry vinegar. Generous pinch of salt. Toss vigorously – kale salad benefits from any amount of “massage” and/or marinating time you can give it. Makes it a bit softer and the flavors more cohesive. Before serving, add chopped apple, dried cranberries, toasted nuts or pumpkin seeds, and more salt and pepper to taste.