Kale Salad with Parmigiano-Reggiano

Good morning! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. T & I kept very busy...T spent all day Friday taking his Step 3 medical boards, then all day Saturday at the hospital on call - YUCK. I spent mine investigating new recipes to try and enjoying the nice weekend weather. Fair? No. It will be nice when life slows down a little this summer and T get's some free time to enjoy doing nothing for a while...

On another note, have I mentioned how completely and utterly enamored I am with the True Food cookbook? I absolutely can't get enough. Thank God for the library, or I may have never discovered this wonderful jewel of a cookbook! Written by a group including a restauranteur, chef and physician, these guys have it together when it comes to healthy, sustainable, simple seasonal eating. It has recently been nominated for Best 'Focus on Health' Cookbook by the James Beard Foundation. Serious stuff, and deserving of the award. For a complete list of other James Beard finalists CLICK HERE. Meanwhile, if I ever find myself in a town with a True Food Kitchen restaurant, you'll know where to find me.

Step One: Gather the ingredients. 

Step Two: Mix together the dressing. Add the chopped kale, toss, and allow to rest at room temperature for 10-30 minutes. After resting, add grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and bread crumbs, toss. Garnish with  Parmigiano-Reggiano shavings.

Recipe from True Food cookbook

KALE SALAD WITH PARMIGIANO-REGGIANO | Yield: 6-8 servings | Total Time: 45 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 C extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 C freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 garlic cloves, mashed
1/2 tsp kosher salt
pinch of red pepper flakes
2 bunches kale, ribs removed and leaves sliced into 1/4-inch shreds*
2 Tbsp toasted whole wheat bread crumbs
1/2 C finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (grated on a microplane)
Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese shavings

*NOTE: I recommend Tuscan kale, but whatever you can find will work. The kind I used was labeled 'Lacinato' kale, but it can also be called black kale, cavolo nero, Russian kale, or dinosaur kale to name a few.

DIRECTIONS:

In a large salad bowl, whisk together the oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and red pepper flakes. Add the kale and toss well to coat. Let the salad sit at room temperature for 10-30 minutes. Add the grated cheese and bread crumbs and toss again.

Garnish with the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese shavings before serving. Leftovers can be covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days.