Raw Tuscan Kale Salad

I made this a few nights ago and it rocked. Brought the house down. So good.

Wonderful recipe! Just made it last night and am totally sold. I’m always looking for more ways to incorporate more kale into my life.
One suggestion – I added raw walnuts, which made a great addition.

I made this salad for dinner early last week. And then late last week. And then early this week. You get the idea. It’s been a huge hit with my husband and friends. Delicious!

I love this version of raw Kale salad. It’s so beautiful and earthy. I go nuts for Kale in the winter and love playing with the many flavors that pair with it. I can’t wait to try this one. My favorite so far? Kale with avocado and grapefruit!

Oh wow, this looks good. I love the idea of the roasted winter squash. Of course, I might toss the two together and top with the poached egg. What a tasty meal!

The Red Lentil Soup in Melissa’s book is awesome, one of my two favorite soup recipes. The other is the Green Soup with Ginger from this site, which I make with kale and Swiss Chard, and is also awesome. I can’t rave enough about both of these soups. This recipe looks good, if I can bring myself to buy kale and not make soup out of it.

I think you read my mind…I’ve got a huge bunch of kale in the fridge just waiting to be turned into something like this…

I made this delicious salad for dinner last night to accompany two homemade pizza pies. Despite the fact that my pizza is a household favorite, this little salad outshone the pizza!
I highly recommend the recipe. Who would have thought raw kale could take down pizza?

I discovered another great use for this tasty salad – it is great cooked! I had some leftover so I placed it on a jelly roll pan and cooked it at 300 degrees for 10-15 min, until it was crispy. YUM!!

I made this last night and discovered my new favorite salad….so so so very good. I could have eaten the entire bowl of it myself. This will become a side-dish staple at my house!

Peccorino cheese is amazing. Any recipe that uses it on a salad – I’m in.

Lynne — I use sunflower seeds a ton in kale! The slight crunch is nice but they also soften up a touch too when tossed in at the end of cooking the kale. I recently wrote about kale on The Sweet Beet and am so thrilled to see this veg finally getting all the attention it deserves 🙂

I can never have enough recipes for greens or kale. This one looks particularly delicious and I’m planning a meal around it as we speak. Thanks for always keeping thing so fresh, light and lovely!

There was a profusion of kale at the farmer’s market this week and I grabbed 3 different bunches: Some Cavolo nero, a purple curly type and the plain old green one I normally get. I made another pot of Greens & Ginger Soup and a big pan of Roasted Delicata Squash Salad and was beginning to wonder about other ways to use up my haul of kale when I saw this recipe. Yay!
I’m not a big fan of bread crumbs and was wondering about tossing some toasted slivered almonds over top for crunch instead. Has anyone else gone that route?

My children who are 4 and 7 are in love with this salad. They love it so much, I have already made 3 times. They even took it for lunch today!
I so enjoy your blog. I have been following you since your “Five Minute Tomato Sauce” which is a brilliant staple in our home.
Thank you Heidi!!

Wonderful recipe, Heidi. Kale is not usually my favorite but this looks so good…who knew kale could turn out so delicious? Your healthful recipes are a true inspiration!

I love kale! I made this last night but made a few adjustments – I used regular kale and sliced it very thinly, then sauteed it with garlic and very little olive oil, just to take the bite off. I added some balsamic vinegar to the pan and cooked it a bit longer, then turned off the heat and tossed the breadcrumbs/croutons (sourdough) in. Cheese added last. My boyfriend hates kale and gobbled it up!

What an absolutely beautiful site. I just found you today and I am thrilled. I really look forward to making this recipe as my husband loves kale and I’m running out of ideas. Thank you and I look forward to visiting regularly!

I’ve been living and breathing Clark’s new cookbook. She had me at the whiskey bundt cake!

There is nothing I like better than to eat something light after a long trip. I know that you are still getting over your jet lag, which is nothing a good long sleep won’t cure. I know it will not take you very long to get back in the swing. Not that you lost a step because you didn’t. Anyway, gald to have you back in the states.

Hi Heidi,
I tried this salad tonight and it was delicious! Thank you for posting it. It’s fun to try a favorite food in a totally new way.
The salad is also good with the addition of Italian sausage cut into 1/4 inch rounds – for the non-vegetarians out there. 🙂

Thanks for this raw kale salad recipe. Tried it tonight and LOVED it! I substituted toasted walnuts for the bread crumbs since I’m not supposed to eat gluten. This recipe officially doubles my raw kale salad repertoire, so thank you! My other raw kale salad recipe was given to me by a friend: olive oil, apple cider vinegar and/or lemon juice with zest, grated ginger, honey to taste and dijon mustard (my addition). Stir into chopped kale and let sit for an hour in the refrigerator. Now, I have another way to eat something that truly nourishes me. Thanks!

Perfect ingredients to make my mouth water. Anyone who hasn’t already fallen in love with kale should definitely try this!

thanks for another great recipe Heidi. This was so good, made it last night for tea, oh heavens above, that cheese dressing was just sooooo good on it. Irish kale a bit tough at the moment so i steamed it for a wee while and then let cool with the dressing on it. delicious.

Heidi, I love kale – all kinds. Do you find that this dressing is sufficient to soften up the kale for friends who are new to this leafy green veggie? I would also love to know if you have another way to marinate a raw kale salad for newbies. I find an avocado based dressing works wonders. I continually look to find new ways to introduce raw kale salads to my mom and friends. Welcome home, looking forward to hearing about your trip. Noelle

I just made a version of this with what I had on hand, substituting spinach and parmesan for kale and pecorino. I didn’t dress the salad earlier, since spinach doesn’t require it. I also added a bit of dijon to the dressing. I chose to made the bread crumbs fine and very deeply toasted. It was incredible. I can’t wait to try the recipe as is with kale. Thanks so much!

Just a gorgeous salad – thanks for bringing this cookbook to my attention. It sounds right up my alley! Looking forward to more posts on Rome. I can’t wait to make this salad 🙂
Heidi xo

I made this last night and it was amazingly delicious. I like to “massage” my raw kale leaves for a minute or so before dressing the salad with a tiny bit of olive oil to wilt them a bit. I subbed toasted pine nuts for homemade bread crumbs since I just threw out the stale half-loaf of italian. The peccorino gives this dressing amazing, almost caesar-like flavor, minus the anchovies obviously. Will be making this weekly I’m sure!

this looks great! One small thought though is eating raw crucifers can be hard on thyroid production and digestion. Maybe a quick anching could keep the greens crispy and light while still allowing for ease of digestion? Thanks for the recipe heidi!

What a great way to feature kale – absolutely gorgeous!

I like to hear about all of your travels but, I also, know how great it is to get home again. I hope you will rest up and share everything that you learned with us. The salad looks wonderful. This will be great for my lunch.

Made this for dinner tonight alongside a spicy tomato and white bean soup. It was delicious! So healthy and satisfying. I love kale!!

You should do like I do and get a wife that packs a bunch of fruits, vegetables cheeses and crackers for the flight. When we fly, its constant hippy style grazing, love it. The only thing I don’t like is all of the other passengers looking at us eat our awesome picnic.

WOW! I tried this last night when I made lasagna for my family and it was fantastic. I have never made a salad with kale but now I am going to have plenty of lemons and kale handy to make this. Thanks!!

I just made with some changes….spinach for kale, because that’s the green I had on hand, shaved parmesan for pecorino, one piece of bread, and a few marcona almonds finely chopped, roasted chickpeas and roasted cubed butternut squash (because I had some left over from the pumpkin feta muffins
although the dynamic of the salad was a little different, it was delicious. I hope that it was meant for one….because I am eating the entire thing as I type this.
🙂

I’m the same with travel – all that bad food leaves me craving a good salad! I must admit that raw kale is new to me, but I have a few leaves left from my veg box, so will give it a go today!

Do not use regular curly kale for this. Russian red kale might work, but test a piece first. This appeared a couple of years ago in the NY Times, and Melissa discusses her recreation of the recipe in some detail. It’s an amazing recipe and good for pot lucks since it doesn’t sink into a soggy mass.

This looks amazing. And we finally have kale at the farmers’ market. I finally picked up some Rancho Gordo heirloom beans and am planning to make a kale and bean soup. Might have to check out your ribollita. Mmmm.

mmm, i loove kale. the combo with the garlic and red pepper flakes is delicious!

That salad looks amazing! I have been looking for ways to eat more Kale, as it is is SOO good for you but my ideas have been falling flat. This looks great!

Try this with nutritional yeast! I make it all summer and can’t get enough!

I too just recently purchased this book and was pleasantly surprised to see one of the dishes I was eying up photographed. Looks amazing.

I love how simple and refreshing this recipe is. One my favorite and most used cookbooks is Melissa Clark’s Vegetarian Times Cooks Mediterranean. The binding is split and the pages are stained with tomato juice, olive oil and years of use. I’m not a vegetarian, but I still find so much inspiration in that book.
I will definitely follow Melissa and pick up her new cookbook!

Looks very healthy – especially like your photos and the plank table………

This was wonderful, I was worried about the bitterness of the kale but it wasn’t a problem, I chopped the bread into small cubes rather than making breadcrumbs and toasted them in garlic oil. Topped the salad with a poached egg as you suggested and it was perfection, I will definitely be making this again, thanks!

You really do know how to make a nice meal and relax after a long trip. Generally I pick up some kind of fast food and it never looks this great. Glad that you are home.

Heidi,
I can’t wait to try this with the kale I’m growing!
I love the way you write about both food and travels, and wish I could travel as much as you do.
Sue

I love to eat salad. You share a very delicious salad recipe i will try it.

Heidi,
Made this yesterday and it was REALLY good. It tasted even better the next day.

I can totally relate to the challenges of long flights – I just returned from Shanghai, a mere 26 hours worth of travel to get home and then left 36 hours later for washington DC for the Share our Strength conference of leaders. Was I crazy committing to that right after my trip!? Wish I were home to recharge with your kale salad…

this was delicious! I used lime and parmesan and was floored by how well the flavors came together. thank you!

i make a salad like this but without bread crumbs or chili flakes and with toasted walnuts and dried cranberries or golden raisins. it’s delcious.

I know exactly what you mean about craving extra-wholesome foods after a long trip. I love to travel, but the changes in diet, time zone, routine, and especially the loooong days of flying are wearying, and it always seems like lots of fresh vegetables are the cure for me.

Home is where the good food is. I like something light and fresh. I do not know how you can keep up with everything that you do and still eat right. Keep up the good work and the great post coming.

Heidi, I liked this so much I made it twice in 24hrs! and ate the lot. My tweaks were: I added a finely chopped chili as I didn’t think the flakes gave enough heat and made the rustic bread into rough croutons fried in a bit of olive oil. I also found it improved by sitting for an hour or two not just the 5 or 10 mins as I did the first time. I only had Grano Padano cheese on hand but I will do it again with pecorino. Thanks for a delicious salad, it will be on my menu for as long as the kale lasts

I’m salivating.

This salad looks lovely, but is it important to use lacinato kale in particular in this recipe? Or can a more common variety be substituted? I’m not sure that I’ve ever seen lacinato at my neighbourhood grocery store.

I love kale with poached eggs and although I enjoy raw kale salads such as this, I think your version would be wonderful sautéed with eggs on top. The red pepper flakes and the grated pecorino cheese are such a nice addition. Thanks for the inspiration.

“I ate the kale salad alongside Melissa’s mustard and pickle-spiked tofu salad served on toasted poppy seed wheat bread.” Yum!
This kale recipe sounds lovely, but so does the tofu salad! Could you post that recipe as well? Always looking for new ways to use tofu!

I LOVE this salad. Kale is so earthy and the extra virgin and garlic really shine. I love the kick from the pepper flakes. This is so good!

when i came home from paris, and had traveled 20 hours (with a five year old in tow) the first thing I did was go to the ferry bldg. and get fresh salad ingredients. I feel like jet lag is a mild version of the flu and fresh crispy vegetables is the antidote. Glad to hear the trip went well….

I understand the several days of craving healthy. Happens after vacations and holidays. This looks particularly good for those times. Welcome home.

Kale n’ Garlic…2 of my most favorite ingredients…sounds delish Heidi.
Enjoy your weekend!

I know what you mean about long trips or other ordeal with substandard nutritional conditions can make you feel so awful that you NEED something fresh, green, and delicious! This looks absolutely gorgeous and perfect for October: Unprocessed. Thank you!

I adore kale, but have yet to wrap my mind around a raw dish of it. However. If you and Melissa BOTH applaud it, I am obviously missing out.

What a gorgeous dish.
Thanks for sharing.

My mouth is STILL watering!!!

thanks heidi for another great recipe. I made this tonight w/ cranberry/pecan bread from ELI’S (manhattan) I did let the kale marinate for 2 hours before tossing in the toasted garlic-y bread & pecorino. I will definitely do this w/ millet or quinoa for a GF variation.

Heidi,
Thanks for another great recipe! I am trying to prepare more raw food dishes as they are loaded with live enzymes and so healthy for you. I love salads! Can’t wait to try this one.

Whilst I love all things green and nutritious, I found kale a bit too tough for my tastes. I suppose a bit of extra chewing won’t do me any harm, and with a garlicky, breadcrumb-crunchy topping, I’ll have to give this a try some time.
HS: Merry, Try slicing the kale even thinner than is called for here. Maybe in 1/3-inch strips? They’ll end up even less structured.

Wow, it’s like you’re reading my mind, first with the amazing muffins and then a kale salad! Exactly what I’m in the mood for,

My Russian Red Kale and Italian Kale (Lacinato) are at their best. This recipe was delivered right on time — prego!

Tuscan kale is my current obsession — I grew it for the first time this year, and it’s the garden gift that keeps on giving, and this in a year when almost nothing else did well, so I’m particularly grateful. And speaking of grateful, we have a local pecorino that’s just amazing so when I make this I’ll use a grater-ful of that.

I like to travel but, there is nothing like coming home to your own surroundings. I hope you have a chance to rest up before getting back into the swing of life. Love the salad, too.

Oh that does look like a great meal to come back to! Welcome home!

yay for the radness of kale!

Kale + lemon = perfect match. Sounds like such a clean, satisfying salad.

I wish I liked kale. I have tried several ways and we just don’t care for it. We love greens of all kinds except this one. It is so strange.
I am glad you are home and well!!! I thank you for all your lovely stories and travels and yummy reciepes.

First off – the picture juxtaposing the textures of the kale vs the toast is stunning!
I lived off of raw kale salad this summer – the lemon and salt help to break down the toughness of the Kale a bit, as well as making it tangy and potent. Thanks for sharing! (Though, the weather here in Vermont does not make me want anything raw right now! 🙂 )

Thanks for posting this, Heidi—it’s one of our absolute all-time favorite salads. Very restorative. Welcome home!

This salad looks amazing! Europe to NY is long enough, so I can’t even imagine the extra hours to fly out to CA. Hopefully you can relax!

I am so inspired, I’m making this for dinner tonight!! I just crumbled my bread crumbs and am about to dress the kale. Can’t wait! Thank you!

we’ve been making a salad like this in my house for a while now. recently i made it vegan and gluten-free by using crushed walnuts instead of the cheese and breadcrumbs. (chop the nuts so they’re the texture of breadcrumbs.) i also replaced the olive oil with walnut oil and added hemp seeds. earthy, nutty, delicious.
HS: Love this idea!

Too funny! The first thing I made as soon as I was home from our 2 week back packing trip was a raw kale salad. I was going crazy for some raw veggies!

i love the look of this salad. i love kale. i think i know what i need to make this weekend!

love this salad! one of our favorite local east village joints in nyc called Northern Spy Food Co. started serving it last year with roasted squash and it’s delightful!!

I can absolutely commiserate with your travel ailments. I think the lack of fresh air contributes too. I suspect this salad will also satisfy as a respite from the imminent holiday over-indulgences.

Raw kale salads have become a work lunch staple for me. So much nutrition. I love how few ingredients are in this salad, keeping the attention on the kale.

I am cutting down carbs so I made this salad without the bread. I also reduced the olive oil by a tablespoon. YUMMY!!!!!!
I love kale, but I have been looking for a way to eat it raw without feeling like a rabbit. This is the ticket!

I love Melissa Cark’s new book and kale. I wish I could head up north to the signing tonight. Thanks for the post! Her walnut brown bread is really great as well.

I do believe you just helped me make use of one more vegetable in today’s CSA delivery! I think we’ll be adding it to quinoa and perhaps have a simple soup on the side, perhaps involving leeks since we got a several of those in this week’s CSA as well.

Is kale more nutritious cooked or raw? Always wondered.

I’m so excited to see such an elegant raw kale salad! I am used to massaged raw kale salads with avocado, but it’s inspiring to see one that I could actually serve to guests, and one that won’t leave my hands all greasy from trying to manually wilt the kale.
It’s also a perfect recipe because it’s comprised of ingredients that I always have lying around my house.

Hi Heidi!
Since you’re a kale lover, I thought to pass along the recipe for a wonderful side dish that I recently ate at a tapas bar. It’s a very simple recipe but it must be made a day in advance.
To prepare the dish, tear up kale into pieces and place it in a marinade of coconut milk, cayenne and lemon juice. Marinate overnight. The next day, scoop out the kale and place it on the grill for 20 – 30 seconds. Serve immediately.
The grill adds a lovely smokiness to the creamy coconut flavor and heat of the cayenne. I imagine this would make a great side dish at a barbecue (or with anything – I love kale!).
HS: Totally going to try this. I get it’d be great with grilled tofu and maybe some soba noodles.

Thanks for the kale recipe! I’ll file it away for now because my kale sprouts are still so small in the garden 🙂

I can totally feel for you. I just got back Tuesday after a 18 hour journey from Amsterdam to Connecticut! I have no idea what time of day it is…
This salad looks perfect and simple for someone with major time confusion!

Love your posts and kale! In morning greens smoothies (always with a banana and any fruit), raw salads, more.
The trick I learned recently is to MASSAGE THE KALE – I slice the whole leaves thinly, add a small amount of whatever liquid and massage/knead it like bread (or sauerkraut). It breaks down the fiber, makes it softer. I keep the stems in – they’re the most nutritious part – unless way too old or woody.
Check it out!

Kale is one of the greatest gifts nature gives us — the perfect way to reconnect with ourselves after long travel, hard work, exhaustion. It’s so life-giving!
This salad looks great.

I do love a good kale recipe!
I’ve never heard of Tuscan kale however.

Edible Foods Hawaii had a similar kale recipe. Called for pine nuts for which we substituted macadamia nuts. It did call for massaging the leaves with the lemon juice. Also had some dried cranberries. Everyone loved it and I have beau coup black kale in my garden.
I will be traveling to Spain shortly and you can add on another 16 hours, including layover, from Hawaii. Not my idea of fun but hope it is worth all the downsides. I’ll keep this salad in mind for homecoming.
Thanks for your delightful posts.
Aloha,
Kauairosina

Isn’t home cooked food the best? The last time I was in Italy – though we certainly ate well and loved every second of the trip (especially the food in the Emilia Romagna region) – coming home I was so grateful not only for everything we have available to us here (food renaissance!), but also for the simple pleasure of something made at home.

It looks real healthy and tasy. Perfect for a light lunch. Thanks for posting.

Kale has been on my “to do list” for a long time, and a raw kale recipe sounds even more appealing to a salad lover.

Great salad recipe! I loooove kale!

I’ve been afraid to try kale raw, but it sure looks delicious!

Kale salad prepared this way is one of my favorites, although I’ve never tried it with bread crumbs. It must add a nice texture.

Tuscan kale (cavolo nero) eaten raw is something that definitely inspires me even though I’ve always associated it with long-cooking preparations such as the traditional “ribollita” soup. One idea that has popped up in my head reading your post, is to use it to make a fresh winter pesto instead of basil.
By the way, I fully agree with airline meals: it always, always sucks!
I’m looking forward to reading your next posts about Rome.

I just made it now and am enjoying it for dinner with an egg salad sandwich (not the crappy kind). Gorgeous 🙂

I was just at the market and saw the most beautiful bunch for dinosaur kale and now I am kicking myself for not grabbing it. Your pecorino looks like its the *really* good stuff! My little brother lives in the city and has told me about his beloved cheese shop and lat time I went up north, we didn’t have time to stop in and I’m kicking myself again. A lot of kicking going on here. lol. I think I’ll need to add more lettuce/ kale salads to my recipe page. I often make salads and then don’t write down what I put in them… and also do not take any pictures. Thank you for the inspiration Heidi!

I”m still waiting for Melissa’s book to arrive. So thanks for posting this recipe, which I think I’ll make for guests coming for dinner on Sunday.

Inspiring! I hope to assimilate your craving for healthy food when I land in India nest month! Too many times I end up getting sick!

I’ve been eying Melissa Clark’s new cookbook! This looks like such a healthy dinner. I like that everything you make is so nutritious. I feel healthy just looking at it.

YUM!

oh yay! coming home is just the best, isn’t it? even after a wonderful vacation, lousy air travel is just the punctuation you need to make home seem like the best place in the world.
i am so glad for a new raw kale salad. it’s sweet and in season right now. i can’t get enough kale in my life. yum yum yum. thank you!

Fresh kale and Swiss chard are both showing up in our farmers markets right now. I usually saute mine with lots of garlic and olive oil but I really like your method of making the dressing and letting it wilt the salad a bit. The addition of lemon is probably a perfect touch. I am definitely going to give this a try.

This salad looks soooooo wholesome and satisfying right now. I’ve been in the office all day and can’t wait to get our of this stale air (the air con broke!) and go home and try this. Thanks 🙂

This sounds healthy and tasty! I’ve never made a kale salad — it always finds its way into minestrone-style soups around these parts.

That sandwich and salad sound like the perfect lunch, especially with that poppy seed wheat bread. I’ve been hesitant to try a raw kale salad but this one sounds like it might change that.

Welcome home! 🙂
This has nothing to do with your recipe, but I just wanted to tell you that, from what I can see on this blog and your flickr, there is a great sense of cohesion in your life. Your aesthetic tastes and artistic sensibilities are so consistent from your choice of dinnerware, your recipes, your photographs, and even your dinner table.
It’s beautiful. I love it.

We are very glad that you made it home safe. I hate to travel that long but, it is nice to walk back into your own home. The salad looks wonderful and I know that you needed something easy and nutritious. I make this on very hot days and sometimes late at night for a snack. I can not wait until you share the rest of your trip with us but, take a little time to yourself and enjoy your surroundings again.

Oh i am so with you on the traveling part. Any flight over 8 hours take me about 24 hours to recover from. If there is more than 6+ hour time difference it takes me 3 days to recover. I usually end up needing a vacation from my vacation 🙂 but most of the time i have to get right back to work it is hard.
As far as Kale i am one of those that do not use it enough, i always substitue spinach for Kale, i don’t know why but never bean a huge kale fan. Maybe i am not doing the right recipe. So i must give this salad a try. Thanks! And hope you are recovering.

I love kale. I use it in soups whenever I can – it is so healthy and so underused!
Do you let the salad sit in order for the leaves to soften, or just for the flavors to marinate?