Kale + Pumpkin Seed Salad

Kale.

What are my thoughts on kale?  Well, I know it's good for you...a superfood actually!  I've read that kale is one of the healthiest vegetables out there and is rich in vitamin A, C, and K {the cancer fighting kind}.  It's no wonder it's becoming so popular!  But is it actually good?  After seeing an increased frequency of recipes and menu items involving kale, I decided it was high-time to broaden my taste buds and become more familiar with this type of leafy green.  

First of all...I didn't realize there were some many different types of kale.  There's the curly kind and the purple kind...there is even the dinosaur kind!  How do you know which one to choose?  Hmmm...I perused the supermarket aisle and just chose one blindly.  When I got home, I was super intimidated!  The leaves were dense and there was a thick {and I mean, really thick!} stem running right up the middle.  How do I prepare this?  And would it be edible in the end?  I ultimately de-stemmed each leaf and chopped the leaves up to small bite size pieces.  Chopped kale seems much more edible.  And really, once I got it down to a chopped status, the dense leaves didn't seem so bad.

In order to appreciate the kale, I prepared this simple salad.  I just added toasted pumpkin seeds and shredded parmesan.  I dressed the salad in a organic pomegranate dressing and it was perfection.  Apparently, the longer kale sits in dressing, the better.  And next time I think I'll add some pomegranate seeds or dried cranberry.

I'm surprised with how much I actually like kale and want to start using it in more.  While it is dense {and that might take some getting used to}, the sweet dressing actually compliments the bitter leaf and brought out the flavor.  Apparently kale can also be braised or roasted...and makes excellent chips.  Who knew?! 

Are you a fan of kale?  If so, what's your favorite way to prepare it?

xo natasha

PS...today is the last day to enter to win a designer diaper bag!!