Kale Salad with Dijon Dressing

Okay, kale, it’s green. IT’S GREEN. It’s also very bitter. This is the first time I’m eating it raw. I’ve had it cooked in butter, and that’s always a good thing. I read an article of the benefits of eating lots of kale. Which, I already knew, but it’s GREEN. It said that kale is king of green foods. It’s packed with calcium, minerals, vitamins, fiber and great for those detox’ers. I thought, “What the hell. Why not? I’ll just add my Dijon dressing to it, and all will be right.” All the while, keeping my fingers crossed.

Kale Salad, Photo by Jenny MacBethI took a few handfuls of chopped kale (about 2 cups). Since I didn’t have shredded carrots, I stole a few off the bunnies. Shhh! Buy a bag of shredded carrots, or julienne two small carrots.

Kale Salad, Photo by Jenny MacBethUse about 1/4 cup of parsley and sliced green onions. Add about two tablespoons of sunflower seeds, and one tablespoon of sesame seeds.

Kale Salad, Photo by Jenny MacBethSeason with ground sea salt and ground black pepper. My mistake, I was thinking, “This is going to be one bitter salad,” that I added too much salt. – Trust me, it’s so good that you only need a little.

For my Dijon dressing: Mix together one tablespoon of EVOO and Dijon. Add in one teaspoon of vinegar. – Whisk.

Kale Salad, Photo by Jenny MacBethDrizzle over the greens and toss. This salad is moan worthy.

Secret ingredient: Pair this salad with a Belgian Pale Ale, or even a Blue Moon.

 

Please share your ideas because this girl likes to eat.

 

Top Secret’s Benihana Ginger Salad Dressing by Todd Wilbur

 

Recently, our friend Val sent in a request,

“Dear Girl, I just love the ginger dressing you get from Hibachi restaurants.  Any ideas?”

Why, yes I do! Whenever I eat at a Japanese restaurant, I look forward to the ginger dressing; always requesting extra. I even use the dressing for dipping crusty breads, and sometimes I use it to marinade my Sunday roast, or pork chops. Yummy!

I’ve never been to Benihana, but I have tried “Top Secret Recipes version of Benihana Ginger Salad Dressing” by Todd Wilbur. It is the best dressing. Even better than the average ginger salad found in your local Japanese restaurant.

It’s easy to put together. Todd’s instructions say to use a blender. With using a blender, I’ve found that you need to do a little fine chopping. However, since finding my Immersion Blender, I toss the roughly chopped ingredients into a pot and go at it with my handheld wonder stick. Less clean up too (our least favorite effort to cooking).

Todd has a ton of great recipes to try. You should check out Top Secret Recipes for lots of cool ideas and tips.

Hey Val! Let me know if you try it. This is definitely a win-win dressing.

You can find this recipe here: Top Secret Recipes version of Benihana Ginger Salad Dressing” by Todd Wilbur.