The grocery store I most frequent, 14 Carrot in Lexington, SC (for those of you local readers), makes a few salads and what-nots for the ready-made deli case. They’re really those wacky kind of foods like tofu, wheat grass quiche and mock chicken veganaise salad. Bleh! They never, ever look appetizing.  I took a look at the ingredients of their Kale salad, cringed, and then decided I’d try to riff it. The result: literally 10 minutes from prep to mouth, made and served in one bowl, and tastes like the seaweed salad we order (and pay $4/serving for) when we go out for sushi. It’s a refreshing, cold, crunchy bowl of happiness.

Ingredients

• 2 bunches kale, torn into bite size pieces, no stems (something the kiddies can do)
• a little bit of water
• 1/4 c sesame oil
• 2 T wheat free soy sauce or coconut aminos (my newest acquisition, pretty cool, ya?)
• 2 T sesame seeds

Method

Place about 1/4 c of  of water in a large, microwave safe bowl. Add the torn kale and seal the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Place in the microwave for 1 minute increments, peeking into the bowl during each cycle. What you’re doing is creating steam from the little puddle of water and a light, semi-permeable plastic wrap seal. It’s done when the  kale has steamed and wilted, this should take around 3 minutes.

Unwrap the bowl and be careful not to steam-burn yourself. Once the kale is cool enough to handle, pour out the water and squeeze the kale until most of the water is gone.

Add the rest of ingredients and mix to combine. Serve at room temperature or cold.