I like to get a little intimate with my greens from time to time. Before I bite into a big mouthful of kale, I want to help it relax by giving it a nice, deep massage–with olive oil.  Oh yeah!  Really get your hands into this one, the more you massage, the easier it will be to digest this uber-fibrous, nutrient powerhouse of a vegetable.  Once, it’s all relaxed, then you hit it with a bevy of Mediterranean flava (olives, tomatoes, tahini dressing, etc) and the deliciousness is undeniable.  It will be like you and this salad were made for each other!!

Mediterranean massaged kale salad

• 1 bunch kale, de-stemmed and chopped
• 1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 10-12 olives
• ¼ cup cherry tomatoes, halved (optional)
• whole grain croutons (optional)
• sesame seeds (optional)

Tahini Dressing

• 1/4 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 lemon, juiced (2 tablespoons)
• salt and pepper, to taste
• pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
• water to thin, begin with 2 Tablespoons and add more until you’re at your desired consistency

De-stem and chop the kale into bite sized pieces.  Drizzle the kale with olive oil and massage the oil into leaves, coating them evenly.
In a separate bowl combine the ingredients for the tahini dressing.  Mix thoroughly, it can take a little elbow grease to fully incorporate the tahini.

Taste the dressing and make any adjustments.

Pour dressing over the salad and toss to combine.  Then garnish with olives, tomatoes, croutons and sesame seeds!

Quinn Asteak is a featured In The Kitchen contributor and an holistic-health coach/ cooking teacher teaching people to have fun in the kitchen! For more about her click here for her full bio and all of her articles!