KITCHEN CURATIONS: KALE AND APPLE SLAW

As some of you may already know, I recently started volunteering with an amazing organization called Wellness in the Schools, also known as WITS. WITS was started in the hopes of improving the nutrition quality of school food. What began as a local initiative has grown into a nation-wide mission – one that I could not be happier to be a part of.

My role is to go into the schools, along with a WITS chef, and either help teach the kids how to prepare healthy foods, such as applesauce, or to actually provide the kids with a taste of a healthy new dish that they might have never tried before. This time, the chef and I decided on a Kale and Apple Slaw. To be honest, I wasn’t so sure a dish of this nutrition caliber (read: healthy) would excite so many elementary school children, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much they loved it.

Inspired by the success with the little ones, I decided to make another version of this dish to share with you all.

But I should warn you, while this salad is super simple to make, having proper knife skills will take this dish to another level. Getting your food cut just right can make a big difference to a dish. It’s honestly worth investing in a few good knives and a basic knife skills cooking class (perhaps taught by me!) so that you can safely and skillfully make delicious food.

INGREDIENTS: serves 4

Salad:

• 1 medium Pink Lady apple
• ½ medium red onion
• ½ lemon
• 11 medium stalks of kale
• ½ cup raw walnut pieces

Dressing:

• 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 Tbsp honey
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cut apple into thin matchsticks and place in a bowl.
2. Cut raw onion into thin slices and add to apples.
3. Squeeze the juice over the apple and onion and mix until apples are coated in juice.
4. Cut kale into thin strips, discarding the thick stem at the bottom.
5. Place kale in a separate bowl and massage with hands until leaves become tender.
6. In a third bowl mix dressing ingredients until well combined.
7. Pour half of the dressing mixture over the kale and massage once again with hands.
8. Combine walnuts, kale, apple, and onion in one bowl and mix.
9. Add more dressing as needed.

A FEW NOTES ABOUT THIS RECIPE:

• Yes, basic knife skills are important…but truly so easy to get the hang of. Don't be intimidated!
• Massaging kale might sound weird, and it honestly feels weird to do. But it’s so worth it. Working the leaves helps to tenderize them, making the kale much more pleasant to eat. You’ll be able to feel and see the difference instantly and the leaves will turn a darker and brighter green.
• Make sure to slice those onions super thin! Trust me, no one likes to bite into a big chunk of pungent onion.
• This salad should keep well in the fridge for several days (even when already dressed), so tonight’s dinner can be tomorrow’s lunch! It's totally a win-win.