KALE CAESAR SALAD
The idea of a kale Caesar salad is a natural extension of
the marinated kale salad (see here). Caesar dressing,
which naturally pairs with slightly bitter, very crunchy
lettuces, seems like a perfect partner in crime. And it is.
A typical Caesar salad comes with large, crunchy
croutons. In this version, rather than large chunks, I
break up the bread into very small pieces using a food
processor. Once tossed with a bit of olive oil and baked
until crisp, the croutons become ultra crunchy because of
their increased surface area. When you toss them with the
salad, they adhere to the greens. Every bite you take
includes these little bits of sweet, toasty, olive oil–coated
crunch.
And the greatest part of the recipe? Store the dressed
kale in the fridge and the croutons in a sealed container
on the countertop (they get soggy if you store them with
the salad). The dressed kale will stay crisp for at least
three days, meaning whenever you want a perfectly
dressed, crisp and crunchy salad, it’s as easy as opening
the container, sprinkling on the croutons, and serving.
It’s dangerously simple, but overindulging in kale has
never been a great fear of mine.