Lest you think I only gush about salad on first dates, I’m here with a kale party for you. Here’s the post where I try to convince you that what your kale needs is a little massaging to take it to the next level.

I, honestly, like kale. Not just because it’s something that it seems like we’re supposed to like these days. It shouldn’t be a punishment– something you eat so you can indulge later. To make kale work for you, you just need to work a bit for kale. Give it a good rubdown. With just a little lovin’ you kale will be tender and flavourful.
We’ve just reunited with my twin in Vancouver and are boarding the cruise ship he performs on later today. This is our third time meeting him at sea over the years and I’ve learned a bit about cruising–mostly that there is an art to eating on a cruise ship. The food is so good and so plentiful that I feel like you need a strategy unless you want to disembark a little heavier than you were before. My strategy is mostly that breakfast and lunch are light and kale-y, take advantage of the beautiful gym on board, and go nuts at dinner time. We’ll see how it works out this time; hopefully I don’t have to be rolled off at the end of the week. (We’ve already enjoyed a chocolatey breakfast in West Vancouver, thanks Temper!)

Confetti Kale Salad (Adapted from a recipe I found in The Ottawa Citizen, but it’s from one of the Moosewood Cookbooks!)
Makes 8 cups
½ cup fresh orange juice
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
¼ cup olive oil
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp freshly ground pepper
1 large, firm apple, shredded (1 to 2 cups) – I like to use Granny Smith
1 cup shredded green or red cabbage
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup minced celery
¼ cup minced green onions
3 cups shredded kale, packed
¼ cup toasted sunflower seeds or nuts

To make the vinaigrette, whisk together the orange and lemon juices, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper.
Remove the spines from the kale and massage the leaves between your hands with a little bit of olive oil. Add some vinaigrette to the shredded apple so it doesn’t discolour. Combine the rest of the vegetables with the apple, kale and vinaigrette. Toss in toasted sunflower seeds (toasted pepitas/pumpkin seeds or nuts work well, too). Enjoy!reunited in Vancouver!:)