Warm Winter Kale Salad

This salad is a lovely way to enjoy a nutrient packed green.  Kale is high in Vitamins A and C, as well as beta-carotene, and minerals iron, manganese, calcium, and potassium. Serve this salad warm or cold, to company or for a Tuesday night dinner, and know that you’re feeding your cells as well as your taste buds.

Serves 4
2 bunches of Kale (any variety is fine)
2 red peppers
1/2 cup thinly sliced carrots
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup marinated articoke hearts optional
Dressing: Sesame Miso dressing

1. Preheat oven to broil. Cut peppers in 2, removing stems and seeds.  Place on baking sheet with skin side up. Broil for about 10 minutes or until most of the skin is black.  Take out of the oven and put on plate with a metal bowl ontop, or into a ziplock baggie, as long as they are sealed in so that they can steam.  After peppers have cooled slightly (about 15-20minutes) skins should peel off easily.  Discard the skins and cut peppers into stripes.

2. Meanwhile, put pumpkin seeds on a baking sheet with oven at 350˚ and roast for 6 minutes.

3. Cut carrots into thin matchsticks (or just rounds if you’re short on time).

4. Wash kale and rip the leaves off stems into bite-sized pieces.  Place in steamer and steam for 3-5 minutes until kale is bright green.

5. Place peppers, pumpkin seeds, carrots, articoke hearts, and kale into a salad bowl and toss with one recipe of Sesame Miso Ginger dressing. Can be served cold, but is especially nice warm.