Cut the center stems off the center of the kale. Then cut the kale into small pieces. Add gray sea salt or pink salt, extra virgin olive oil, the juice of a lemon, a bit of organic vinegar and mix and massage into the kale for a full minute. The acids, salt and oil will soften and break down the kale to make it easier to chew. Optional -Puree in a food processor fermented whole garlic and fermented purple onion and mix it well into the kale. The pickled and fermented garlic and onion give it great flavor and it’s a way to eat those really potent vegetables.

Before cutting the kale – check for bugs. Wash each side of the kale under running water and rub each side under the water. Then take a big bowl of water and place a few pieces of kale in the water at a time and swish around and then take it out. Do this to all the kale pieces. There should be much more water to kale so the kale has space to be swished around (called a water bath). Once all the kale swished into the water, check the water for signs of aphids or flies. Or see the check bug checking guides online at OU, OK or Star K. It may be possible to buy hydroponically grown kale.

Once the kale is softened and prepared, add the softer vegetables, like chopped tomato, cucumbers, pepper and romaine lettuce. I only buy hydroponic romaine lettuce since it is a sweet lettuce, and I only use organic which are buggy. To check romaine lettuce, rinse on both sides under running water, then placed in the water bath, then check each side individually on a Bug Checker light box.

I also chop and add fermented pickles. Then I add to the whole salad mixture some more sea salt and extra virgin olive oil and some ground black pepper.

Kale has more protein than steak and this salad is a meal.
Kale is real super food since it has all the benefits of being both a dark green vegetable (anti-cancer and anti-oxidants) and also in the cruciferous vegetable family, (helps detox, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory) along with broccoli and cauliflower. It’s even healthier than the broccoli and cauliflower since it’s being eaten raw.