I’m sure you’re DYING for a new kale salad recipe, you know, because there aren’t enough on the internets already. But guess what? This isn’t a recipe! It’s just an explanation of my favorite way to eat said leafy green in a recipe-like manner. That’s better, right? So here goes: my favorite way to eat kale is raw, in a salad, with very minimal dressing, lots of cheese, and topped with seeds and/or nuts. So simple and easy, yet crazy good. Here are the details:

For a single bowl of salad (you can double it/triple it, etc), I use about 4-5 kale leaves (organic Lacinato kale! forget that curly-leaf stuff), de-stem them, wash them thoroughly, and then chop finely. After I place them in a bowl, I give them a quick hand massage for about a minute or so. I’m serious, y’all! Kale needs to be massaged. It breaks down the fibrous fibery things. Sorry, I don’t know food terms. But do it – it makes the salad way better.

A squeeze of lemon (about a teaspoon) and one swirl of extra virgin olive oil (again, about a teaspoon) to dress it. Totally eye-ball it though. It should be really lightly dressed, you don’t want it too heavy. A pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Then lots of grated cheese (I use Parmigano Reggiano, but really any kind will do). And good heavens, don’t forget the cheese. Add as much as you’d like. I also toss in about a tablespoon of sunflower seeds because I love a good crunch to my salads, but you can add more or less. And if you’re opposed to sunflower seeds, any seed or nut will do. That’s really it. Don’t forget to eat it all up because remember, it’s super healthy and good for you. Plus, the cheese cancels out when you are eating it with kale so that’s like double the health.