Wow! This is great. I can't believe I said that.

The idea of eating kale has always repulsed me. I am no fan of greens as my husband will freely admit. He loves turnip greens, kale, etc., cooked till limp, with bacon bits, vinegar, etc. As a transplanted northerner, I had to learn how to cook them. My husband is a midwesterner too, but has southern relatives and as such he grew up with greens, biscuit and gravy, etc. He enjoys how I cook them, and always says "try just a little." My response is, "Um, dollface, I tried them last time I cooked them, and the time before that, and the time before that, because you asked. You can stop asking now."

However, I have found a very lovely way to eat kale. I tried a salad like this at Whole Foods recently. Only a smidgen from the salad bar made its way onto my plate, but I was soon wishing I had a larger quantity. Hubs was out of town. I texted him: "guess who just ate kale...and liked it a lot?" His response: "*faint*".

Apparently kale is one of the very best foods you can eat, chock full of vitamins and nutrients. This makes it not only bearable, but actually VERY nice indeed. The lemon seems to take all the bitterness away that I was expecting.

My salad (that's not my photo, it's the recipe creator's, who offers the html freely to post on one's blog) did NOT include tomatoes. But it might be good. And some folks use pine nuts, but that is WAY out of my budget at present.

My kale was from the fabulous organic growers at Delvin Farms, who are fellow vendors at the farmers' market.

You gotta try this. No, really. I can't even believe I said that. ;-)

Ingredients
4-5 leaves of Curly Kale

Sea Salt

Olive Oil (Extra Virgin)

1-2 Lemons

Dried Cranberries

Sliced Almonds or Pine Nuts

Tomatoes (if desired)

This was one of my first raw dishes. It's very easy to prepare and can be eaten immediately, or prepared in advance for lunch or dinner.

First grab a nice bowl. I tend to prepare in the serving bowl, so I also make sure its nice looking for the table. With the bowl by your cutting board, its time to prepare the Kale.

For safety, because not all stores clean their green vegetables well, rinse Kale with cool water; then pat or shake off excess.

On cutting board, I cut off excess stem, in a 'V' motion going up into the green, but not too far. About an inch or so where the stem is surrounded by greens, but still thick.

Once the excess stem is removed, it is time to cut the leaves. Flat cuts across work, but I like the greens more bite size, so I continue with an angled motion, cutting off from both sides. Place cut Kale leaves into the bowl.

Pour about 1/8th cup Olive Oil on the greens. You can eye, this. You just want enough oil to coat the leaves. After adding oil, take one of the fresh lemons, slice and juice it over the greens as well. Remember to catch the seeds.

The lemon adds a nice tart flavor. If you let the recipe sit for an hour or more, will also mellow the greens, making them softer and easier to digest.

Sprinkle a little sea salt over them, a pinch or two should do, but season to taste. Then mix.

I use my hands to gentle mix olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and greens together. Making sure each green is covered.

Now to add the extras. Dried cranberries will add a nice sweet flavor to the mix, or if you prefer tart just stick to tomatoes (cherry or grape tomatoes work well as well).

Pine nuts can be added directly into the mix, and stirred again. But when using almond slices, I add after I've plated the dish.

If desired, the second lemon can be cut into wedges, so those who like more tart can add more lemon juice individually.

Totally prep time, is under 10 minutes."