This has become my staple salad, it tastes great and is fantastically versatile. This recipe makes a dozen side-salad servings, possibly more.
1 Red onion
Kale, you can use one of those big pre-washed/chopped bags or a couple of whole-leaf bunches
8 Carrots
3 Beets (fresh/raw)
juice of 2-3 lemons
1/2 to 3/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic minced
Salt
1/2 teaspoon or to taste of Cayenne pepper
I utilize the food processor pretty heavily for this one. I also prefer to buy organic kale. Kale appears in EWG's dirty dozen list of produce with high levels of pesticides. If I cannot find organic kale I wash my kale with water and baking soda in a pot or sanitized sink, then rinse and dry. Wash the other produce as well.
Cut the onion into pieces just small enough to fit in the processor and use the thin slicing blade. Put the sliced onions in a small container, pour cider vinegar over the onions and set aside.
Using the large slicing blade process the kale EVEN IF YOU USE PRE-WASHED/CHOPPED KALE run it through the processor; no one wants to chew on a 1-inch kale stem. Place the processed kale into a very large bowl add a teaspoon or your preferred amount of salt to the kale, toss and then bruise the kale by squeezing bunches of it in your hands. (This tip on preparing kale was courtesy of Heather Nauta)
Using the standard shredding blade process the carrots and beets, add to the bowl with the kale.
Add the minced garlic, take care not to allow clumps of minced garlic to form or someone will get an intense bite later on.
Take your container of sliced onions and swish the vinegar over the the onions or seal the container and shake. The point is to replace the volatile acid in the onion with the more palatable cider vinegar. Drain the onions and add to the bowl with the kale.
Add the lemon juice, olive oil, and Cayenne pepper, toss well.
The salad is now ready to be eaten as is. In addition to eating this salad raw I often reduce some balsamic vinegar in a pan, add some of the salad and heat until the kale stems are softened.
For those of us that still eat meat: cook some steaks in an iron or steel skillet, deglaze the pan with balsamic vinegar, reduce the vinegar, add some salad and cook/wilt until the stems are softened and enjoy.
