Raw Kale & Radicchio Salad

Below is a recipe for my delicious raw kale and radicchio salad. There are no amounts listed, because it's really according to personal taste, and how many people you are making it for. Just use your judgement!

This salad is definitely not for everyone, as kale and radicchio (see photo to the left) are bitter by nature. Personally, I am a fan of bitter greens, and the dried fruit and aged balsamic vinegar really help counterbalance the bitterness. I could eat this salad all day!

I have included some other options at the bottom of this recipe if dried cherries and blueberries aren't your thing, or you just want to change it up! Also, if you're not sure what kale looks like, take a look at my blog post titled "Kale Chips" from November 2, 2010.

Ingredients:

Organic green Lacinato or Tuscan kale (I don't remove the rib, but you can!)

Organic red/purple Radicchio (Do not confuse it with purple cabbage!)

Dried tart cherries (Trader Joe's carries them)

Dried organic blueberries (Trader Joe's carries them)

Pine nuts (toasted and cooled)

Organic extra virgin olive oil

Aged balsamic vinegar (see note about "aged")

Sea Salt

Lemon

Directions:

Rough chop the kale and radicchio. (Make sure to wash, dry, and chop the bottoms off of each first. You just want the leaves, not the kale stalks or radicchio core.)

Combine the kale and radicchio together with your hands in salad bowl.

Sprinkle with toasted pine nuts, dried tart cherries, dried blueberries, and good sea salt - just a couple pinches of each! (Obviously if you are making this for a group, you'll need more than a pinch.)

Drizzle with olive oil, aged balsamic vinegar, and a couple squeezes of fresh lemon juice.

Toss and enjoy!

Note:

Good, aged balsamic vinegar is on the sweeter and thicker side... almost like a syrup. You can use regular 'ol balsamic vinegar, but it has more of a bite to it. I prefer the sweeter, less vinegary kind with this salad.

Other great options for this salad include pink grapefruit segments, sliced Asian pear, chopped dried apricots, sweet peppers (yellow and orange), salted ricotta, and crumbled goat cheese.