Lish’s Kale Goma-ae Salad

This recipe comes from recent cabin times spent with friends on the west coast of Washington. Think cold winter ocean air, freezing beach beers and a Saturday night feast. With two of us in the kitchen, I handled the roasted meat things and my friend Lish delighted us with her kale Goma-ae salad. The perfect side dish and healthy addition to a heavy meal, this recipe is quick and an excellent way to get your greens in after a weekend of indulgence.

Serves: 4

Cooks in: 10 min

INGREDIENTS

• A handful of toasted sesame seeds

• ½ cup of creamy peanut butter

• 2 cloves of garlic, minced

• ½ inch of ginger, minced

• 3 tbsp soy sauce, Braggs or tamari

• 1-2 tbsp honey or maple syrup

• 1 tbsp rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar

• 3 bunches of Lacinato kale or black kale, washed well and cut into strips

• Salt

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Fill a pot with water, salt it and bring it to a boil.

2. While this is going on, toast the sesame seeds in a pan on medium heat until you smell that roasty toasty-ness.

3. Then in a separate bowl, whisk together peanut butter, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, honey, and vinegar and set aside.

4. Take the kale, strip the leafy part from the stem and cut it into strips.

5. In batches, add the kale to the boiling water and blanch for 2-3 min until kale is wilted.

6. Remove kale from water, soak in ice water or run under cold water to stop it from cooking further.

7. Pat dry / gently squeeze out extra liquid.

8. Add the kale and sesame seeds to the bowl of sauce, and toss until nicely coated.

9. Serve with a tiny squeeze of lemon juice for added brightness.