raw kale salad with toasted coconut and grapes

Happy vernal equinox, everyone. These have been some of our more mild winter skies this year, but the idea of spring has never seemed so relieving. Frost-resistant vegetables, including kale, have already come through.

Kale is a miraculous plant for us humans. It offers a bounteous harvest of essential vitamins and minerals, including the ones that are harder to find, like omega-3 or vitamin K. It is particularly great for vegetarians (like us) by providing calcium and iron. Kale is also a cruciferous vegetable, which means it can bring on flatulence, so be careful. Choose young little leaves for a milder flavor, and be sure to de-stem them.

We used cheap sweetened coconut flakes, and toasted them in the toaster oven for just a few minutes. If you haven’t done this before to your coconut, it’s worth it.

We paired this kale with almost double the amount of romaine, so that it wouldn’t scare anyone off. Also, toasted coconut, almonds, and grapes, and mint make this salad sweet and nutty and delightsome.Thank whatever gods may be for your unconquerable soul, for the unconquerable spring, and for kale.

Raw Kale Salad with Toasted Coconut and Grapes

1 generous cup of chopped young kale leaves
8 romaine leaves, rolled up and chopped
1/2 cup chopped salted, dry roasted almonds (any will do, but the salted ones added a nice balance to the sweet here)
1/2 cup toasted sweetened coconut flakes
1/2 cup halved grapes
2 tbsp chopped mint leaves

dressing:
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
sea salt to taste

Combine all items together, and whisk dressing ingredients separately before adding.