Yesterday was sort of an off day. Despite my best intentions at being productive, nothing really worked out as planned. Do you ever have those days that just feel…clumsy?
I spent my workday putting out small, totally unnecessary fires due to silly client and project management mistakes. I attempted to make a simple batch of kale chips for lunch that I over-salted to the point of being inedible (tragic). And what began as a rainy morning, turned into an all out mini blizzard that squashed my afternoon gym plans.
The snow wouldn’t have mattered too much, except I had been invited to attend a preview event for a pop up dinner opening in Boston next week. I did my makeup, put on “real” clothes, and Aaron even sweetly remarked that I “looked like his wife” – not like the disheveled person he sees in pajamas when he leaves for work, and gym clothes when he comes home. I have a whole new appreciation for stay-at-home moms who manage to find time to look presentable. I can’t even handle a puppy, let alone a kid.
We made it half way to the dinner before almost having to swerve into the curb so we didn’t hit the car in front of us, because Boston decided to let nature run its course and not plow or treat the roads. I get that they’re trying to go all winter without spending money on snow plows, but come on. It’s New England – deal with it.
I would love to say that I came home and made this glorious, massaged kale salad for dinner instead. Nope. It was three hours past my dinner time at this point, we ordered pizza, I ate one slice too many, and then I proceeded to pass out on the couch. No vegetables in sight.
This was a salad I made the day before, on a much more productive day, combining my current favorite foods – crunchy kale, creamy avocado, and grapefruit that, for a split second, makes it feel like summer. All tossed in a refreshing ginger dressing.
The only glitch that happened with this salad was when I dropped half a lemon on the floor. As I yelled “nooooooo” in what felt like slow motion, Olive quickly leapt from her dog bed, swooped in under my feet, and housed the ENTIRE half a lemon. No chewing involved.
Tasted like chicken.
Horrified, I looked at her, expecting to see an expression of surprise and a grimace, but instead, she seemed quite pleased with herself. Way to go, Doofus.
- For the Salad:
- 6 C. Raw Chopped Kale, stems removed
- 1 Grapefruit
- 1 Small Avocado
- For the Dressing:
- 1 Tsp. Freshly Grated Ginger
- 1 Tbs. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Tbs. Braggs Liquid Aminos (or low sodium soy sauce)
- Juice of ½ Lemon
- ½ Tbs. Agave (maple syrup or honey would also work)
- Place the chopped kale in a large bowl and set aside.
- Prepare the dressing by adding the freshly grated ginger, olive oil, Braggs, lemon juice, and agave to a small bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Pour the dressing over the kale, and using your hands, massage the kale for 1-2 minutes until the kale is tender and most of the dressing has been absorbed. Set the kale aside.
- Prepare the grapefruit by removing the skin (first slicing off the top and bottom, and then the sides, making sure to remove as much of the pith as possible). Next, cut the grapefruit segments apart (these are called supremes) and cut each supreme in half.
- Slice the avocado into small, bite-sized pieces.
- Add the grapefruit and avocado to the large bowl of kale. Toss to combine and enjoy!
{ 34 comments… read them below or add one }
Hahaha! I had one of those days this week. Plus a puppy on top of all of it is definitely a challenege! Don’t worry about the lemon. One time my dog picked up a Small Christmas light bulb, held it in between his teeth, and then when I yelled “nooo!” he chomped down on the bulb and ate it! Don’t worry he was totally unaffected by the whole thing.
Oh no, a Christmas light?! Olive would totally do the same thing. Glad to know your dog was fine after that!
While this salad looks incredibly fresh and delicious, the best part of this post is the name of the picture of Olive when you hover over the picture. “Olive lemon eater” hahaha. Have a great weekend!
haha I’m adding that to her ever-expanding list of nicknames.
Three of my absolute favorite foods right now, can’t get enough of them- this looks fantastic!!
I love the caption on the picture of Olive. My dogs eat the most insane stuff off of the floor in my kitchen as well. I think the most disturbing for me to watch was a habanero potato chip, gone with no reaction.
That salad looks wonderful, kale is one of my favorites.
I don’t think a habanero would phase Olive either. She has an affinity for eating rocks, so…
I’m so happy kale is on sale at WF this week!!!! And I have a grapefruit cpn.
Clearly this was meant to be…
PS thanks for all of your constant support over the past several months. You commented once about the great thing about the blogging community and you’ve certainly showed me that.
Guess I will be going to town on kale this week! I need to make a WF trip, so that works out well!
No problem – I couldn’t be more happy for you. You have such an exciting journey ahead of you – all of your hard work has certainly paid off!
I definitely don’t have enough kale or grapefruit in my life. This looks great!
One can never have enough kale or grapefruit.
Gotta love roads that aren’t plowed- doesn’t that make it SO much fun to drive?! Glad you guys didn’t get in an accident!
The salad looks beautiful. And I can’t believe Olive ate the lemon in one bite- crazy!! Although I could see my guys (or at least Jackson) do the same thing. They just wait for food to drop…
One of the things we’re working on in puppy training is teaching Olive not to eat food off the floor, unless we give it to her. The trainer will throw food near the puppies and we have to walk around the room and correct them when they try to eat it. I think Olive is capable of mastering that, but it’s going to take a looooong time!
Ahh, puppies are good to have around because you never have to worry about cleaning up fallen food but they’re a pain to have around because sometimes they shouldn’t eat that fallen food.
Meanwhile, the salad looks great! I have done grapefruit and kale together and have been meaning to try avocado in there, too. Now I’ll just do it all together!
you might have the cutest puppy in the world. no. you HAVE the CUTEST puppy in the world! you have pickles honey and OLIVE?! who’s olive?
Thanks, Jasper! Olive is the new puppy (pointer mix), and Honey is my puggle. Pickles is actually my parents’ puggle, but she and Honey are best friends and basically grew up together. There’s a picture of Pickles and Honey on my “About” page.
Sorry – I meant the “Why Pickles & Honey” page: http://www.picklesnhoney.com/why-pickles-honey/
I just used avocado in my latest post too. Such a magical…fruit? vegetable? Well regardless, it’s good, haha.
I think it’s a fruit?
I just made this salad for lunch and added some leftover grilled chicken…it is sooo yummy! Thanks!
Glad you liked it!
Made this last night for dinner. Added some grilled chicken and toasted walnuts. It was delicious!! Our new favorite salad.
I’m so happy to hear that you liked it!
Hello Amanda!
I’m a personal trainer and a dietetic intern. I teach nutrition classes at my gym and often do food demos, both at work, and as an intern. I recently used this recipe in two classes, both of which were about fats in the diet.
I stumbled upon this recipe one day and it has been a hit. Everybody loves it! We used the following article in the class as well: http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/07/for-best-results-dont-eat-your-salad-with-a-fat-free-dressing/259422/
This salad with the oil based dressing was a great fit. I modified it by adding carrots (for more carotenoids), and for one class, I added some slow cooked chicken with the same flavors as a marinade. Thanks for this and I referenced your site in my hand outs!
Hey Tiffany! I’m so glad my recipe was a hit! The combination of buttery avocado and tart grapefruit is one of my favorites.
Hi Amanda
I’ve no idea how I stumbled upon your blog but so happy I did! After deciding I would add your incredibly tasty, healthy salad to our Thanksgiving menu I read on … all your stories about Olive, et al, the struggle to re-home her to a situation that was better suited for everyone, especially Olive. It’s clear to me that not only are you an excellent cook and writer, but you are a warm, caring, good soul. And that is most important of all.
We all LOVED your salad (and it’s beee-uuu-tiful to boot). What a find! We will continue to enjoy your recipe for many moons. Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving weekend : )
Wendy
Haverford, PA
Thank you, Wendy! Your comment made my day.
I’m so happy to hear that you loved the salad!
I just about choked on my (fresh) grapefruit juice when I read about Olive eating the lemon! It’s usually my son who steals the lemon while I’m cooking…I was having a grapefruit moment, sipping some juice, browsing for recipes, and ran across yours. I might like to share your recipe on my facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/TheHighHeeledHippie) for my market garden. I will be returning to our local market first part of February with fresh kale, unless it washes away in the next day or two. I like to share recipes with my customers using items I grow. I will check back with you after I have a chance to get in the kitchen if that’s ok. Thanks!
That was a funny moment. I thought for sure Olive would at least make a funny face, but she wasn’t phased at all. Apparently, she like lemons!
I would love for you to link back to my recipe post from your facebook page!
Thanks for posting the ingredients and instructions for making this salad. I much enjoyed this recipe. This made very delicious in first time.
i haven’t had a chance to make this yet but I love grapefruit and avocado tether and this looks great! I’ve included you in a round up of the 25 tastiest kale recipes I could find on the interwebs. It lives here: http://www.creativegreenliving.com/2013/02/25-great-ways-to-eat-kale.html
Thanks again for the great recipe!
Thanks so much for including my recipe! I’m looking forward to checking out the others in your round up.
Great salad! My first experience sectioning a grapefruit and I’m pleased to say your tutorial was fool-proof. After sectioning it, I just squeezed the remaining fruit in my hand over a bowl and used 1 T. of it in place of the lemon juice. I’d also never massaged kale and that was a cinch, too. Loved the flavor combination of the kale, grapefruit, and avocado.
Thanks, Jalaine! It’s always nice to hear that my recipes are easy to follow.
Glad you enjoyed the salad!
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