Do you eat kale? If you say “what’s kale?”, you are not alone. I’ve never heard of it growing up in Japan, and even after I moved to the States. I never actually ate kale until 2 years ago. I saw many kale recipes on food blogs and one day I gave it a try and I really liked it. I’ve made kale chips and Kale Soup before and this time I made this delicious Mango Kale Salad.
My mom used to tell me vegetables with deep color have a higher concentration of nutrients and I have always been pretty good about eating my veggies. Now that I’m mom, I try my best to feed my family nutritious food and serve them all kinds of veggies.
Why is Kale Good for You
Kale, also known as borecole, is one of the healthiest vegetables. One cup of chopped kale contains just 33 calories and 9% of the daily value of calcium, 206% of vitamin A, 134% of vitamin C, and 684% of vitamin K (source). It also has cancer-fighting Phytonutrients and sulforaphane, lutein for healthy eyes, fibers, carotenoids, and a good source of copper, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus (source). Kale is a super powerful green food!
But how about the flavor? This leafy green vegetable is a bit bitter and has a mild earthy flavor, but not as pungent as mustard greens. Even if you have a doubt, I think it’s worth giving it a try for the sake of good nutritious value. You may actually enjoy eating it, like my husband who was pleasantly surprised by how delicious it was.
Softening Kale Leaves
When I saw this kale salad recipe, I knew this was the next kale recipe that I wanted to try. Eating raw kale was a new idea to me and I was very intrigued. I actually like kale in a salad the best among all the kale recipes I tried; it’s the easiest and quickest kale recipe, and it is really yummy! By massaging the kale with seasonings, it loses the hard leafy texture and becomes silky smooth.
I’m really happy to share a recipe with a wonderful nutritious value that I enjoy. I am hoping that I inspire you to try kale and that you will enjoy it as much as I do!
Wish to learn more about Japanese cooking? Sign up for our free newsletter to receive cooking tips & recipe updates! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram.
Massaged Kale Salad with Mango
Ingredients
- 3 cups kale (stalks removed and discarded, thinly sliced leaves)
- ½ lemon (squeezed, save juice)
- 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (I used blood orange fused olive oil. Squeeze a bit of orange juice for a similar flavor.)
- kosher salt (Diamond Crystal; use half for table salt)
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 champagne mango (diced small)
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
- Combine all ingredients except for mango in a large bowl.
- Using your hands massage the kale until soft, about 1 minute.
- Add chopped mango, toss all together, and serve.
