Sesame-Agave Massaged Kale & Udon Noodle Salad

Sesame-Agave Massaged Kale & Udon Noodle Salad

I love kale. It's delicious raw. It's delicious cooked. It's an amazing superfood. It's packed with Vitamins K, A, C and E. It also has calcium, iron, manganese, copper, calcium, fiber, vitamin B6, potassium and even Omega 3 Fatty acids. It's full of antioxidant properties as well, perfect for warding off nasty ailments.

I recently created this new salad and have found an even bigger place in my heart for kale. You can tweak the recipe below to be stronger on any flavor you desire. The trick to this salad and making the kale tender enough to chew and enjoy raw (assuming you're not a dinosaur and you may not be able to chew through a tree) is massaging the leaves with the acidic ingredients to break it down.

Ingredients

• 1 Bunch Kale (I prefer curly leaf green or purple) - rinsed and chopped
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tsp Rice Vinegar
• 1 tsp Olive Oil
• 2 tsp Sesame Oil
• 2 tsp Agave Nectar (or honey if you don't have agave)
• 1 cup cooked and rinsed Udon Noodles (cook to package directions breaking noodles into bite size pieces, rinse under cold water and drain)
• 1/8 cup finely diced red onion or 1 finely diced shallot
• 1 TBSP Sesame Seeds
• Kosher Salt and Black Pepper to taste

Directions

1. Combine the kale, lemon juice and rice vinegar in a large mixing bowl. With your hands, massage all ingredients together for about 3 minutes. The kale will become noticeably more tender. Don't be afraid to really get in there and give the kale a good rub down.
2. Add the olive oil, sesame oil and agave nectar. Give it another 30 seconds or so of massaging and mixing until it has all come together nicely.
3. Toss in the noodles, onion (or shallot), & sesame seeds.
4. Add kosher salt and black pepper to taste
5. Let stand 5-10 minutes (or longer if desired), toss and serve

Hope you enjoy this as much as we've been!