Kale Caesar-ish salad - a stress relieving salad. no, really.

Leah here. Today has been....difficult. Not bad, but challenging. Sundays are never a walk in the park. It's my fault, too. I totally veg out on Friday night. Usually we get takeout food and always I catch up on my week of DVRed trash TV.  We live Saturday to the fullest. Trips to the farmers market. Lots of backyard playing. Long naps. Then either another takeout dinner or something easy and comforting. Then Sunday comes and it's time to face the reality of planning for the new week ahead. This means menu planning, grocery shopping, laundry, general house cleaning, ironing those things in need of it. In protest I often stay in my pjs until noon.

Today was no different but throw in a rambunctious and newly hard headed, nay, DRAMATIC 27 month old and this mommy was worn out. I sent hubs out to run errands, plopped kiddo in front of the TV and tried to gain control of my kitchen / laundry situation. You know when you just CAN'T stay on top of it? I'd clear the dishes and then it was time to switch the laundry. Kiddo dumps box of legos all over the living room. We clean that up and it's time for her lunch. More dishes and mess to clear. I swear I could sweep four times a day and not control the crumbs and general grit that is my kitchen floor. DING! Another load of laundry is done. By nap time, I was READY for a break. And for my lunch. And I settled on a very stress relieving salad.

SALAD!? "Leah!" you're yelling at me, "We don't come here for stinking salads!" Well, burritos and baked goods soon enough, friends. Today we're talking salad. A kale salad with Caesar-ish flavors. You'll feel like you're getting away with something bad for you. You'll chomp on chewy kale and your stress will slip away through your jaws and your tension will be tamed by your full, soothed belly.

First of all, I LOVE Tracy and her ShutterBean blog. She's great on Twitter, tries out a lot of recipes she finds online like I like to do, PLUS she's bff's with Joy of Joy the Baker, another blog I adore. When menu planning this morning I ran across Tracy's Tuscan kale salad with perocino cheese. I had most of the ingredients and filed it away for a future meal. Nope. I needed it for lunch.

Tuscan Kale Salad with Pecorino
slightly adapted from Shutterbean

Makes 2 generous servings (or one if you are a grouchy mommy)

• 1 bunch Tuscan Kale (I used about 1/3 to 1/2)
• 1 thin slice country bread or 1/4 c. good, homemade coarse bread crumbs 
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt, plus a pinch
• 1/4 c. finely grated Pecorino cheese, plus additional for garnish (I had parmesan on hand and it was great)
• 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional for garnish (I only had vegetable oil. It worked fine but EVOO would have been best)
• freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon (I used half a lemon but more would have been better)
• 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes (mmmmmm...)
• freshly ground black pepper to taste

Trim the bottom two inches off the kale stems and discard. Slice the kale into 3/4-inch ribbons or shred with your hands (more stress relief!) I ended up with about two or three overflowing cups. Place the kale in a large bowl.

Toast bread on both sides and tear it into small pieces. Grind in a food processor until the mixture forms coarse crumbs.

Using a mortar and pestle or a heavy knife (my choice), pound or mince the garlic and 1/4 tsp. salt into a paste. Transfer the garlic to a small bowl. Add 1/4 c. cheese, 3 Tbsp. oil, lemon juice, a pinch of salt, pepper flakes, and black pepper and whisk to combine.

Pour the dressing over the kale and toss very well to combine thoroughly. Really scrunch the leaves with your hands working in the dressing. It breaks up the fibers making it less chewy as raw kale can tend to be.  Let the salad sit for about five minutes for the flavors to combine and lemon to break down the kale even more. 

When ready to serve, topped with the bread crumbs & additional cheese. Here's what mine ended up looking like topped with a few bites of roasted beets on top--like little pieces of candy. Love em!

Looks like enough for two, doesn't it? Oh, it is. But I savored every chewy, garlicky bite. 

See? Already making a good dent here. I washed to down with the lime flavored La Croix. Have you had one of these babies? I'm addicted. Just lightly flavored sparkling water. But something about them feels really special. Like it should be served poolside. They aren't paying me, promise. But you should seriously try them. 

And this salad! The flavors are a lot like a Caesar salad. The garlic and pepper flakes give a nice sharp bite and are complimented by the salty parm or pecorino. The lemon is fresh, bright and excellent with the kale. If you like kale, you will love this salad. If you love garlic, you will love this salad. 

And now, my tension is slightly relieved from all that chewing. I feel like I ate something naughty but I really have a belly full of kale. I'm still in sweatpants. There is still a pile of clothes to be ironed and kiddo will be up from her nap soon. But it all seems a bit more manageable after a nice lunch.