Raw Kale Salad with Avocado, Orange and Toasted Almonds

Having spent the past two weeks starting my day with cake (I can’t help it when it’s just staring me in the face), I’m in desperate need for something a little lighter with a few more nutrients than the red velvet sitting on the kitchen counter. Sadly, sugar is not a vitamin.

Enter kale, my favorite vegetable in the entire universe. When a friend told me that it could be eaten raw if you “massaged” it with some sort of healthy fat until the rigid edges softened into the texture of salad greens, I was ecstatic. Hurrah! Sautéing is delicious, but a little on the repetitive side.

I chose avocado, but olive oil, walnut oil, almond oil, etc can also be used–I just had avocados on hand and was craving their light and nutty flavor. Toasted almonds and citrus make a nice accompaniment to what could otherwise be a very bland dish. Add a dash of salt and pepper and you’ve got a crisp, light meal filled with healthy fats, vitamins (K, A, C, and E, in particular), antioxidants and loads of fiber.

I can basically feel my skin glowing already.

RAW KALE SALAD WITH AVOCADO, ORANGE AND TOASTED ALMONDS

1 bunch raw kale

1 avocado

1 orange

1/4 cup sliced almonds

Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread almonds evenly on baking sheet and toast in oven for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove and set aside.

De-stem and chop kale into bite-size pieces. Slice avocado in half, remove the pit and skin and chop into pieces. Place the kale and avocado in a large bowl and massage with hands for roughly five minutes, until kale begins to soften. Peel and slice orange and place on top, along with toasted almonds . Salt and pepper to taste.