Purple Kale and Cucumber Herb Salad By Samia Afra

Purple Kale and Cucumber Herb Salad

My sister made this salad, and I fell in love with it since I love clean eating, the next day it tastes even better, and the cucumber pickles in the dressing. So delicious!

Prep time: 15-20 mins.  Yield: 4 servings Serves: 4-6 people

Ingredients:

1 bunch purple curly kale, medium chop

1/2 bunch cilantro, rough chop

1 pickling cucumber, thinly sliced 

1 lemon, juiced

1/4 c. Seasoned rice vinegar

1/8 c. extra-virgin olive oil 

1  pound shrimp (optional)

1/4 cashews or mixed nuts ( optional)

1/8 c. blue cheese crumbles (optional)

1/4 t. Himalayan salt

Fresh cracked black pepper

Preparation:

1. Clean all your vegetables. 2. Roughly chop the cilantro, medium chop the kale, and thinly slice the cucumbers. * You can use a mandolin to make thin slices. 3. You can make the salad dressing freely over the vegetables, rather than taking an extra bowl for emulsifying.4. Add your optional ingredients. 5. Add salt and pepper. 

Chef's Note:

The kale can be really fibrous, some blanch in hot water and flash in ice-cold water to make it limber. If you make the salad the day before, the acid will help break it down and make it more tolerable to eat. You can eat it super fresh, but as the next day comes, it still holds up some crunch but it's not as intense as the first day.