Recipe: Kale and Apple Salad with Curry Dressing

Hi, I have a confession. I am a recovering salad hater.

See, I thought all salad was just lettuce topped with dressing. If you're on a diet of some kind it is lettuce topped with vinegar. Barf! Maybe with a few little crusty pieces of bread and some old tomatoes. I just couldn't even wrap my head around eating it on a regular basis. All of that chewing and crunching and chewing and chewing.. my jaw was tired and my tongue was bored. Then I discovered worlds of other salads. And amazing salad dressings that require no oil but have a TON of flavor. I started using other greens in my salads. I added fruit. Maybe a few toasted sunflower seeds or a handful of fresh herbs. Suddenly salad is good. (This made me think of "Sudden Valley" - a salad dressing but I don't want to eat it. hah! Oh if you understand this please let me know.)

I know this sounds crazy, but I had this for breakfast the other morning. I was tired of trying to force myself to eat some kind of "breakfast" food. I also had it for lunch later because I liked it SO much.
I love sweet and savory things.. just the play of tastes makes food so much more enjoyable. Plus this salad just feels LIVELY. I don't think I would ever do a completely raw diet but I love adding as much raw vegetables and fruits to my diet as possible. I feel so much more energetic.

Since spice is subjective keep in mind how much you enjoy and adjust to your own tastes.

 Kale and Apple Salad with Curry Dressing

1 large bunch kale, cleaned and torn into little pieces
1 apple (I used fuji) sliced
Curry dressing (recipe below!)

Throw the kale into a large bowl and massage until the kale is soft. (Rub it hard for a minute or so. The cell walls will break down and it will be easier to eat!)
Add in the apple and as much curry dressing as you like.
Enjoy!

Curry Dressing

2 celery sticks
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder (or 1/4 teaspoon cayenne)
1 teaspoon low sodium tamari (or soy sauce)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cilantro (or parsley)
3 cloves crushed garlic
juice of 1/2 lemon

Blend everything together for about a minute or until nice and smooth. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. Keep any extras in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.