Raw Kale and Blueberry Salad

This raw kale and blueberry salad tasted absolutely delicious. 

The tartness of the kale combined with the sweetness of the berries and the nuttiness of the sesame seeds was really exceptional. 

I've seen recipes that I've ignored in the past because I always thought, 

"I'll never eat that raw kale. It's not for me."

I've always only used kale for juicing in the past. 

However, when my CSA gave me a beautiful large bunch of organic kale, I knew I had to come up with a recipe for it. It was just too much for juicing.

 So, I just chopped up the kale leaves very fine and let my creative juices start working.

What did I add to this fresh raw salad? Juicy blueberries and sesame seeds. The salad looked so pretty, and then I tasted it and was immediately thrilled.
In addition, it's amazingly healthy because blueberries and kale are on the top ten list for powerful antioxidants that may help prevent cancer and other diseases.

We ate it with an orange cashew dressing

The first time I made this salad,  it was Friday night and I had invited family and friends over for dinner. My son and daughter-in-law have recently started following Dr. Furman's Eat for Health book to lose weight and eat a healthier diet. My daughter in law, Wendy, says that she has been losing weight easily without any hunger! She says the book explains why the standard American diet (SAD diet) is typically a killer and contributes to the rise in high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, etc.  In addition, this way of eating is supposed to stop food addictions and cravings!!

Following the diet, my kids are primarily eating lots of raw and vegan food ( this week anyway ). They are still eating fish, chicken, and eggs. Wendy says the book is very educational for how to prevent disease and gives lots of tasty recipes. ( Dr. Furman has a newer book called Reversing Diabetes. It might be worth checking out.)

Anyway, Wendy brought an orange cashew dressing that she adapted from Dr. Furhman's book. Honestly, it was out of this world. Of course, we used it on the kale salad, and it really enhanced it even more. It was perfect (recipe follows)

                          
Ingredients for the salad:
8-10 individual stems of organic kale, stems remove and the leaves
chopped fine or shredded.
1 - 1 and a half  cups of organic blueberries
1-2  tablespoons of raw sesame seeds (or toast them if you prefer)
optional: add raw sunflower seeds(I didn't)

Directions: 
Wash kale well, remove stems, and chop or shred fine.
Place in a large salad bowl. Add the blueberries and the sesame seeds. Toss well.
Toss with a flavored vinegar or make the following orange cashew dressing.

Ingredients for orange Cashew  sauce (we doubled it)
2  seedless oranges, peeled
1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked for at least half-hour or more
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar  (or white vinegar)

Directions:
Combine ingredients in a blender
Use as a dressing for salads


What else did we eat with the salad ? 

Homemade lentil  vegetable soup
Tomato, and Raw corn salad
Waldorf type Broccoli Slaw Salad
Quinoa Burgers topped with guacamole

OK, I admit that it was a feast, not a meal. If I were cooking for just my husband and me, the meal would have been much lighter. We probably would have just had the soup and salad or the salad and burgers. But I'm never sure what my company will like in vegan food, so thus the variety and too heavy of a meal.

 To maintain good health and possible protection from degenerative diseases, it's recommended to eat a rainbow of colors every day with nine fruits and vegetables!

There are three rich colors in this salad alone! Each color of the rainbow offers specific antioxidant protection against disease (not to mention a variety of healthy nutrients). Even if you have never tried kale before, or if you only use it for juicing.. try this salad!

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