Sweet and spicy salad

Sometimes I brainstorm for hours before a meal and still have no clue what I want.  And other times ingredients come together in my mind and suddenly – bam – I have a recipe that I need to make immediately.

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Last Saturday, as I headed to the farmer’s market, both lunch and dinner were unplanned.  And within 10 minutes of strolling the Promenade I had each one envisioned crystal clear.  I seized the momentary genius.  I already showed you the vegan cheesy grits I made for dinner.  Lunch was the salad I’m about to share. 

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It started with kale.  But not just any kale.  Dinosaur kale.  Aka black kale.  Aka lacinato kale.  Whatever you want to call it. 

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I may start calling it pretty groovy lettuce.  Not because I like the 70’s lingo, but because I find the leaves to have such an interesting texture.

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I washed it, admired it, took 500 photos of it, and finally got to de-stemming it. 

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If you’re unfamiliar with kale (or the de-stemming process), it’s much simpler than it sounds.  The hard viney stem comes off easily when you pinch it at the base and pull up towards the tip.  Does that sound really dirty?  Get your minds out of the gutter!

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See?  No knives required.  Hell, you don’t even need long nails.  Just pinch and pull down and the leafy green instantly separates from the inner vein. 

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I am going to pay it forward with another trick I recently learned too.

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Are you sick of cutting corn off the cob and having the kernels fly all over the place?  Yeah.  I was too.  Then I learned about Emily’s method of de-kernel-ing. 

You just place a baby bowl upside down in a bigger bowl, balance the ear on the bottom of the smaller bowl and cut down.  The big bowl catches everything and the knife can get all the way to the bottom of the ear of corn because the smaller bowl acts as a little platform.  So clever right?

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I added the kale and the raw corn together, then threw in a chopped apple and dried cranberries.

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Then it was time for a dressing. 

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The dressing only had two ingredients: Supremely Spicy Sabra hummus and balsamic vinegar.  I used an even portion of both, whisked them together, and drizzled it over the salad.  You can really make the dressing as thick or thin as you want though by just altering the ratios of each.

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We all know I adore all things Sabra, but this flavor had some serious heat going on!  I think it was the perfect balance to the sweetness of the dried cranberries, apples, and raw corn.  And the ridges in the kale captured the spicy tangy dressing superbly.

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Yes!  So tasty 🙂

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I worked my way through the entire thing all by myself.  Enjoying each and every bite.  [yes, I’m in a swim suit, it was a hot summer day!]

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I rounded out the meal with some bread and hummus a la mode. 

Are you a fan of raw corn?  Raw kale?  Any clever foodie tricks to share with me? 

Since blogging, I remember learning about peeling a banana from the opposite end.  And de-seeding a pomegranate by floating the chunks in a bowl of water.  Getting the pit out of a mango cleanly is still a riddle to me though. 

Full disclosure, as part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received reimbursement for this tub of Sabra. 

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Comments (20)

  1. Kaitlyn@TheTieDyeFiles

    Oh man, I just learned so much!! Kale? Corn? PEELING A BANANA FROM THE OTHER SIDE??? Man I love the blogworld.

  2. Meredith @ Food, Shoes, and Booze

    love the corn trick… i may have to try it so I don’t make a disaster of the kitchen like I usually do. I’ve never tried kale before… maybe I can find some at the farmer’s market this weekend!

  3. Katie

    I’ve never used this kind of kale – only the “curly” kind. Need to do it.

    Also, I wore a swimsuit for the majority of the day yesterday. 🙂

  4. Julia

    Kath Eats has a really good video about cutting up mango based on the Alton Brown method. It’s the most effective way to cut up a mango I have ever seen (and I eat a lot of mangoes).

  5. Abby @ Abz 'n' Oats

    I love raw corn and I have still never tried kale! lol. I need to get on it! You always have so many different varieties of Sabra that sound so good! They only sell like 3 flavors at the stores here! So annoying!

  6. Roxie J

    I was just wondering, do you ever make your own hummus? I’ve tried a few times and it’s really simple and delicious!

  7. Kelsey

    mmm I love dinosaur kale! this salad looks perfect. I’ve never had raw corn–I’ll have to try it!

    and wait–what’s the benefit of peeling a banana from the other side??

  8. Elise (Post author)

    no real “benefit” per se, just easier. try it!

  9. Elise (Post author)

    yup. youre right – its really easy. i need to do it more often.

  10. Elise (Post author)

    i had to go to SEVERAL stores to find that one. i am still on the hunt for the buffalo flavor. its a new one, so who knows where i can get it.

  11. Elise (Post author)

    thanks for the tip!

  12. Elise (Post author)

    i know right? so many tricks to learn!

  13. Elise (Post author)

    im sure you can. its a bit tough as far as greens go, so if you’re trying it for the first time i recommend sautéing it or steaming it.

  14. Elise (Post author)

    its just so relaxing to be in a swimsuit all day. feels like vacation.

  15. Lauren

    Yay for having raw corn again! As soon as they finish our kitchen, I am making that salad!

  16. Heather @ girlyeverafter

    I love, love, love sweet corn. What a great summer salad.

  17. lynn @ the actor's diet

    funny how many names that kale has, isn’t it?

  18. Erica

    i basically do what alton brown does, except i peel the skin off a different way (so scared of sharp peelers!). just score the skin the long way all the way around (about 1/4″), rotate the mango on its axis 90 degrees, and do the same thing, so there are two long circles in an x formation. then just peel the skin off in 4 sections 🙂

  19. janetha @ meals & moves

    you are the cutest little buttonnnnnnn. love that suit top. i love raw corn! the texture wows me.

  20. Abby @ Abz 'n' Oats

    I can’t wait to live in a bigger place so foodie finds aren’t such a hassle to get! I have been wanting to try the buffalo flavor ever since you mentioned it a while back on here! lol. I might just have to make my own if I can’t ever find it! 😛

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