I first experienced the joy of kale massages at a retreat for student food activists on an anarchist farm in Sebastopol, CA, in 2010. Yes, I fell in love with it so head-over-heels that I still remember exactly where I learned it, and who taught it to me (an adorable deadlocked girl from San Luis Obispo named Anna).
Why did she teach me to knead these dark green spiky leaves? When kale gets a massage, it releases oils that help lubricate it and make it delicious to eat raw (untouched and uncooked it can be a bit abrasive). When you add lemon juice and olive oil, these soak into the leaves, since they’ve been punctured by your kneading. This means every bite of kale is covered in flavor!

Ingredients

Escarole, Endive and Romaine with Strawberries, Heirloom Tomatoes and Murcott Mandarins in a Coconut-Mango dressing.

With the onset of Spring (La Pimavera) I was inspired to take on committing to a 100% raw vegan diet for one full year to cleanse, regenerate and see what amazing possibilities this food program could create in my life.  At the same time I am also looking at a way to simplify my diet and am following a low-fat raw vegan diet that is very similar to Dr. Douglas Graham’ “80-10-10” used extensively by vegan athletes with amazing results.  The 80-10-10 program is 80% carbohydrates (which translates to fruit in a raw vegan context), 10% protein (leafy green vegetables) and 10% fats (avocados, olives, nuts and seeds).  So far I am very inspired by how I feel and the new ideas this new paradigm creates for me as a chef!

Salad:  Wash and chop an interesting mix of salad greens.  In this recipe I used escarole, curly endive and romaine lettuce but feel free to add in your favorites:  spinach, radicchio, frisee, dandelion greens…the more exotic the better!