The kale farm is producing fluffy leaves of green in the bushelfull so it is time to be creative and do a little more than braise it with olive oil and Bragg's Amino Acids (even though this is my favorite way to make and eat it).
This lovely dinner salad can be pulled off in 20 minutes and features one of my favorite starch replacements – the eggplant.
For those of you think that eggplant is bitter – you have not yet tried my baked herbed eggplant with ground coriander and fresh thyme.
Step 1: Start with a whole eggplant and slice it into uniform 1/2 inch thick pieces.
Step 2: Choose a cookie sheet and pour about 2 Tbsp of oil or grapeseed oil in the pan. Evenly spread the oil all over the cookie sheet.
Step 3: Place your sliced eggplant on the oiled cookie sheet. Rub a little bit of oil onto the top of each piece of eggplant then sprinkle with sea salt, pepper, and either fresh or dried herbs over the top. My favorite combination is coriander and fresh thyme.
Step 4: Bake the eggplant until the edges slightly brown or it is obvious that some slices are getting crispy. Roughly 20 minutes depending on how thinly you sliced your eggplant. Remove from the cookie sheet and enjoy.
Or if you are making my salad – while your eggplant is baking chop up a bunch of colorful crispy vegetables.
I used carrot, celery and red bell pepper along with my kale and garden lettuce. For protein I chopped up leftover chicken breast from the previous night's roast chicken and followed it with fresh parsley.
Last but not least I sliced the baked eggplant and added it to the tasty medley.
Just like that a tasty, healthy salad featuring the very nutritious kale.
Baked Eggplant Kale Salad with Chicken
1 eggplant sliced, seasoned, baked and cut into strips
3 carrots, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 stalks celery
6 stalks of kale, leaves ripped from the stalk and chopped into strips
1 small head or 8 leaves of green leaf lettuce ripped into small chunks
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 cup chopped chicken breast
* optional – olive oil and a touch of apple cider vinegar
Enjoy!