Homer Simpson, who is a an oft-quoted figure in my house, once famously said “You don’t make friends with salad.”
On this particular point, Homer and I are going to have to disagree, because I totally made friends with salad last month at the Cooking with CUTCO #FoodiesForever blogger event.
Along with several other local bloggers, I was treated to an evening of food and wine courtesy where we learned all about CUTCO’s products and how important a good knife is in meal preparation. My group was led by the lovely Dawn, who works as an emergency room nurse when she’s not selling CUTCO knives… so really, if you’re going to play with sharp implements in the kitchen, she’s exactly the kind of person you want on hand to supervise! :)
My group also included a trio of ladies from Burger Broads, who are honestly some of the funniest women I have had the pleasure of cooking with. I’ve had the privilege of chatting with one of their ringleaders, Sharon, a few times on Twitter, and let me tell you… this gal is hi-la-ree-ous (and she really knows her burgers, too). Mad love to those ladies.
This was very much a hands-on sort of class, since we were not just learning about knives but also preparing our own dinner. My particular favourite from the evening’s menu was a Kale-Citrus Salad made of shredded kale salad tossed with a simple vinaigrette and brightened up with orange segments and pumpkin seeds, which I swear will turn even the biggest kale doubter into a kale lover.
I’ve since made a few tweaks to the original, mostly to satisfy my obsession with putting as much stuff into my salads as possible, which in this particular case means adding in rich briny oil-cured black olives, shreds of sharp red onion, and buttery chunks of avocado. It’s pretty much a meal in itself, though it’s also fabulous with grilled meats or fish.
Another of my favourites from that night is the shiny new CUTCO trimmer knife that came home in my goodie bag. In the weeks since the event, it’s pretty much become my everyday go-to knife.
It’s comfortable in my hand and wickedly sharp, and pretty much puts every other knife in my kitchen to shame (not that it’s that hard, given that I own some really crappy knives, especially for someone who spends as much time cooking as I do). I have a feeling it won’t be the only CUTCO in my knife block for long!
And yes, I totally used it to make this salad. :)
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- 1 bunch kale
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp honey
- ½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
- 1 navel orange, peeled and cut into segments
- 1 small avocado, cut into bite-sized chunks
- ¼ cup finely chopped cilantro
- ¼ cup thinly sliced red onion
- ¼ cup oil-cured black olives
- ¼ cup raw pumpkin seeds
- Remove the tough centre ribs from the kale and discard. Finely julienne the leaves.
- In a large bowl, combine the kale with olive oil and salt. Gently massage the dressing into the kale for about 3 minutes.
- Add lemon juice, honey and black pepper, and massage again. Let sit for 2-3 minutes to allow the flavours to blend, then gently toss in the remaining ingredients and serve immediately.
I have a feeling this will be one of my top ten go-to’s this summer. Love my salads loaded too, especially love orange and red onion combo. Yum!
I have a friend who has CUTCO knives. She swears they are the best thing for slicing bread!! LOL
Hi Sunny,
We’d love you to have CUTCO for yourself! Check out http://www.cookingwithcutco.ca to learn more about hosting a Cooking Experience to be able to earn some Free Cutco!
I don’t own a Cutco knife but now I’m wishing I did.
Your salad rocks woman. Oranges should be in every salad, just sayin’.
Hi Kim,
We’d love you to have CUTCO in your kitchen too! Check out http://www.cookingwithcutco.ca to learn more about hosting a Cooking Experience to be able to earn some Free Cutco!
I have never used a Cutco knife before. Confession: my knives are mostly cheap and useless. Ha!
I like the use of sweet oranges to offset the bitterness of the kale. Smart!
The salad looks fantastic!
I have really come to love kale.
I will have to give it a try, minus the cilantro.
Ever since I heard that massaging Kale brings out better flavours, I’ve wanted to try it again. It just seems to make sense! And finally a “Canada Only” contest! Makes me feel proud. I’d love to have a Cutco set in my kitchen!
Hi Jeff,
We are proud to bring the contest to Canada. :) And we’d love you to have CUTCO in your kitchen too! Check out http://www.cookingwithcutco.ca to learn more about hosting a Cooking Experience to be able to earn some Free Cutco!
I do not own a CUTCO knife but would love to. My daughter turned me on to massaged kale salad just last week and I am an official convert.
Hi Bellini,
Glad to hear your daughter has turned you on to kale.
We’d love you to have CUTCO in your kitchen as well! Check out http://www.cookingwithcutco.ca to learn more about hosting a Cooking Experience to be able to earn some Free Cutco!
Isabelle!
I have still not adjusted to the mouth feel of kale raw. Odd, I know. Maybe if it is shredded very very finely. The salad looks incredible and loved the story of the event where you made friends with the Burger Broads. Just love their name. Another gal I follow belongs to a group in the Okanagan where they go out to a different place once a month for a burger. It has become quite the obsession of hers – and now there is this group in TO. I feel like I am missing out!
Great give-away – just in time for Father’s Day, people!
:)
Valerie
totally salad season coming up…definetly have to try this…
i too am a person who will try and stuff a salad to max capacity: if you’re going to have a salad, why not make it amazing? This looks incredible; such a nice combo of sweet, tart, briny, crunchy…yay! I eat salads mostly the entire summer, because it gets super hot here, and i’m not in the mood to turn the oven on any more than is necessary,so i’m looking forward to making this!
Our kale is going wild in our garden, so I’ve been eating it every night in a salad with some black beans and tomatoes. Love this spin on it, will try!