Italian Salsa Verde Kale Salad
This salad is full of flavor from all of the herbs and spices in the salsa verde and it has a great texture from the kale, fennel and sun-dried tomatoes.
I can’t seem to get enough of this rustic sauce called Italian salsa verde aka green sauce. With a little creativity, there are many dishes it can be used in like salads, roasted vegetables, pasta, sandwiches, pizza or just plain bread!
Recipe: 2 – 4 servings
*I portioned the verde for this salad but if you want you can make the whole batch to use for other dishes.
Salsa Verde
- 1/3 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/4 Teaspoon Lemon Zest
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
- 1 Tablespoon 1 Teaspoons White Balsamic Vinegar or to taste
- 1/3 Cup Fresh Parsley – minced
- 1/3 Cup Fresh Basil – minced
- 1 Tablespoons Fresh Mint – minced
- 1 Tablespoons Fresh Chives – minced
- 1 Garlic Clove – minced
- 2 Teaspoons Shallots – minced
- 2 Teaspoons Capers – minced – or to taste
- 1/4 Teaspoon Crushed Red Peppers – or to taste
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1 Head Kale (about 7 cups)
- 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/2 Cup Oven Dried Tomatoes (or dry sun-dried tomatoes) – chopped – or to taste
- 1/2 Fennel Bulb
- 1/4 Cup Fennel Stock
- 3/4 Cup Asiago Cheese – finely shredded – or to taste
Instructions:
*If you are using oven dried tomatoes you will need to make them a day ahead.
Make salsa verde, mince and measure everything into a jar and shake well, then set aside.
Wash kale and tear off main rib by holding the end of the stem and sliding off the leaves, wash, dry, then chop in to thin strips.
Put kale in a large bowl with the tablespoon of olive oil and massage oil in to the kale.
Toss in chopped tomatoes.
Cut the stocks off of fennel bulb, cut bulb in half and then cut out the core. Thinly slice bulb and thinly slice the stocks, then add to kale.
Finely shred Asiago and add to kale along with the salsa verde and mix well.
Health benefits:
Kale is low in calories, high in fiber and it is a loaded with antioxidants which helps detox the liver. It is also an anti-inflammatory with omega-3 fatty acids, which is helpful for arthritis, joint pain and asthma. Kale has more Iron than beef and more calcium than milk which helps prevents osteoporosis, joint flexibility and helps maintain normal bone health. It is great for cardiovascular support that helps in lowering cholesterol. It is really high in vitamin A, C, and super high in the powerful antioxidant vitamin K (anyone taking anticoagulants should avoid kale because the high level of vitamin K that may interfere with the drugs.) More on kale
