Garden Kale Salad
This was a favorite recipe when I was teaching in the school gardens. Students would help decide what we wanted the salad dressing to taste like then we would all work together to make a Kale Salad. While easily overlooked, a salad on your holiday table is never a bad idea. In the fall Kale is growing happily in school gardens and is easy to get at farmers markets. This recipe is a great starting point for any Kale Salad. Feel free to add or take away whatever suits your tastes.
Ingredients:
1 Bunch Kale
1/2 Lemon
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Garlic Clove
1/2 Teaspoon Maple Syrup
1/2 Teaspoon Dijon Mustard
Optional: Salad toppings! Nuts, dried cranberries, sliced apples, anything you like.
First strip the kale leaves from the stems and slice or tear them into bite sized pieces. Then put them in a bowl with the juice of half a lemon. Massage the leaves until they go from a dark green to a brighter, vibrant green. This is a great step to get help from the younger chef in your kitchen.
Next it’s time to make the dressing. Take a jar that you have a lid for and add the olive oil. Then smash your garlic clove and add it to the oil with a little salt. The maple syrup and dijon mustard are recommendations but you can change the ratios to your taste. Want a sweeter dressing? Add more syrup. Don’t have syrup? Honey works well, too! You can also add the juice from the other half of your lemon for a brighter dressing. Add whichever ingredients you prefer with the apple cider vinegar then close the lid and shake.
Another great activity to get some help from younger chefs. Once mixed taste the dressing and adjust seasoning to taste. Then remove the garlic clove, and dress the salad before serving with any toppings you may have. Toss then enjoy!
Josh was born and raised in Santa Barbara, where his passion and curiosity for the environment began and has continued to grow. During his undergraduate studies, Josh pursued this interest at the University of California at Santa Cruz, receiving a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Studies.
Melissa Dodos developed her passion for creative reuse as a mother of four and elementary educator over the past 25 years. She loves to inspire creativity by connecting people with resources and ideas.
Veronica grew up in San Diego and spent four years in San Luis Obispo studying Animal Science at Cal Poly. As an undergrad she learned lots about livestock, agriculture, and wildlife.
Stephanie began her journey as an educator over twenty years ago working as a preschool teacher in Washington state for a cooperative preschool program affiliated with Whatcom Community College. She loved observing the wonder and curiosity of the children and bringing them out into nature to explore the natural world. She continued her love for learning and got her teaching license and then her Montessori certification and worked as an elementary teacher in Tribal, Public, and Montessori schools. She collaborated to create a school garden and her students loved it so much that it became a special place where they could garden, read, explore, play, and it provided a safe sanctuary for students to calm down and reset when they were having difficult moments.
Morgan’s mermaid soul is always seeking adventure—swimming a relay across the Santa Barbara Channel and taking the first photo of a newborn orca off Anacapa Island being standout experiences close to home.
Lindsay Johnson
