The only way to get my son to run errands with me is to bribe him. As you can imagine, this can sometimes be costly and frustrating! But getting him to the coop is easy and free…all I need to do is remind him of the samples! He usually lingers by my side in the fresh foods area picking out bananas and other fruits, but as soon as we turn the corner, he beelines to the deli for samples of cheese, spreads, crackers and salads. The other day he came running up to me with a little cup filled with some sort of a kale salad.
“Here Mom, this is for you. I thought you’d like it. It has kale.”
“What is it?”
“It’s a kale and golden beet salad from the deli.”
“Did you try it?” I asked incredulously thinking the coop had cast some sort of spell over the boy who hates vegetables.
“Of course not! It has kale. I got it for you.”
What a sweet boy and what a sweet salad. I knew from the first taste, something like it would need to come out of my kitchen. The coop salad had the same general flavor devised with sesame oil, sesame seeds and ginger that my recipe includes, but did not have raisins. Somehow a little sweet seems like a good pairing for the beets and carrots. I think some fresh fruit like chopped nectarines, mangoes or apples would also cut the bill. (What does that mean, anyway?)
Ingredients:
- 3 large carrots grated
- 1 large golden beet, peeled and grated
- 1 bunch curly kale, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 jalapeno, minced
- 1-inch piece fresh ginger, minced
- 1 cup raisins
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds, toasted
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
- 2 Tbs. sesame oil
- 2 Tbs. olive oil
- a few splashes of rice vinegar (2-3 Tbs.)
Directions:
Long grate the carrots by cutting them just the length of the food processor feed tube. Empty into mixing bowl. Next grate the beets the same as the carrots. I chose to quickly saute the golden beets in about a tablespoon of sesame oil as they were a titch bitter when raw. Leave them a little crunchy to the bite.
Mince the garlic, jalapeno and ginger in a food processor and add to carrots and beets in mixing bowl.
Remove the stems from the kale and chop the greens into fine pieces. The kale can be massaged to soften, steamed or sauted.
Mix all ingredients together in a mixing bowl and season to taste. Serve at chilled or at room temperature.
Vegetarian Perspective 