Winter Kale Salad

This is a variation on the first raw kale salad that I ever tried, and to this day it is one of my favorites. My friend Julie is a wonderful cook, and she made this for a Christmas party she hosted at her house. The fresh green flavor of the kale, couples so well with the crunchy carrots and vegetables, and the sweet pomegranate seeds make the whole dish seem somehow decadent. Additionally, the contrast between the green vegetables, orange carrots and bright red pomegranate seeds also makes this a brilliantly festive salad to serve at the holidays.

This salad is so versatile, please feel free to experiment with whatever vegetables you like to add. I've posted a winter and a summer version to take advantage of some of my favorite fruits when they are in season. Adding bell peppers, green onions, dried fruits, celery, or anything crunchy is a great way to make this dish your own.

Ingredients:

• 2 bunches kale, washed, stems removed and chopped into bite size pieces
• 2 carrots, diced
• 1/2 cucumber, chopped
• seeds from 1 pomegranate
• 1 avocado
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• pinch of sea salt
• optional: add pistachios, sunflower seeds, pine nuts or almond slices

Directions:
1. sprinkle salt and lemon juice over kale add, avocado
2. massage avocado into kale for 2 minutes with your hands, kale will soften and reduce in volume by about 1/3
3. stir in carrots and cucumber, taste and add salt or lemon juice if desired
4. spread pomegranate seeds over the top

Kale salad before being dressed with avocado and lemon juice.