In case you haven’t heard, kale will probably save your life. If you’re drowning, kale will swim out and rescue you. If you’ve fallen and you can’t get up, kale will call an ambulance and get you a pillow while you wait.
Luckily, kale can also be pretty tasty. Is there nothing you can’t do, kale?
Kale also does great work as a counselor. If you’ve had too many, oh, I don’t know, Cadbury eggs recently, a bowlful of kale with a zingy dressing will assuage your guilt.
It’s a simple concept, a kale Caesar salad. Strip it, steam it, dress it, eat it.
A kale protip I only learned recently: After thoroughly washing it, you can strip the leafy parts from the stems. Just tear it off from top to bottom easily.
Skip the croutons if you’re gluten-free, or just make them with GF bread. I’ve never used it for croutons myself, but apparently it works.
Psst… If you’re looking for a dairy-free (or vegan) version, you can always substitute the yogurty Caesar for this tahini dressing. Just saying…
Serves Serves 2
15 minPrep Time
20 minCook Time
40 minTotal Time
Save RecipeOn the Counter
- 2 slices of barely-stale loaf bread, ideally sourdough, and ideally not sliced bread
- 2 tsp olive oil (extra virgin if you have it)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- a few grinds of fresh black pepper
- 100 g kale without stems
- 1/4 tsp table salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Juice from 1 lemon wedge
- Parmesan or vegetarian hard cheese
- 2 tbsp plain unsweetened yogurt
- Lemon juice from about 1/4 of a lemon
- A dash of Worcestershire sauce, or 1/8 tsp vegetarian miso paste
- 1 medium clove garlic, minced finely. (Don't use a garlic press as it will be too strong)
- Pinch of ground sea salt or table salt
What to Do
- Chop your bread into about 2 cm (0.5 in) cubes. If it's very stale, you might need to drizzle oil on it to start and give it a few minutes to soften before chopping. If you do, skip the oil in the next step.
- Preheat the oven to 180C (350F). Toss the bread cubes, pepper and salt together.
- On a rimmed baking sheet or dish, spread the cubes out so they're one even layer.
- Bake for 5 minutes.
- Toss them around so other sides get exposure.
- Bake for a few more minutes, until golden brown, but check on them frequently.
- Thoroughly rinse and dry the kale.
- From the bottom strip the leaves from the stems in as few tears as possible.
- Lightly salt the torn kale leaves.
- In a steamer over a boiling pot of water, steam the kale for 5 minutes or until tender and still a vibrant green.
- Once it's ready, rinse it under cold water or give it an ice bath. You don't want to cook it any longer.
- Now, either rub (or toss if you're feeling lazy) the leaves with olive oil, then add a few squeezes of fresh lemon juice and toss it together.
- You can make the dressing in advance, or while the kale is steaming.
- Combine yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, salt, Worcestershire sauce. Stir together thoroughly.
- Once it's finished, top the kale with dressing, croutons and some freshly grated Parmesan or vegetarian hard cheese.