I love this garlicky kale salad—it is a staple at my table, especially during warm weather months! Kale contains glucosinolates, natural compounds that support the body’s detoxification process, helping the liver to filter out harmful toxins. Kale also contains indole, a compound that may help prevent non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) by reducing inflammation in the liver.

For the Kale Salad:

2 large bunches of Lacinato kale, remove kale leaves from stem, leaving as intact as possible. Discard stems.

2 to 3 handfuls of toasted pine nuts

Optional: 2 to 3 tablespoons of organic currants

For the kale: Place kale in a large bowl; add filtered water and rinse well. Spin dry.  Stack several kale leaves on top of each other, roll tightly into a cigar shape. Use a well-sharpened chef’s knife and slice the rolled leaves finely from one end of the “cigar” to the other. This results in thin strips—or “ribbons”—of kale. When you are finished stacking and slicing kale into ribbons, place in a large salad bowl.

For the pine nuts:. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place a few handfuls of pine nuts on the baking sheet. Roast for apx. 8 minutes or until the pine nuts are golden-brown—but not burnt!  Sprinkle pine nuts over kale.

Place kale, toasted pine nuts and currents (if desired) in a large salad bowl, and toss with creamy lemon-tahini vinaigrette (recipe below).

Creamy Lemon-Tahini Dressing:

1-1/2 to 2 tablespoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons organic tahini (sesame paste)

1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt, or to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

5 tablespoons of fresh-squeezed organic lemon juice (apx. 1-1/2 organic lemons)

6 tablespoons of high-quality extra-virgin olive oil

Place all ingredients in a glass Pyrex measuring cup and whisk together well.