Kale Salad: A Seattle Classic

Ingredients

• ½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 5 cups water
• 2 cups uncooked wild rice
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 4 cups finely sliced red cabbage
• 2 large red bell peppers - seeded, cored, and chopped
• 2 bulbs fennel, trimmed and chopped
• 2 bunches kale, leaves stripped from stems and torn into pieces
• ¼ lemon, juiced, or to taste

Step 1

Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper in a large bowl until the dressing is nice and smooth. Next, bring some water, wild rice, and butter to a boil in a saucepan. Once it’s boiling, turn the heat down to medium-low, cover the pan, and let it simmer gently until the rice is tender—this usually takes around 30 to 45 minutes. If there’s any extra water left, drain it off, then leave the rice uncovered on low heat for about 5 more minutes to let any remaining moisture evaporate. Give the rice a good stir and let it cool a bit.

Step 2

Now, toss the cabbage, red bell peppers, and fennel in the bowl with the dressing so everything gets nicely coated. Pile the kale on top of that mixture, then spoon the warm wild rice over the kale. Let the salad sit for 5 to 10 minutes so the kale softens up a little. Finally, toss everything together until it’s well mixed, and if you like, squeeze in a bit more lemon juice to brighten it up.