Place the Kale in a large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients to a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. Toss the kale with the dressing, starting with half and adding as desired. Sprinkle with *croutons.

*Sweet Potato Croutons – 1 Large Sweet Potato, peeled and chopped in 1” cubes tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper, roasted in a 400F oven until slightly browned on the edges.

No. 2 : Kitchen Scoop

I used traditional, garnet and white sweet potatoes for the salad croutons in the picture. Its fun to experiment with the different kinds of sweet potatoes that are popping up in even the traditional grocery stores. Each color brings a little different nutrition to the dinner table. Try having a “taste and compare” of the different varieties to see which one is your favorite!

No. 3 : Clever Idea

Haven’t seen Lacinato kale? Bet you have! Its also known as Tuscan kale, Tuscan cabbage, Italian kale, dinosaur kale or black kale. Its long flat dark greens make it SO easy to chop – no curly bits and pieces to wrestle with. If you shred it finely enough there’s no reason to massage it with oil or dressing as is often called for in recipes.

No. 4 : Wine FIND of the Week

Gabbiano Chianti
Tuscany Region, Italy
About $10 in most Grocery stores

With a recipe based on a leafy green grown in the Tuscany region of Italy, we’re automatically reaching for a Tuscan red to match. The bright cherry flavors in this fruit forward wine pair beautifully with the earthy kale and sweet flavors of the potatoes. Sangiovese is the main grape of Chianti and can be aged for a long time, creating big heavy bold wines. When made this way they are called Classico or Riserva wines – this one is just Chianti, indicating little age, but lots of flavor!

Friday Four – Happy Spring! Kale Caesar Salad – 032318