Tuscan Kale Salad

The salad's got a southwestern twang -- nice after my week in Austin -- and the kinds of flavors and ingredients people all over the place like.  The kale's seasoned with lime juice, olive oil and salt, and then topped with avocado, tomato, red onion, jalapeno, grated garlic and more lime juice and oil.  It's a vegan dish and it's great on its own, but I've had it with steaks off the grill, fried chicken and sauteed shrimp and thought it was terrific each time.
I just got to Paris this morning and I'm planning to make this tomorrow for friends.  I know I'll have a hard time finding jalapenos, but I'll get another spicy pepper and keep going.  This strikes me as the kind of salad that welcomes playing around.  If you decide to play around, let me know what you do.
In the meantime, here's the recipe, with thanks and hats off to Marie Simmons:

SHREDDED TUSCAN KALE, TOMATO AND AVOCADO SALAD
From Fresh & Fast Vegetarian, by Marie Simmons (Houghton, Mifflin, Harcourt 2011)

Vegan

 

This recipe is based on a delicious and revolutionary idea: raw kale salad. Because it’s on many restaurant menus, I suspect it is from an innovative raw foods chef. Having tested this salad with every variety of kale I can fi nd, I’ve decided the mild-tasting, tender, pebbly-leafed Tuscan (lacinato) kale, often sold as “dinosaur kale,” is the best. Although the kale is raw, it is softened by rubbing it in your hands with the lime juice, olive oil and salt dressing.

 

Prep Time: About 10 minutes

Serves: 4

 

1 small bunch (about 10 ounces) Tuscan (lacinato) kale, washed and dried

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

½ teaspoon coarse salt

 

Salsa

1 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled and diced (¼ inch)

1 ripe tomato, diced (¼ inch), with seeds and juice (about 1 cup)

½ cup diced (¼ inch) red onion

1 teaspoon finely chopped seeded jalapeño pepper, plus more to taste

1 small garlic clove, grated

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

½ teaspoon coarse salt

¼ cup unsalted roasted pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds; see page 13)

 

1. To prepare the kale, cut along both sides of the stem of each leaf with a sharp knife or pull the ruffled leaves away from the stems with your hands. Discard the stems. Gather a bunch of the long kale leaves together on the cutting board and slice into thin (¹⁄8-inch) crosswise slices. You should have 4 to 6 cups lightly packed.

 

2. Combine the kale, lime juice, oil and salt in a large bowl. Rub the ingredients together with your hands (as though giving the kale a massage) until the leaves wilt, 1 to 2 minutes. Set aside.

 

3. To make the salsa: Combine the avocado, tomato, red onion, jalapeño, garlic, lime juice, oil and salt and stir to blend.

 

4. Add the salsa to the kale and toss to combine. Sprinkle the salad with the pepitas. Serve at room temperature.

 

Substitutions

Substitute roasted sunflower seeds for the pepitas.