Nourish and Nest Kitchen // with Deb Young

The table is a meeting place, a gathering ground, the source of sustenance and nourishment, festivity, safety, and satisfaction. A person cooking is a person giving: Even the simplest food is a gift.

Laurie Colwin

I have to say I am really enjoying the monthly instalments of Nourish and Nest Kitchen. I love introducing good people here on the blog, being inspired by the food they make to nourish their bodies and the idea that people may gather around these meals with the people who nourish their souls. At the very least I am adding a whole lot of new recipes to my repertoire! If you are playing catch-up, you can read all the past instalments here. 

This month's guest is Deb Young of Younga Yoga. Deb is genuine, funny and full of life. She inspires me in her balance of family, business, creativity, self-care and doing her good. Just this week she has launched Stretch and Glow - an online oasis for busy mums. Deb was such a positive support to me during my pregnancies, I just know Stretch and Glow will be a beautiful resource for mothers-to-be.

I can't wait to make this recipe - enjoy! Here's Deb:

I know it's winter - but for me there's nothing better than to make up a big salad for lunch as an alternative to the heavier foods that we sometimes tend to favour as the whether cools down. I also love to make hearty soups at this time of year - but often crave fresh greens - so this is the perfect salad as you can pre-prepare it and then eat it as a main or a side.

If you have never tried using kale in salads - it is THE BEST!

Unlike traditional lettuce which goes soggy once you've dressed it - kale actually needs dressing in order to break down the fibrous nature of the leaves. The number one rule to using kale in salads is to make sure you 'massage' the leaves before adding all your toppings.

You can use plain olive oil, lemon juice or the dressing itself to 'massage' the kale. 

This salad is adapted from my amazing friend, raw food chef & exercise physiologist Corrine Travaglini from Edible Solutions.

It has now become a retreat staple, and also a staple at our house because as a busy mum with a business and and two kids, I love the fact that I can prepare a big batch of the salad and use it over a few days (although it never lasts that long!!!)

Serves: 

4-8 as a main or side

Ingredients:

Kale x 1 large bunch

Parsley x 1 bunch finely chopped

Mint x 1 bunch finely chopped

Goji Berries x 1/2 cup (I like to add these in just before I eat the salad as I like mine chewy).

Pumpkin seeds or Sunflower seeds x 1/2 cup

Cherry Tomatoes x 1/2 punnet cut in half

I also add in avocado if I'm eating this as a main meal.

Dressing:

1 tspn garlic powder

1/4 cup olive oil

approx 1/4 cup white wine vinegar - I like to add a bit less then this so add half then taste.

1/2 freshly squeezed lemon

2 tbsn coconut syrup / agave / maple (maple is my favourite)

pinch salt

Instructions:

1. De-stem the kale & chop finely (you can eat the stems but they are really tough!)

2. Prepare your dressing then massage the kale until it changes colour & texture (it should go a deeper green and start to soften up).

3. Cut cherry tomatoes in half, then add with your toppings & stir through.

4. Serve by itself - or as a side to your favourite winter soup.

Busy mum / Fussy kids tips:

You can pre-prepare this salad and it will last a couple of days even with the dressing. For mums on the go if you know you have a few busy days - cook up extra portions of your favourite soup that your kids love and freeze - make this salad in advance then you have a healthy meal in less than 15mins. My kids are still little and aren't keen on kale (yet!!!) they also change what they 'like' on a day to day basis - so I will usually separate out the ingredients on their plate antipasto style - that way they can pick and choose what they feel like on the day and will usually eat all the elements separately (nuts/seeds/berries/avo/tomatoes etc).