Eat out, gluten free, anywhere!

On October 7, 2014 By shorterandfasterIn Uncategorized5 Comments

Like most social media lovin’ foodies, when I have a fabulous meal at a restaurant, I love to share it. Isn’t that what Instagram is for, after all?? (Follow me here if you want to see all of my daily adventures @leahohh!) Today, however, I’m going to give you a much broader sense of the types of restaurants that usually are good choices for us gluten free folks. I’ll throw in my personal Boston recommendations, but hopefully these tips can help you out wherever your lives and travels happen to take you!

Salads: I have very mixed opinions about this, but if you don’t have much of a say in where you’re eating, the salad section of the menu is your best bet. No, I’m not a health nut all of the time, and yes, it sometimes makes me viscerally angry when my only option at a restaurant is to eat rabbit food. I run a lot, which means I’m hungry a lot. Heck, I’m hungry anyway. I do not want to be the girl miserably gnawing on lettuce while you chow down on your chicken fingers and fries (or soft and doughy pizza, or drippy cheesy panini… anyway, I digress). But sometimes you do what you have to do and order salad. I officially give you permission to chase that salad with a giant ice cream covered in hot fudge. You’re welcome. MyGFBoston recommendations: Sweetgreen or Life Alive (duh) or my recent discovery: this Cambridge Commons breakfast salad.

It's still health food even if it has bacon on it, right? — It’s still health food even if it has bacon on it, right?

Mexican: Great Mexican restaurants abound in Boston, and lucky for us, they tend to have lots of amazing naturally GF options. In fact, once you get over the fact that you can’t have a burrito, you’ll notice that Mexican menus tend to be mostly GF–from corn tortillas, rice, beans, veggies, and meat to guac, salsa, and cheese, these are some safe menus! When can we ever say that?? So vamanos a los restaurantes mexicanos. MyGFBoston recommendation: The Painted Burro, or these glorious nachos from Sunset Cantina.

Mmm nachos and margs... — Nachos and margs, my favorite game day treat

Restaurants with gluten free menus: Before you go smacking your forehead and giving me a big ole DUH, let me explain. There is nothing in the world as glorious as being handed a separate gluten free menu when you didn’t know there was one. Of course, having a GF menu doesn’t necessarily mean that things are safe to eat (frustrating but true) but it is a great starting point. Especially if you know you’re super sensitive, take care to call ahead of time and ensure that separate utensils and prep areas are being used. MyGFBoston recommendation: Zaftigs or Not Your Average Joe’s.

That would be my pre-dinner roll and a giant puddle of olive oil and cheese.

Sushi: Sushi is a quick and healthy option, and as long as you steer clear of anything breaded/tempura-ed or anything that comes with sauce on it, it’s pretty much naturally gluten free. Soy sauce, however, is not! So bring your own (I love Little Soya!) or ask–sometimes they’ll have some around. MyGFBoston recommendation: Oishii Sushi or Genki Ya.

I hope these tips help you the next time you’re trying to decide where to eat out! Are there any other kinds of restaurants you’ve found to be particularly GF friendly? Other Boston faves?

On music and exercise

On September 18, 2014September 18, 2014 By shorterandfasterIn Uncategorized3 Comments

A huge part of my healthy gluten free lifestyle is keeping myself fit and happy from the inside out and from the outside in. For me, this means exercising 5-6 days a week. If you asked me six years ago if exercise was an important part of my life, I probably would have laughed in your face. I was hitting the gym once or twice a week, where I’d cruise on the elliptical or struggle through a pilates class. And I’d follow that class up with a couple of gluten-full beers and a plate of pasta from the dining hall. No wonder I wasn’t feeling great! Today, I’ve run six half marathons and I get cranky if I don’t get to the yoga studio 2-3 times a week. I feel amazing, and as a bonus, I finally lost that lingering college weight!

Part of what helped me make exercise a real part of my life was canceling my gym membership. I’m not anti-gym, but I am anti-exercise-that-isn’t-fun-and-doesn’t-make-you-happy. (I’m also anti anyone who is anti trying new things, so please don’t tell me you “can’t run” or “can’t do yoga” if you haven’t given it a fair chance.)

Personally, I plain old didn’t like going to the gym. I do enjoy yoga, and as it turns out, I really really like being outside. Whether I’m hiking, walking, running, x-c skiing, or downhill skiing, give me someone to chitchat with and some fresh New England air and I’m a happy camper.

As easy and breezy as that sounds now, it has taken me a while to get to this point–and I’m not ashamed to say that music is one of my biggest motivators. I love popping in my headphones and cruising down the Charles River bike path with my Spotify playlists blasting. I also learned to love yoga to the beats of Erica and Caitlyn’s fabulous hip hop yoga yoga classes at Back Bay Yoga. Nothing distracts you from the sweat dripping down your face 65 minutes into a killer vinyasa class like Jay Z, #amiright?

Something funny happened recently, though–I started to find the music distracting. And not in that fabulous, makes-the-time-fly-by kind of way, but in the irritating, I-can’t-find-my-rhythm kind of way. Both during my yoga practice and my runs, I’m starting to work on dropping into the groove and listening to my body and breath instead of the music. It’s a funny mindset switch for me. I LIKE listening to music while I work out–I know lots of hardcore runners and yogis who are morally opposed, and I have no such problem. But I also like that I’m at a place where I’m not using the music as a crutch. Also, I’m hoping this will help me pace my runs a little bit better and work on running not just farther, but faster. Maybe even a full marathon someday. I still let loose with the occasional hip hop yoga class, and I’ll likely plug in for my longer runs, but in the meantime I’m going to work on listening to my body, my breath, and the sounds of my favorite city. I’m pretty excited about it.

Crossing the finish line of my first half marathon without headphones!

Do you run with headphones in? What kind of music gets you through your toughest workouts? What’s your stance–is music a crutch, a necessity, or a nice added bonus?

It’s my birthday and I’ll eat what I want to!

On September 14, 2014September 14, 2014 By shorterandfasterIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Hello friends–and greetings from the land of being in your late twenties! That’s right, I’ve reached the ripe old age of 27, and now that I’ve reached the age of wisdom I think I know what birthdays are all about: eating delicious treats all week long!

Props to my friend C for getting me the best birthday card ever.

Despite the fact that I just started classes and a new job, I did 27 up right. My actual birthday was on a Wednesday, so rather then hauling the crew out on a weeknight I requested a family sushi making party. We’ve been making sushi for years, and I have to say we do a bang-up job.

It’s definitely a little bit time-consuming but making sushi at home is actually pretty easy–keep an eye out for my super simple sushi tutorial in an upcoming post! Plus it saves you a TON of money versus going out, and you’re able to be 100% sure everything is gluten free.

More of the feast, featuring tuna, cuke, carrot, and scallion.

We capped things off with a couple of bites of an assortment of gluten free cupcakes from Treat Cupcake Bar. I loved that they make so many flavors gluten free–although the red velvet were a little bit dry and pasty. I highly recommend the oreo cookie and the pumpkin pie!!

After taking a day to digest, I had some friends over for wine and cake on Friday night. Basically I wanted an excuse to play around with the recipes in my new America’s Test Kitchen How Can It Be Gluten Free cookbook. I’ve been craving a good carrot cake, so I dove right in.

Can we finish taking pictures so I can dive headfirst into this cake??

Damn, was it fantastic! Moist, not too dense, sweet, and covered in cream cheese frosting–just the way I like it. I had heard great things about the ATK book and it didn’t disappoint.

All in all, it was a fabulous birthday week filled with great eats! How do you celebrate your birthday? Is everyone as food-focused as I am? Is anyone else as super impressed with the ATK cookbook as I am??

No more pity parties: how to be a great gluten free guest

On September 7, 2014September 7, 2014 By shorterandfasterIn Uncategorized3 Comments

The number one biggest gluten free challenge for me is what to do when I get invited over to someone’s house for dinner. I understand and value what a lovely thing it is for someone to welcome me into their home to break (hypothetically gluten free) bread. I love the intimacy of sharing a home-cooked meal. In our hyper-rushed culture, it’s so special to share a relaxed meal and to linger over it for as long as you want.

The trouble here is that when someone goes out on a limb to have me over, the very last thing I want to have to do is to tell them what to cook and how to cook it. It feels intrusive and critical. In my experience, however, I have found that most hosts appreciate the heads up and are happy to be accommodating. If it’s not someone I know very well, I’ll admit that I dread having to make the request. After stumbling through a few faux pas, my advice is to ALWAYS say something beforehand. If you don’t, you’ll more likely than not end up having to explain to the entire group what happens to you when you eat gluten (gross) and the host might leave the table to make you a separate meal (awkward). Better to face the music beforehand! If you’re nervous, here are my top tips:

Offer to bring something. This is a perfect way to bring up your dietary needs to the host in a constructive manner. Even if they decline, they’ll know what your needs are and be able to accommodate appropriately.
If it’s not a sit-down dinner, bring a snack or eat beforehand. If you’re going to a party where there will be apps and drinks, often your best bet is just to come to the party full. There might be some crudite, nuts, or something else GF, but at least for those as food-focused as I am, better safe than hungry! This is especially important for events (like weddings) with passed appetizers, which tend to be heavily breaded/fried.
Use your GFFs (gluten free friends): If you don’t feel comfortable telling the host yourself, have someone else do it! This isn’t copping out, this is asking for help from those who you love and rely on. If you’re attending an event with a significant other, family member, or friend, feel free to ask them to reach out to the host for you.

It’s definitely an ongoing challenge. What do you do when you’re eating at someone else’s home? Any other tips and tricks that work for you?

Treat Yourself Tuesday: Gluten Free in Berlin, Krakow, and Prague

On September 2, 2014September 2, 2014 By shorterandfasterIn Uncategorized6 Comments

Happy Tuesday! I’m dedicating my second #treatyourselftuesday to my biggest treat of the summer: my trip to Europe. Click here to read Becky’s fabulous blog and learn more about why she believes in the power of treating yourself every week. Happy to be linking up!

We celebrated my last summer of “freedom” (aka no grad school) with a week and a half of vacationing and adventuring. The trip was incredible, and thanks in large part to my exhaustive (anal?) pre-research, I got to treat myself to some of the local cuisine safely and gluten freely.

1) Stop number one: Berlin! The most surprising thing about Berlin, for me, was just how much of an international city it is. People like to compare it to Brooklyn–the city is stuffed to the gills with hipsters from all over the world, cute coffee shops, clubs, hole-in-the-wall bars, and brunch places. But if you’re looking for German food, German culture, or even German people, Berlin isn’t the place. That said, it is a fascinating city and definitely one I hope to come back to.

Late night at one of the cute local bars in Prenzlauer Berg — Late night at a cute local bar in Prenzlauer Berg

Due to the influx of trendy ethnic food and English speakers, it was super easy to navigate around the food scene. We had fabulous tacos and margaritas at Santa Berlin, which clearly marks all of their gluten free options right on the menu. A great, affordable choice for a dinner out–just be prepared to wait a bit for a table.

Since we had so many sights to visit, Berlin was a great place to grab groceries and store them in our Airbnb kitchen.

Healthy breakfasting at our Airbnb home! — Healthy breakfasting at our Airbnb home

We stopped by LPG Biomarkt (there are a bunch of locations around the city) for groceries and it had a GIANT gluten free section. Their bread and granola lasted me all the way to Prague.

2) From Berlin we hopped on a quick flight over to Krakow. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but Krakow was a truly lovely little city and a pleasure to explore. In addition to a finding a shocking number of gluten free eats, some pretty magical things happened in Krakow: J and I celebrated our second anniversary and I officially accepted a new job. Can’t really complain! Onto the eats…

We got to the city late and were pretty ravenous, so we followed our hostel’s recommendation to a salad bar called Chimera. While it wasn’t a salad bar in the traditional serve-yourself American sense, the food was fresh and plentiful… and they had gluten free cake on display! I knew good things were in store. The next afternoon, we had amazing potato latkes with mushroom sauce at Cafe Mlynek, a vegetarian joint in the Jewish district.

Our anniversary dinner at Pod Baranem, however, absolutely blew me away. I had done some research on this one and it exceeded all expectations. The gluten free menu was extensive, the service was absolutely impeccable, and the traditional Polish food was DELISH (and very reasonably priced)! I didn’t take many photos since we were busy celebrating but these pierogies were probably the best thing I ate in Europe.

Pierogies--filled with beef, cabbage, and potato! NOMS. — Pierogies–filled with beef, cabbage, and potato

Don’t skip Restaurajca Pod Baranem if you’re in Poland!

3) Our last stop in Europe was in Prague.

I was last in Prague 14 years ago, and it was such a treat to be back in such a magical city–especially since we got to visit my wonderful great aunt on her home turf.

J, Mom, Dad, Aunt V, and me! — J, Mom, Dad, Aunt V, and me

Finding food in Prague was a little bit tricky–the city just hasn’t seemed to embrace the gluten free trend the way that Krakow and Berlin have. Regardless, I dragged the crew to Švejk Restaurant U Karla, where I treated myself to a traditional Czech goulash with dumplings and a Celia Lager (my new favorite gluten free beer).

Overall, I had a fabulous time in Europe–the trip was a treat in itself, filled with lots of gluten free treats!

The BEST gluten free beer!

On August 20, 2014August 20, 2014 By shorterandfasterIn Uncategorized1 Comment

I’ve been a bit radio-silent on the blog front recently–for several reasons. Life has been pretty hectic recently: I moved, accepted a new job, and am starting grad school in a couple of weeks. On top of all of that craziness, I just happened to have a 2 week international vacation on the books. On top of THAT, part of the vacation (and the impetus for it) was my very dear friend’s wedding in Israel.

Still with me? To recap: new home, new job, new school, and a huge trip to a potentially war-torn area of the globe.

Putting aside all of the crazy new and exciting life things for a minute, let’s focus in on my vacation adventures. First and foremost, clearly I am home and safe. Thankfully there was a cease-fire in effect the entire time we were in Israel, so everything went off without a hitch. And we had a wonderful time during the first two thirds of our trip, which we spent in Berlin, Krakow, and Prague.

Barring a few mishaps and challenges, I ate and drank my way through Europe and Israel like a gluten free queen!! While I’ll chronicle my eating adventures in at least a couple of upcoming posts, I wanted to shout out my most important discovery: I found THE BEST gluten free beer. Hands down. I was diagnosed with Celiac at 21 and I’ve tried em all: Dogfish Tweason’ale, Omission, Glutenberg, Redbridge, Bard’s, New Planet, Trader Joe’s NGB, Estrella Damm Daura, etc., etc… and this one takes the cake.

To back up: J and I spent our second anniversary exploring the beautiful little city of Krakow.

Sunset in Krakow's main square — Sunset in Krakow’s main square

I was a little bit nervous to be somewhere slightly off the beaten path–which generally makes it tricky to find things that I can eat. Boy, was I ever wrong! This gorgeous little city was bursting with gluten free gems. When I saw this sign I knew good things were coming my way.

Enter: Celia Lager, from the Zatecky brewery in the Czech Republic. (Sidenote: it is apparently brewed in a castle. Yes, a magical castle that brews gluten free beer. I want to go to there!) The beer was light, crisp, refreshing, and tasted GOOD–none of the metallic, sour, or vegetable-like edge that other gluten free beers have.

Apparently I was so excited I forgot how to pour beer.

It even got two thumbs up from J and from my dad–I sometimes bring in ringers to see if something actually tastes good or if it just tastes good to me since I can’t really remember what gluten-ous foods taste like.

Ladies and gents, this one is a winner. I found it again in Prague and happily slurped down another bottle. So here’s the challenge: while the delicious treat is all the rage in the UK, the interwebs seem to be telling me it’s not available here in the US. Why oh why, Celia?? We need you here–big time!

Do they need a spokesperson? I think I would do an excellent job!

Does anyone know where I can find this wondrous beer stateside? Have you ever tried it? What’s your favorite gluten free beer?

My first Treat Yourself Tuesday: NYC edition!

On July 29, 2014 By shorterandfasterIn Uncategorized3 Comments

I’m super excited to be linking up with one of my favorite bloggers, Becky from Olives n’ Wine, for my very first Treat Yourself Tuesday!

I’m cheating just a little bit because these treats are from a couple of weeks back, but I had such a wonderful treat-filled girls weekend of gluten free fun in NYC that I can’t resist sharing it.

We kicked things off with an out-of-this-world incredible meal from Del Posto. Since it was a couple of days after my GFF E’s birthday, we wanted to go all out and celebrate with a super fancy shmancy lunch. From the live pianist to the extremely attentive (and maybe just a touch over the top) service, Del Posto didn’t disappoint. While my lamb was a teensy bit too salty, the gluten free focaccia and pumpkin tortellini were mind blowing. They brought us some fabulous little extras in between courses and the cocktails were delish. It’s definitely a splurge, even for lunch, but absolutely worth it.

After lunch we walked it off with a much-needed stroll on the High Line and then met up with friends in Central Park for a free NYC Philharmonic concert. The lighting was gorgeous and I think about half of Manhattan came out to join us–it was packed!

Saturday we kicked things off with an obligatory brunch at The Grey Dog, where I had to snag a gluten free blackberry muffin and a giant iced coffee with almond milk. Not gonna lie, it wasn’t my first or last iced coffee of the weekend… #treatyoself.

The rest of the weekend continued with lots of strolling, a stop to refuel with cupcakes at Tu-Lu’s, manicures, and a phenomenal performance of Matilda!

I’m a huge musical theater nerd, and I was blown away by the cast, score, set design, and music–it was a spellbinding couple of hours. I also appreciated how closely they stuck to the plot of the original Roald Dahl novel, which was one of my favorites growing up.

Before our bus on Sunday, we grabbed a green smoothie at Westerly Natural Market which had one of the most extensive selections of gluten free goods I’ve ever seen. They were pretty pricey, but I got some microwaveable Annie’s and granola bars on mega sale.

I love how easy it is to zip down to NYC for the weekend, and it was so wonderful to catch up with friends old and new. New York is such a mecca for gluten free deliciousness–can’t wait to be back soon!

Did you get a chance to treat yourself this week? Any favorite gluten free spots in NYC?

Sneaky Gluten

On July 27, 2014July 27, 2014 By shorterandfasterIn Uncategorized5 Comments

On the surface, a gluten free diet seems pretty simple: no wheat, no flour, no problem. Unfortunately, gluten comes up on ingredient lists under all kinds of tricky names and in lots of unexpected places. Here are some of the gluten-containing foods that have tripped me up over the years.

Licorice: This one really threw me for a loop when I found out about it. Often gummy candy doesn’t contain gluten, so even though they’re not my favorite, I dug into a pack of Twizzlers a couple of years ago. Second ingredient on the list? Enriched wheat flour. Be careful with candy and always, always double check ingredient lists before digging in.

Source

Farro (and spelt, kamut, durum, bulgur, and semolina): I hate to have to share this story, but this one actually first bit me in the butt at Sweetgreen, a place I dearly love and still highly recommend. I breezed through the line and ordered a salad with no croutons, no side of bread, and with a nice scoop of the “warm grains.” Warm grains = organic quinoa and farro. What’s farro? You guessed it–a form of wheat Luckily Sweetgreen does have alternate gluten free grain options like spicy quinoa and wild rice, but be extra careful to make sure your grains are gluten free before you eat.

Couscous: Unfortunately, couscous is actually teeny tiny pieces of pasta–made from wheat. Luckily, there are some awesome brown rice options like this one from Lundberg.

Source

Soy Sauce: Soy = totally gluten free. Soy sauce = contains gluten. Weird, right? Thank goodness companies like Kikkoman make tamari-style soy sauces that taste exactly the same, but are gluten free. Many sushi places have tamari if you ask for it, but I recommend bringing a small bottle of your own.

Non-certified oats: Oats fall into a little bit of a gluten free gray area. Although oats themselves don’t contain gluten, they are very likely to be contaminated–either in the field or in the packaging facility, there’s a a pretty high probability a little bit o’ wheat has snuck its way into most oats (more about this from The Kitchn here). Be safe and always buy certified gluten free oats. I get mine from Trader Joe’s.

Seitan (and most other faux meat products): When I first got diagnosed with Celiac, I was a vegetarian. It was a rough six months until I decided to bring the meat back. One dietary restriction is enough for me! For those of you who are intrepid gluten free vegetarians, be warned: almost all meat substitutes, besides tofu, are full o’ gluten. Veggie burgers, seitan, Morningstar Farms crumbles, etc. etc. all tend to use gluten as a binder. I recommend sticking to beans and tofu.

What kinds of “sneaky gluten” have tripped you up over the years?

Gluten free on the go: picks for a quick bite

On July 23, 2014 By shorterandfasterIn Uncategorized1 Comment

For a spontaneous adventure-loving gal, one of the most frustrating parts about being gluten free is how much advanced planning it requires. As much as I always try to have snacks on hand, it’s incredibly helpful to have a few places where I know I can grab a quick, filling, relatively healthy and affordable meal. Here are the (mostly local–yay!) chains in and around Boston where I like to grab a quick bite.

Sweetgreen: Founded in DC, Sweetgreen is hands-down my favorite salad place in Boston. I’m not a huge lettuce fan, so I love that their base options include shredded kale and organic arugula. Toppings-wise, from spicy quinoa to local feta, roasted sweet potatoes, avocado, wild rice, and tons more–Sweetgreen has something for everyone. Their endlessly customizable menu is almost entirely gluten free and their seasonal salads are to die for. One quick warning: their “warm grains” contain farro, which is NOT gluten free. Otherwise, they provide a fantastic grab-and-go salad option in Back Bay, Chestnut Hill, and Fort Point!

Hearty salads and delicious iced tea from Sweetgreen — Hearty salad and iced tea from Sweetgreen

Chipotle: Ahhh, Chipotes. How I wish I didn’t enjoy you as much as I do. Chipotle is the only national chain on this list for a reason. When I’m really hungry (think 8:30 p.m. post-workout hungry) Chipotle always hits the spot. Their salads, tacos, and burrito bowls are GF, with easy veggie and dairy-free options. Plus, they do their best to serve local, organic, sustainable “food with integrity.” This is a great travel tip too, since they’re all over the country. Eat burrito bowls and be merry!!

Clover: Clover is a Boston area chain, boasting both trucks and brick-and-mortar restaurants. They serve up some of the healthiest “fast food” you’ll ever eat: delicious snacks, drinks, coffee, and healthy meals in under five minutes or so. Pop in for an egg and eggplant or chickpea fritter platter, and I promise you won’t be disappointed. While they don’t maintain a segregated facility, the staff is super helpful and there are great GF options. Direct from their website: “We hear a lot of questions about gluten-free options. Our kitchens are not gluten free. The falafel recipe does not have any wheat flour (unlike most falafel), instead we use GF corn flour. At the restaurants we have platters available without bread. At the trucks we have “boats” which is a sandwich without the bread. We are exploring a GF bread option.” We’re looking forward to it, Clover!

Egg and eggplant platter with carrot salad from Clover

Boloco: Along the same lines as Clover, Boloco is a grab-and-go local “fast food” chain that serves up all kinds of smoothies, burritos, and salads. The name even stands for BOston LOcal COmpany–how cool is that? The best thing about Boloco in my book is that you can get pretty much anything on their menu in a bowl, meaning no tortilla and for the most part, no gluten. Details are available here. There are locations all over the Boston area (and beyond!), and their website meticulously lists out the ingredients for all of their menu items. I highly recommend the soy berry shake with peanut butter added for protein–and anything with guac.

Do you have any quick and easy gluten-free options you can’t get enough of? Shout em out!

Massaged Kale Salad

On July 4, 2014 By shorterandfasterIn Uncategorized1 Comment

At the risk of sounding like a total bandwagon-jumper, I’m just going to throw this out there: I. LOVE. KALE. I love it in salads, sauteed, blended, baked, and even raw. I love it so much that when I dropped my favorite mixing bowl the other day, I was actually more upset about losing the kale salad inside of it than I was about losing the shattered bowl. One afternoon at the Coolidge Corner Farmer’s Market, a fellow patron told me she’s had heard kale was good for her but she didn’t know what to do with it. Man, did she regret asking me… I think I rattled on for about five full minutes before I said something like “what do you do with kale? Eat it! All the time! In everything!!”

That said, I’m going to share the easiest and most delicious kale prep method I’ve ever used. I probably use this trick at least twice a week, ideally with my fresh kale from my Red Fire Farm CSA.

Or from the incredibly affordable and extensive produce section at Market Basket or Haymarket. Some day I’ll plant it in my garden… when I have one. Bucket list here I come!

Massaged Kale:

I first learned this amazing trick from my college buddy and fellow blogger Jennie. First, I apologize for the name. Massaging your veggies sounds weird and creepy. A coworker and I tried to find alternate names but utterly failed… the best we came up with was “cajoled kale,” which sounds even more ridiculous. But it may be a great name for my hypothetical indie rock band.

Anywho, massaged kale it is. Here’s what you do.

1. Wash your kale. I recommend curly green kale, as fresh as you can get it. (From a local farm if possible! Shameless CSA plug!)

2. Rip the leaves into bite size-ish chunks. There’s no science here. Just be sure you ditch the stalks (or save them to make stock).

3. Toss your clean kale into a bowl and pour on a generous bit of olive oil (I’d start with a tablespoon or so per bunch of kale and then add more as needed).

4. Massage! Stick your hands in there and smush the kale and oil around for a full minute or two. Use some muscle–you’re trying to physically break down the fibrousness and bitterness of raw kale. Eventually you’ll see the kale shrink down and become a dark, soft, glossy green. It will be tender and delicious.

You can do whatever you want from here–I love to massage in an avocado or hummus and top with some quinoa, nuts, and whatever other veggies I have around.

One of my favorite combos, which has been given the official name “Yummy kale salad:”

– Avocado

– Shredded carrots

– Golden raisins

– Pumpkin seeds

– Sea salt

– Lemon juice

Feel free to go crazy with your own salad creations!

A fall version with blue cheese, lentils, sweet potatoes, and cranberries

How do you like to prepare your kale? What would you top your massaged kale salad with? Got any better names for massaged kale?

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