Secrets from the Cookie Princess: Kale Coleslaw

The thing with have a CSA (community supported agriculture) membership, is that sometimes you get some goodies you might not normally have chosen for yourself. Sometimes that's a win, sometimes you understand why you didn't pick that particular item yourself. This summer, I've been exposed to kale for the first time, so I wanted to find a fun way to try it. Enter this coleslaw, packed with cabbage, kale and carrots, dressed in a lemony mustard vinaigrette with the added crunch of toasted sunflower seeds. This dish is the perfect introduction to kale because you get a subtle change to the texture and flavor of the vegetables while seasoned with a flavorful but not overpowering dressing. I'm really glad I took the kale plunge and I look forward to trying it in more dishes.

From the same Food Network Magazine booklet from June 2013 as the Skinny Coleslaw I made a few weeks ago, this kale version is super simple to make. Everything got chopped in the food processor, some sunflower seeds mixed in, then a quick toss in the dressing. We enjoyed this with friends over for a cook out and I found the kale made it very filling. So simple to make, I can easily whip this up the next time I come home from the farm with a bunch of kale.

Kale Coleslaw

Ingredients

1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1 small head cabbage
1 bunch kale
2 carrots or 10 baby carrots
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 Tablesoon dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup olive oil

Arrange sunflower seeds in a single layer on a sheet pan and toast at 300 degrees F for 5-7 minutes. Clean and prep cabbage by remove the center core and cutting into quarters or eighths. Remove the center stems from the kale. Process vegetables in a food processor, alternating between cabbage, kale and carrots.