the first thought that came to my mind when i woke up yesterday was that we hadn't had a any kale in a (long) time. for a while there we'd been eating kale (ever since i'd discovered all the nutritional benefits) in every possible way imaginable-and then somehow i stopped buying it without really noticing, and come to think of it, no one was exactly complaining! even though my kale & brussels sprouts salad is always a big hit with the family, it was time to come up with a new kale {salad} recipe- one that included some protein- i know how well kale works with lentils and other grains from cooking (and eating) my vegetarian lentil soup {joan's soup}, so i decided to cook some black (beluga) lentils and start building the salad from there. the resulting dish was so delicious it will be a new staple at our house (until we forget to  eat our kale again)!

• 1 bunch lacinato kale, deveined if necessary, thinly shredded (2 cups)
• 1 small red bell pepper, minced (very finely cubed)
• 1 cup small black lentils, cooked in lightly salted water until tender
• 1-2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
• 1 small onion, finely , minced
• 1-2 tsp cayenne pepper (spicy)
• 1 heaping tsp ground cumin
• sea salt to taste
• 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 of a lime, juiced (1-2 tsp juice)
• lettuce cups (organic butter lettuce, separated)

1. heat 1 tbs olive oil in a skillet, add garlic, bell pepper, and onion with a touch of sea salt, and stir fry for about 2-3 minutes on high.

2. add cumin and cayenne pepper, stir fry for another minute or two, then add the thinly sliced kale and stir fry quickly just until the kale wilts (1-2 minutes), remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool.

3. in a bowl, combine the kale mixture with the (room temperature) cooked lentils, adjust the sea salt, add 1 tbs olive oil and 1-2 tsp lime juice. combine well, and allow the salad to sit for about 10 minutes prior to serving either in lettuce cups or by itself.