the {it's about time for a cleanse} warm kale salad!

after coming home from a three day music festival in the HOT california desert (and eating & drinking lots and lots of the not so good for you (mostly fried) food & drinks typical of such events) all we wanted for dinner tonight was a light and healthy meal to help us feel better right away (is that even possible)? in order to make the dinner a little heartier than a plain salad, i decided to quickly stir fry  some kale, crimini mushrooms, and tomatoes and add them (still warm) to the raw ingredients (avocados, grated carrots, and lettuce or arugula) for a hot and cold salad that almost delivered what it was meant to (we felt ever so slightly better) and welcomed us back home. to make this more of a filling dinner you might consider adding some grilled/oven baked protein like chicken or fish.

ingredients for 2-3 servings:

• 1 small bunch of organic (lacinato) kale
• 1/4 cup crimini mushrooms (sliced)
• 2 roma tomatoes (cut in 4 wedges each)
• 2 cups or so arugula or butter lettuce
• 2-3 (organic) carrots peeled, then grated
• 1-2 cloves of garlic, crushed (in the skin)
• 1 lemon (freshly juiced)
• 2-3 tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 1 small tsp red pepper flakes (cayenne)
• sea salt & freshly ground pepper

1. heat 1 tbs olive oil in a skillet and add the garlic (whole in skin), then the washed, drained, and cut kale with sea salt & pepper to taste. allow the kale to wilt slightly while stirring on high heat for about 2-3 minutes, then add a small squeeze of lemon juice (1 tsp or so), stir again, and remove from heat.

2. remove kale from skillet and set aside, then add the mushrooms, season with salt & pepper (and a bit more oil if necessary), and stir fry on high heat for about two minutes.

3. add tomatoes to the mushrooms and stir fry for a minute before removing from heat.

4. in a (shallow) salad bowl layer in the lettuce/arugula and shredded carrots surrounded by the avocado slices. remove garlic from kale and add the wilted kale to the salad along with mushrooms and tomatoes.

5. in a small bowl whisk together 1-2 tbs olive oil, 2-3 tbs fresh lemon juice, sea salt, & pepper. drizzle over the salad. sprinkle with red pepper flakes. let the "cleansing" begin!