Looking for a fresh take on a crunchy salad? Look no further than Daniele’s Kale Salad recipe, made with locally-grown greens. -Leslie

Now that Lent us upon us, I know that some of you are cutting back on the meat, especially on Fridays. One of our NOLA Eats friends (Hi, Emmy!) is taking this time to learn new ways to cook veggies without relying on pork products for seasoning. She asked me to share my recipe for kale salad. I picked up a bunch of kale from the Hollygrove Market and Farm this past Saturday, so now we have the perfect opportunity to do so.

Back in October, for the NOLA Eats fall pot-luck, I made a kale and blue cheese salad that was inspired by a salad I’d had at Satsuma Café. I suspect I’m not the only one who had never tried (or even thought to try) eating raw kale. I figured it would be too bitter to eat without cooking. As it turns out, raw kale isn’t bitter at all! It’s got a strong flavor, sort of a cross between broccoli and cabbage.

Shortly after Satsuma Café taught me that kale is a good food to eat raw, I came upon a Martha Stewart recipe for kale slaw. I thought the idea was brilliant, but didn’t really like the particulars of the recipe, so I decided to come up with my own.

And so, I give you my recipe for kale salad with buttermilk-blue cheese dressing and walnuts. This recipe is by no means exact. I am the sort of cook that just throws things together as I go, so please feel free to improvise to suit your own tastes.

Daniele’s Kale Salad

In a separate container, make the dressing by combining:

1.5 c buttermilk

1/4 c mayo

1/3 c crumbled bleu cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Buzz the dressing with an immersion blender (or your mixing implement of choice) until it’s well mixed, but some of the cheese chunks still remain.

Wash the kale and remove the tough stalks. Chop it up into roughly bite-size pieces and put it in a big bowl. Toss the kale with enough dressing to coat well (you probably won’t need all of it). Handy Tip: Make certain that the kale is dry before tossing with the dressing. Wet greens will dilute your dressing and will cause it not to adhere as well. Stick it in the fridge for a few hours to allow the flavors to develop. Toss in some chopped walnuts just before serving. Et voilà! Veggies without pig!