There’s lots of flexibility with this recipe but the basic ingredients, kale and cucumber, provide the texture contrast that is (in my mind) necessary when eating cooked greens served cold in a salad. The kale is lightly steamed to get the most nutrition out of it. (I have had tough kale served raw in salads in restaurants–terrible idea!) Let the onion, garlic, garbanzo beans, and herbs marinate ahead in order to blend the flavors. Cucumber and any other vegetable you add need to be crisp and crunchy so add them before serving to prevent them going limp.

Serves 4

4-5 cups of kale, chopped fine, removing tough stems

1 cucumber sliced lengthwise and chopped in 1/4 inch pieces

juice of 1/2 lemon

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup chopped red onion

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 cup cooked chick peas

1/3 cup chopped olives, optional

1/4 cup total minced fresh herbs of your choice, I used dill and thyme and basil. Dried herbs can be used instead–1 tsp dill weed, 1/2 tsp. thyme, 1/2 tsp. basil

1/2 cup chopped sweet red pepper, optional

1/2 cup crumbled goat feta cheese, optional

1/4 cup chopped scallions or fresh chives, optional

salt, black pepper to taste

In a medium-sized salad bowl, place lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, onion, chickpeas, and herbs. Stir well and cover and place in refrigerator. This step can be done a few hours ahead or even overnight so that the onion and chickpeas especially have the chance to marinate.

An hour or so before serving, steam the kale in a vegetable steamer for 4-5 minutes over simmering water with the lid cracked a little. Keep your attention on them with an occasional stir so they do not overcook–taste every minute and as soon as they are slightly tender but not totally limp remove from steam and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking. Add these to the other mixture, stir well. Now add the cucumber and red pepper if desired. Salt and pepper to taste and serve. It’s good leftover but I much prefer it fresh.

Well, you could leave the potato out of this salad and it would still be delicious BUT using 1 medium-sized potato with a whole head of cauliflower will allow you to mimic potato salad better. The good news is that you are not only reducing your carbs by not using just potatoes as in a traditional potato salad, but you are adding more cruciferous vegetable to your diet. Unlike many salads this one stores well in the fridge for a couple of days. Make a big batch to last 3 days. The original recipe is from Dr Bruce Fife’s “Keto Cookery” but I changed it some. You could add a few boiled (and then mashed) eggs to it also.

1 large head of organic cauliflower, just the florets, cut into bit-sized pieces

1 medium-sized red potato, peeled and cubed into 1/2 inch pieces

3 medium stalks of organic celery, chopped fine

1/4 cup finely minced red onion

2 medium-sized dill pickles, chopped

1 cup home-made mayonaisse

1 Tbsp. prepared yellow mustard

1 Tbsp. organic apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup minced fresh dill or 2 tsp. dried dill weed

sea salt and black pepper to taste

In a large bowl mix the mayo, mustard, onion, pickles, vinegar, dill. Set aside so that the onion marinates while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Place the potato cubes in a vegetable steamer and steam over water until tender. Remove from steam and rinse with cool water. Drain well. Add to the mayo mixture and stir well. Add the celery to the mixture and stir well. Set this mixture aside. If you are going to add boiled eggs, mash them and add them now.

Cut the cauliflower so that the tough inner parts are removed and discarded. You just want the florets–place them in the vegetable steamer and steam until tender. Be sure not to over or under cook or the texture of your salad will not be good. Once the water boils in the steamer reduce the heat and continue lightly steaming with the lid cracked slightly until you can pierce with a fork a floret without resistance–it should not be mushy! Remove from heat immediately (it will keep cooking if you leave over the hot water) and rinse with cool water. Drain well and add to the rest of the ingredients. Stir well and add salt and pepper to taste. Good served at room temperature or can be chilled first. A couple of hours in the fridge marinates the vegetables for more flavor so it is best to prepare ahead.