In my family, all food falls into one of two categories, food that unites or food that divides. Topping the uniting list includes kale, broccoli, beef, fish, and spaghetti. On the dividing side, there is egg, cheese, chicken, curry, tomato and peanut butter. He eats this but not that. She eats that but not this. Our overlaps are few, so I like to take advantage of them whenever I can. Thankfully, with kale on all of our palates, we have a robust lacinato plant in one of our raised beds and it is a staple in our weekly CSA box. We all love cooked kale, whether in stews or roasted into chips or smoky and blistered from the grill. However, with the heat and humidity of summer in full swing, I have been experimenting with raw preparations. I tried a raw kale salad with an almond dressing that despite having an intriguing ingredient list (almonds, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, garlic, ginger, Dijon) tasted flat to my palate. Having recently discovered Amanda’s Chicken Salad (http://food52.com/recipes/4160_chicken_salad), I thought smoked almonds in a dressing might be the punch of flavor I was looking for. I decided to use lime because I had them on hand, and anyway, why should lemon get all the dressing attention? <br /> <br /> <br />Since this salad needs to be refrigerated for at least 4 hours prior to serving, make sure to use lacinato (also known as Toscano or dinosaur kale) for its earthy flavor and ability to hold up to the dressing. Thinly slicing lacinato is easily accomplished by stacking de-ribbed leaves and using a sharp knife. If using baby lacinato kale, de-ribbing is not necessary. Simply wash, dry and slice. <br />

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