Back in the Pacific Northwest + Kale Coconut Salad

Long time no see!

After a week in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and a beautiful weekend in Toronto, I flew back home to Seattle last week. I had the intention of taking a few weeks to cool down and readjust to life in the Pacific Northwest but that didn't quite go as planned.

I hit the ground running, started training and teaching again at the Studio, worked a 40 hour week in the world of retail and stretchy pants, bought a car which I've successfully put about a thousand miles on in less than a week. There's been nothing slow about this transition, and oddly, I wouldn't have it any other way.

I jumped feet first into all of the things that I want and that I'm committed to having in my life, in the way of great relationships, work, play, how I would ideally choose to spend my time. I'm loving every minute of it, and that's a powerful feeling to come back with.

Spring is, after all, a season of transition, change, beauty, and fun. I've kind of been spring cleaning my life.

From the inside out, mind you! As soon as I got home I had all of this inspiration to recreate recipes that I had been using at Azul Fit. The past week has been filled with trials of new recipes, old mastered and adapted ones. What I have for you today is one of the latter. This Kale Coconut Salad is adapted from Heidi Swanson's cookbook, Super Natural Every Day, which by the way is full of creative vegetarian whole-food dishes. Her original recipe is for a warm salad, in which she roasts the coconut and kale in the oven to toast the coconut and wilt the kale. My favorite way to enjoy this salad is cold, massaging the kale in the marinade, but keeping it raw. It lightens up this rich salad and gives a refreshing contrast to the cooked farro and toasted coconut.

As far as salads go, this is definitely a rich and filling one. Large flakes of coconut pair perfectly with  a blend of sesame oil and tamari. Sturdy kale, served raw makes this feel like a perfect transitional salad from cold winter months to spring. And farro, a grain low in gluten, gives this salad more sustenance as an entree, with more protein and fiber than traditional wheat. Though it can easily be omitted or substituted with wheat berries, spelt berries, or brown rice.

Onto this salad!

Kale Coconut Salad serves 6-8 as a side, 4-6 as an entree

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 Tbsp tamari or soy sauce
1 bunch of kale (about 3 cups chopped)
1.5 cups unsweetened large-flake coconut
2 cups cooked farro (or another whole grain of your choice)

Method

In a small jar, combine olive oil, toasted sesame oil, and tamari, shake to combine, set aside.

Heat a small pan over medium heat, once hot, add coconut and toast, stirring frequently to prevent it from burning. This will take a few minutes, once done, set aside and allow it to cool.

Remove the large ribs from your kale leaves and roughly chop. Combine in a large mixing bowl with cooked farro. Lightly massage with your hands so that the dressing fully coats the leaves and grain. Fold in toasted coconut, and serve immediately.

note: this salad will keep in the fridge for 1-2 days and the kale will soften, but after that the kale and coconut will get too soft.

For a more substantial meal, add serve with pan seared tofu, or stuff into an Ezekiel tortilla for a hearty wrap. When I make a salad like this, I'll make extra and pack it for lunches in various ways throughout the week. This is a great way to add more green to your life, and feel energized all day.

Enjoy!