Taking care of ourselves is extra important as foodies. Since we like to indulge ourselves in the occasional lobster shells & cheese, balance can be tricky.

Lucky for us there are tons of super foods that can help bring balance to our diets while still staying delicious. Kale, a very healthy leafy green is packed full of vitamins and minerals and serves as the perfect canvas for our super foods salad. Next we have blueberries rich with antioxidants and oranges that, along with the tangy sweetness, also hosts a plethora of vitamins.

This salad can be easily altered to suit your taste. If the fruit and berries mentioned are not available, you can easily do lime and mango or any variation that strikes your fancy. I like to crumble goat cheese or feta onto mine to add another dimension. Here’s to your health!

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Massaged Kale Salad with Blueberry Blood Orange Vinagrette

Ingredients:

3 bunches kale, washed, stemmed, and cut into ribbons

1 medium shallot sliced thinly

1 pint blueberries washed and drained

2 large blood oranges segmented

1/4 cup blood orange juice

2 tablespoons Champagne vinegar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Pink Himalayan sea salt & fresh ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large non-reactive mixing bowl add kale, lemon juice and a pinch of sea salt.  Using your hangs gently massage the kale for 5-7 minutes, you will notice the color and texture of the kale changing as it breaks down.

In a separate mixing bowl add blood orange juice and Champagne vinegar.  While whisking vigorously slowly drizzle in olive oil until completely emulsified season lightly with sea salt and black pepper.  Dress your salad with the dressing as desired or serve it on the side.

Add shallot, orange segments and blueberries to your kale and mix lightly.

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Here’s some upcoming food events that focus on health AND flavor!

Saturday, July 6 I Fermented Foods – Yorktown Heights, New York   The art of fermentation has been used for thousands of years to preserve harvests and to help maintain digestive health. Join Hilltop Hanover farmer Mike Fedison for this hands-on workshop on the benefits of fermented foods, and learn how to make sauerkraut and kimchi from scratch.

Thursday, July 11 I Madison, WI B-cycle Brunch Food Tour – Madison, Wisconsin   Venture around the city enjoying the extensive bike path system, stopping to taste great brunch food at 4 different restaurants. Route is about 10 miles and will vary.

Saturday, July 13 I SnoValley Tilth Table to Farm Summer Dinner Series – Carnation, Washington   This installment of the Table to Farm Summer Dinner Series will take place at Oxbow Farm with chef Mark Bodinet of Copperleaf Restaurant and featuring Novelty Hill-Januik Winery. SnoValley Tilth supports organic and sustainable food production practices in the Snoqualmie Valley via public policy work, educational efforts, and the Carnation Farmers Market. What better way to support those initiatives than to eat a delicious meal right on the farm, where most of the meal ingredients will be grown mere feet from the table! Your evening starts with a short drive through the scenic Snoqualmie Valley to the farm, just 45 minutes from Seattle, or 15 minutes from Redmond. You are greeted with a welcome glass of local wine. Sipping, you walk the rows of the farm to see your meal’s ingredients flourishing in their native habitat. After the farm tour and conversation with the farmers, you will settle into your seat at a long table in the field. The meal experience will entail four delicious courses, artfully prepared by a local chef with local, sustainably produced food ingredients.  Each course will be paired with a fine Washington wine.

Monday, July 15 I Garden Explorers Summer 2013 is Here! – Brooklyn, New York   Welcome to Garden Explorers!  Join in the fun in Washington Park’s beautiful gardens. The program takes place inside and around the Old Stone House & Washington Park. Enjoy a culminating event for family and friends on the last day of each session. Students will: plant and harvest herbs and vegetables from the gardens, study plants, flowers, insects and other garden dwellers, prepare simple foods, play games and make garden-related arts and crafts.