A No-Recipe Recipe from Christan in Atlanta: Sunday Kale Salad

Who cooks and eats here: Christan Vick & Jenna Novic
Where: East Atlanta, GA
See the kitchen: Christan & Jenna’s Blended East Atlanta Kitchen
Rent or Own? Own

Christan’s favorite kitchen hack is to make a large vegetable or veg-and-grain salad that can be safely stashed in the refrigerator for easy lunches and late-night snack raids. Here’s how she makes her favorite Sunday kale salad — an easy make-ahead salad for eating all week.

“We took a trip to Spain,” Christan says, “and I was so into the vegetables, the way they were used. Lots of marinated vegetable salads. So I try to mimic that when I cook these salads.”

A quinoa salad is a favorite, but the most popular is Christan’s kale salad, which she varies with parmesan or pecorino cheese, walnuts, and dried fruit, tossed with a vinaigrette.

It can last several days in the fridge, since the kale is a sturdy green, and combats the “There’s nothing to eat,” syndrome when she and Jenna get home late. Her one suggestion? “Massage the kale. Otherwise it’s too tough!”

Christan’s recipe varies depending on what’s good at the market and what she has in the kitchen, but always includes:

About 2 to 3 cups of kale, massaged, trimmed and chopped, 1/2 cup of nuts, usually walnuts, 1/4 cup hard cheese (like Parmesan or pecorino, Christan’s favorite), grated, and 1/4 to 1/2 cup dried fruit, such as cranberries or blueberries.

You could also add diced red bell pepper or carrots, or any other sturdy vegetable if you’re planning to eat it over a few days — cucumbers or other delicates will make the salad soggy for storage.

And while Christan is gluten-free, she notes that croutons are a tasty addition if you eat bread. Just add them right before serving.

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