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Grilled Kale with Yogurt Dressing and Toasted Hazelnuts

August 2 by Priscilla 27 Comments

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A unique take on kale salad from Gjelina – one of Los Angeles’s most talked-about restaurants, lauded by critics and beloved by stars, locals, and out-of-towners alike for its seductive simplicity and eclectic Cal-Med menu from talented chef Travis Lett.


Tired of the usual kale salad? Try grilling kale – you will love how crispy the charred edges are – kind of like eating kale chips, and the tangy yogurt dressing is deliciously cool and refreshing with a satisfying nutty crunch from toasted hazelnuts.

Jump to Recipe

It’s a darn good thing that I’ve always been committed to cooking healthy, nutritious meals for my family since Day 1, because now it’s a life or death call to action. If I hadn’t been interested in health and nutrition since I was a teenager eating brewer’s yeast (what teen does that?), been eliminating processed foods, sugar, and salt from our diet for over a decade, and making home-cooked meals nearly every night, then the recent turn of events would seem like an almost insurmountable task.

(To qualify the overused and often misused words “healthy and nutritious”, I mean balanced meals that include protein, carbs with fiber from whole grains and lots of fresh vegetables – many from our garden – and fruits with very few foods from a can, box, or jar.)


The reason why it’s a darn good thing is it’s making the adaptation to my husband’s cardiologist-mandated strict low-sodium diet a little less brutal than if we were in the habit of drive-through breakfasts, fast food lunches, or takeout dinners on a regular basis. And, it’s still been tough because, although I diligently read labels, its amazing how insidious sodium is until you’re trying to consume less than 2,000 milligrams a day! A few slices of deli turkey (920 mg) with low-cal mayo (125 mg) between two slices of whole wheat bread (320 – 160 for each slice) with NO cheese, sounds pretty healthy, but has a whopping 1365 mg of sodium, nearly all of his daily recommended allowance of 1500 mg, and that’s just lunch! Fortunately, I discovered Low-Sodium Ezekiel bread which has 0 sodium and The Don is enjoying avocado, tomato, and cucumber veggie sandwiches several days a week.

But let’s get to today’s recipe which I found online at L.A. Times Food after reading a very interesting article on how restaurants are cutting back on salt and hoping you won’t notice it. I was looking for a creative recipe for the kale that I picked up when shopping for ingredients for my Farmers Market Makeover entry and this was a unique take on kale salad. I loved how crispy the charred edges were – kind of like eating kale chips, and the tangy yogurt dressing was deliciously refreshing with a satisfying crunch from the hazelnuts.

Grilled Kale, Travis Lett recipe for grilled kale, Gjelina grilled kale
Print
Grilled Kale with Yogurt Dressing and Toasted Hazelnuts
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
5 mins
Total Time
25 mins
 
Course: Salad, Side
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 servings
Author: Priscilla
Ingredients
  • 1 cup Greek yogurt
  • 1 shallot very thinly sliced
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 10 mint leaves chopped
  • ¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided use
  • 3-4 tablespoons red wine vinegar or to taste
  • Salt
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • ½ cup raw hazelnuts skin on
  • 2 bunches Russian kale stems removed*
Instructions
  1. Heat the oven (or toaster oven) to 350 degrees. Heat your grill to medium-high heat or a grill pan over medium-high heat until hot.
  2. In a mixing bowl, combine the yogurt, shallot, garlic, mint, ¼ cup olive oil, red wine vinegar, and ¼ teaspoon each of salt and pepper. This makes about 1½ cups dressing, more than is needed for this recipe. The dressing will keep for up to 3 days, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
  3. Place the hazelnuts on a rimmed cookie sheet and toast in the oven until fragrant and golden, about 8-10 minutes. Transfer the hazelnuts to a clean, damp kitchen towel and rub to remove the skins. Chop roughly and set aside.
  4. Place the greens in a bowl and lightly coat with the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Place the greens on the grill until edges are slightly charred, 1-2 minutes depending on how hot your grill is. Move the greens around to avoid burning and continue wilting for another minute or so.
  5. They should be slightly charred on the edges and softened in the middle.
  6. Remove the greens to a large bowl or platter. Top with desired amount of dressing and sprinkle with hazelnuts. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes

*Lett suggests Russian kale, I used organic Lacinato kale (also known as Tuscan, Dinosaur and Black kale) purchased at the farmers market.

From L.A. Times Test Kitchen - Adapted from Travis Lett of Gjelina

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Category Salads| She's Cookin'| Sides| Veggies Tags grilled kale salad| kale

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. [email protected]

    August 2 at 1:28 pm

    Oooh love this salad! Grilled Kale sound super delish and hearty! Thanks for sharing this- I am totally gonna make soon!

    Reply
    • Priscilla

      August 4 at 4:55 pm

      Thanks, Lindsey – I think you’ll like it 🙂

      Reply
  2. Christine

    August 2 at 1:36 pm

    Salad looks wonderful.

    Reply
  3. Erin @ Dinners, Dishes and Desserts

    August 2 at 3:18 pm

    Salad looks great! Sodium can be such a tough one to cut out – even if you are good at making well balanced meals! Good luck!

    Reply
    • Priscilla

      August 4 at 4:56 pm

      Thanks, Erin – it has been a challenge!

      Reply
  4. Kelly

    August 2 at 5:48 pm

    This salad looks fantastic, love this! 🙂

    Reply
  5. rebecca

    August 2 at 5:54 pm

    wow grilled kale very cool

    Reply
  6. pachecopatty

    August 2 at 5:59 pm

    I am a kale lover so I’m bookmarking this one, I agree it’s a unique recipe that looks healthy and good. I need to branch out, no pun intended) and try some new veggie recipes, thanks for sharing- I hope your awareness of healthy eating rubs off on me!

    Reply
    • Priscilla

      August 4 at 4:58 pm

      Patty – always looking to mix things up, we’ve got a long haul ahead of us 😉

      Reply
  7. The Harried Cook

    August 2 at 6:32 pm

    This is a very cool recipe! I love that the kale is grilled, and the dressing & nuts sound like they really seal the deal… Yummy! Thanks for sharing 🙂

    Reply
    • Priscilla

      August 4 at 4:58 pm

      Your welcome – thanks for visiting!

      Reply
  8. Nami | Just One Cookbook

    August 2 at 8:54 pm

    I wish I have a vegetable garden like this. In my yard, deer comes by and eat them all. I love this salad! So healthy and important to eat green daily!

    Reply
    • Priscilla

      August 4 at 4:59 pm

      Yes, if you have deer, they can be a big problem!

      Reply
  9. Hester aka The Chef Doc

    August 3 at 12:46 am

    This recipe looks amazing and you did a great job with it 🙂 Yes, two grams of salt is really not that much but in another sense, it can totally be bad. I like to substitute natural flavorings in place of having to use salt. A pinch will totally bring out the strong flavors of say, lemon juice, you know? Your husband and family are totally lucky to have such a nutrition/health-conscious woman in their lives 🙂

    Reply
    • Priscilla

      August 3 at 2:09 pm

      Thank you, Hester! I also use a lot of lemon and herbs for flavoring 🙂

      Reply
  10. Sylvie @ Gourmande in the Kitchen

    August 3 at 2:55 am

    I’ve grilled lettuce and radicchio before but not kale! Great idea. Good luck to your husband on his new diet.

    Reply
    • Priscilla

      August 4 at 5:00 pm

      Thank you Sylvie – he has become my muse in the kitchen 🙂

      Reply
  11. Angie's Recipes

    August 3 at 3:07 am

    A very different yet so delicious summer recipe! I like the extra addition of toasted hazelnuts on top.

    Reply
  12. Peggy

    August 3 at 3:33 am

    This sounds great! I’ve never tried grilling kale (didn’t know you could!) so it’s definitely something I want to have my crack at soon =)

    Reply
  13. RavieNomNoms

    August 3 at 7:55 am

    Yum Yum!! Looks like something I would definitely enjoy! Seems rather simple too…I think this is a must try in the near future

    Reply
  14. Gina

    August 3 at 10:50 am

    I’ve thought for some time restaurant food is too salty, glad they are cutting back. I would much rather have kale this way than the chips. Yum.
    -Gina-

    Reply
  15. Faith

    August 3 at 11:50 am

    I absolutely love the idea of grilled kale and I will be trying this soon! The hazelnuts are a brilliant addition too!

    Reply
  16. Jessica

    August 3 at 3:34 pm

    I’ve been meaning to try this recipe! Love Gjelina and this dish looks so refreshing and creamy at the same time!

    Reply
  17. kita

    August 4 at 4:16 pm

    What an awesome dish! I love kale and am looking for new ways to incorporate it into meals.

    Reply
  18. Nancy

    August 9 at 8:03 am

    Hi Priscilla, I like your new design 🙂 I am also a label reader but never paid too much attention to the salt/sodium, I will now. This is such a great recipe! Healthy but delicious. Often times people associate the word healthy with tasteless foods, how wrong are they. Thanks for sharing and I hope you and your family are well:)

    Reply
    • Priscilla

      August 9 at 9:04 pm

      Thanks, Nancy – I’m excited about my new look! And I agree, healthy and delicious aren’t mutually exclusive 😉

      Reply
  19. Mary @ Fit and Fed

    April 15 at 4:50 pm

    Wow, out of all things that I have grilled (and that includes artichokes and asparagus) I never thought of grilling kale, but I like this recipe and am about to share it. Toasted hazelnuts are a favorite of mine, too. Talk about making a kale salad special!

    Reply

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