Grilled Greens? OH YEAH, BABY!

Who'da'thunk you could grill your greens?  We all know you can grill a zucchini, a mushroom, even a tomato.  I guess it makes sense since the Food Network demonstrated that you can grill a pizza...so why not a salad???  I know it sounds bazaar.  A few months back we received an issue of Sunset magazine that highlighted 3 recipes of grilled greens (kale, bok choy, and romaine hearts).  I had never really thought about grilling greens before that, but who am i to not to believe Sunset magazine?  Their recipes have always been a hit at my house.  That night the grill was lit, kale was clipped from the garden, and since there hasn't been a week that we haven't made this AWESOME dish.  If you are like some folks i know whose grandparents forced soggy greens on them and therefore protest eating them now, then this is the recipe to try.  The smokiness and cripsiness the grill gives the kale is INSANE, plus, if you love kale chips you are going to LUUUUURRRRRVVVVEEEE this recipe!  Start with a few bunches of kale since it shrinks up beyond belief when you cook it.  You need about one bunch of kale per person - what a great way to get your fill of green stuff!

Grilled Kale:

Step One:  De-stem the kale.  You can do this by holding the base of the kale stem and pinching your opposite hand at the bottom of the leaf.  Pull away from you to remove the leaf.  Tear the leaves into smaller 1 or 2 inch pieces.  Get rid of the stem, you don't need it for this recipe.

Step Two:  Clean your greens.  Toss into a bowl of water with sea salt to soak/clean/remove hitch-hikers (aka..BUGS!)  Pull the greens from the bowl, rinse, and salad spin to dry

Step Three:  Massage your greens.  Place in a large bowl and add about 1 TBSP of olive oil.  Massage this into all of the leaves so they are coated.  

Step Four:  Grill your greens.  Transfer to a hot grill (using a veggie basket)...you'll mostly likely need to cook in batches.  We cook it on the top shelf, cover and let cook about 5 minutes, checking it to make sure you haven't burned your greens.  Use tongs to push them around and rotate them. 

Step Five:  EAT YOUR GREENS!  Pull off when all are cooked and lightly crispy brown on some of the ends.

While this is delicious on it's own, it's EVEN BETTER with a little dressing.  Here's the BOMB GRILLED KALE DRESSING:

2 Tbsp Tamari
2 Tbsp Tahini
1Tsp of honey (to taste)

Drizzle Bomb Dressing over your greens, top with toasted sesame seeds, and eat up.  HOLY GREEN DELICIOUSNESS!

i suggest you cook more than you think you'll need since you'll gobble up the whole lot guiltlessly and then want more!