Have you ever played the board game Ticket To Ride? It’s pretty fun. Greg and I often play board games with my sister, Kate, and her fiancé, Josh. Last night we got together to play Ticket To Ride and I made dinner for everyone. I needed a side to go with our hamburgers and I, of course, thought of my go-to kale salad. But I worry that people get sick of this salad because I make it ALL OF THE TIME. I’m not sick of it :)

So I decided to try something different and incorporate some extra veggies. We recently started picking our lacinato or tuscan kale which is more delicate than the curly variety we grow. It is also darker in color and slightly less bitter. For this salad you can use either type. The lacinato, which I used this time, will cook down a bit more than the curly variety.

Like most kale salads, this is super easy and quick to put together. Last night I made it ahead of time and let it sit until we were ready for dinner and it was great. I, however, preferred the taste of it immediately after it finished cooking. Still very good at room temperature but I just liked it better warm. But you’ll see it comes together quickly so it’s an easy salad to have prepped and cook at the last minute.

Uncooked corn? Yes! In the recipe I call for uncooked corn – just cut off the cob raw. It will cook slightly in the just about 2 minutes that it stays in the skillet but basically it will be raw. It gives the salad that bit of crunch it needs since everything else is cooked. The balsamic vinegar and the honey are a great balance of sweet and tart. The honey was Greg’s idea ;)

By the way, our corn will be ready soon! We will be getting some corn in from Ohio this weekend and we hope to start picking our own by then end of next week. Maybe just in time for the 4th of July.

Once you add the kale to the skillet, mix it just enough to coat all of it and remove it from the heat. The lacinato variety will wilt quickly. If you are using the curly kale, you can let it cook a little longer if you prefer a more delicate texture.

Do you love kale yet?