Steamed Kale Drizzled With Umeboshi Plum Vinaigrette

Ingredients

1 bunch kale (dinosaur or whichever kind you prefer)

1/2 to 1 lemon

1/2 tablespoon umeboshi vinegar (ume vinegar)

1 tablespoon flaxseed oil (if you can’t get flaxseed oil, substitute extra virgin olive oil, but the flaxseed oil is way yummier!)

1 tablespoon sunflower seeds (optional)

1 teaspoon shoyu/soy sauce or tamari for gluten-free (optional)

Directions
De-stem or chop up the kale.

Bring water to a boil in the bottom of a steamer or a pot fitted with a steamer basket if you want to steam, or fill the pot about halfway with water if you want to blanch. Add the kale for 1 to 2 minutes until the vegetable is just starting to wilt. Transfer to a serving platter. If you blanched the kale, drain out any extra water.

Add the juice of half or one lemon to the kale to taste. Drizzle it on generously!

Optional: toast sunflower seeds on a pan over medium heat for a couple of minutes until they have a nutty aroma and puff up a little. Add one teaspoon of shoyu (soy sauce) for extra flavor.

Pour the flaxseed oil and ume vinegar directly onto the steamed kale. Taste it and see if you want more ume vinegar, it’s very salty so go easy if you do add more! Serve sprinkled with toasted sunflower seeds. Enjoy!!!

*Note – people tend to throw greens in a steamer and walk away, so it’s super easy to overcook your greens. I recommend always erring on the side of undercooking it since it’s so water-dense that it continued to cook a little after being removed from the steam.

As mentioned, you can use this recipe with any kind of green vegetable (bok choy, collards, etc.)!