A friend called me up last night and said “Where did you find that really green lettuce you used in the photo I just saw?”

It’s kale, folks. Don’t make that noise until you give it a chance. Many people mistake kale for some kind of lettuce, when it is actually a member of the cabbage family. It is loaded with nutrients not found in lettuces, and can be used in soups, stir frys, and great salads. You can find the nutritional scoop on kale at http://authoritynutrition.com/10-proven-benefits-of-kale/.     Lately, we’ve been making quick, end-of-the-day salads using kale, any kind of fresh berries, a slight blessing of nuts or seeds and a drizzle of homemade vinaigrette.

So here’s the info on this pretty salad. Buy some kale, clean it and store it in a zippered bag. Keep some berries in your frig. Have some nuts stashed in a cupboard. The salad in this picture even has some avocado slices. Sliced fresh peaches would be good. Be creative! And how do you get those strawberries to look so pretty? Easy peasy.

Find a nice sized strawberry with it’s green top intact. Use a cutting board and a REALLY sharp, thin bladed paring knife. Stand that berry on its green top. Starting on one side, carefully slice down the berry, almost to the board. Continue making slow, careful slices until the whole berry has been sliced. Be careful not to slice all the way to the top (green cap) of the berry. When done, fan out the berry and set it on the side of the salad (or the dinner plate, or the kids’ oatmeal bowl, even next to that omelet). You CAN make meals look fancy.

The dressing? In a small bowl, whisk together 2 Tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, 1 Tablespoon olive oil, a pinch of Kosher salt, one grind of pepper and a little drip of honey. Whisk all ingredients together until they emulsify (your new culinary word for the day…all the ingredients mix together so well that they look almost creamy and don’t separate). This should make enough for at least two salads. Remember, we’re dressing this salad, not burying it. You could use any vinegar instead of balsamic. Experiment with canola oil. I have a ginger/sesame infused olive oil that I pull out on occasion. No need to buy bottle after bottle of prepared salad dressings. You can make this in less than two minutes.