From The Book of Kale & Friends by Sharon Hanna and Carol Pope. This fantastic book includes over 130 recipes and covers 14 easy-to-grow super-foods that can be grown in the garden or in patio containers. Minted Kale with Peas and Blue Cheese is one of our stand-by fresh salads, a knock out for parties and potlucks.

Ingredients:
25mL (1/2 cup) minced shallots
30mL (2 Tbsp) butter
Scant 60mL (1/4 cup rice wine vinegar)
30mL (2 Tbsp) oil
15mL (1 Tbsp) Dijon mustard
10mL (2 tsp) brown sugar
1L (4 cups) packed kale in chiffonade
250mL (1 cup) loosely packed mint leaves in fine chiffonade
60mL (1/4 cup) thinly sliced sweet onion
250mL (1 cup) fresh peas or chopped snap peas (or frozen peas, thawed before using)
60mL (1/4 cup) mild blue cheese or 125mL (1/2 cup) goat's cheese
A few grindings of pepper

Directions:
Sauté shallots in butter until softened. Add rice vinegar and cook down for a few minutes, stirring frequently. Add oil while whisking, then add the mustard and brown sugar. Cook until mixture is thick, remove from heat, and allow to cool.

Put kale, mint, and onion in a mixing bowl and toss. Add dressing and toss again. Top with peas and cheese, and add a few grindings of pepper. Toss just before serving.

From the book The Book of Kale & Friends: 14 Easy-to-Grow Superfoods, © 2014, by Sharon Hanna and Carol Pope. Published by Douglas & McIntyre and excerpted with permission of the publisher. For more information, visit www.douglas-mcintyre.com