I applied for my first job. It’s 2 hours away. It would require a move.
This thought came to me sometime around…oh, I dunno…5 minutes after hitting the “submit” button on my computer screen. “Sarah, what are you DOing?”
“I don’t know!!” I shouted back.
Sometimes, you just have to roll with it. I’m not really expecting to hear back from any of the jobs that I’m applying for, but on the off-chance that I do hear back, I’ve decided that I’m completely game for going wherever life takes me. Well. Almost anywhere. I do have my boundaries. 😉
Still. I felt unusually nervous last night. As if I was already moving, even though I’ve just begun to seriously begin submitting applications.
That’s when I turned to my therapy. I chopped some kale. I shredded some carrots. I whisked some dressing. I made dinner.
Kale is one of those foods that either tastes really, really good or really, really bad. It has the potential of being either. It is—let’s be honest, here—a little on the bitter side and needs a lil’ somethin’ somethin’.
But, really, it’s not all that fussy. Don’t let those fancy, curly green leaves fool you! A simple dressing and a few additions will do just fine. In the end, you’ll be rewarded with a fine salad, in which kale will prove to you that it can taste really, really good after all.
I’ve made many different salad dressings for kale salads, but this is one of my favorites, especially if you happen to have sunflower seeds and sunflower butter on hand. The seeds give the salad crunch. The sunflower butter disperses the nutty flavor throughout the salad, deep in to the crevices of the kale leaves.
It’s a delightful combination.
Once the kale and the mix-ins are tossed really well, you have your salad!
This would make a nice main entree if you topped it with grilled chicken, tofu or beans.
I just so happened to be in the mood for scrambled eggs and toast. Sometimes you just have to roll with it. 😉
Kale. Delicious. And all in one sentence.
Who would have thought?
A Sunny Kale Salad
- 1-1/2 pounds kale, tough stems removed
- 3 large carrots, grated
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries (Craisins)
- 1/2 cup dry roasted sunflower seeds
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp. sunflower butter
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- Roll up kale leaves into a bundle and slice very thinly. Place in large bowl and mix with carrots, cranberries and sunflower seeds.
- In a medium sized bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice, sunflower butter and garlic powder with a whisk. Mix well.
- Pour dressing on top of kale mixture, toss well and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. Leftovers may be used for lunches the following day. Enjoy!
"The Flying ONION." 
I have never heard of sunflower butter. Where do you get it?
Many of the larger grocery stores carry it with the peanut butters, but you may have to seek it out. If you have a Trader Joe’s nearby, that’s where I purchase mine (it’s cheaper!)
If you still can’t find it, substitute peanut butter. Or use almond butter and add some slivered almonds to the salad. Both equally delicious. 😀
That dressing recipe sounds delicious, I pinned it on Pinterest! Another cool way to use that website, for a collection of recipes to try 🙂 Also I love kale, favorite way is either baked or massaged with oil. Your side salad looks delicious.
Oh, I’ll have to check out Pinterest! 😀
I’ve never moved for a job, but I’ve commuted – 1 hour each way 😦 I could only handle about 1 year of that. Good luck with the job hunt!
Ugh! Commuting is rough. I commuted an hour for my undergrad and for my internship, and I’ve already decided that although I don’t mind commuting initially, eventually I’d like to live closer to my job as well. 😀
Good luck on the job! I had to move for mine and it was definitely scary, but worth it! Fingers crossed that you get the position!
Thank you, Faith! 😀
I love your blog~ the food always looks delicious and ….peaceful? 🙂 Have you tried Kale Chips? Delicious! Your blog is always inspiring- thanks!
Thank you, Lacey, for the compliments! And thank you also, for the reminder of kale chips. I used to make them all the time, but I haven’t had them in ages. This needs to change! 😀
It will all work out perfectly in the end… you’ll see!
Thanks, Nicole! 😀
One of my favorite salads features carrots, Craisins, sunflower seeds, & broccoli–so I bet it would be just as good with kale instead of broc!
I’ve never moved for a job per se…but I moved for graduate school which is sort of like a job, I guess.
Oh yum, I must try this with broccoli. 😀
I just remembered I have kale in my fridge! WHohoo! I’m excited to see where your job takes you. 🙂
Thanks, Katie! 😀
I simultaneously got job offers in Toronto and New Hampshire after graduating university. I picked Toronto because it`s only about a 4 hour drive from Windsor (NH is 12 hours). I wish I would have picked New Hampshire though because it would have been a much better fit for me than the big city was (which I ended up leaving 2 years later anyway).
If you move for a job, remember that the world is smaller these days. It`s so easy to communicate with friends and family back home. Don`t be held back by the thought of having to move away from them…it`s not as bad as it sounds.
THANK YOU! What an encouraging note. You’re the greatest. 😀
Good luck with the job!!
i am a firm believer in living close to your job. you spend a lot of time going back and forth, you should value it. we paid a bit more for our home so we would have a shorter commute and have never regretted it. good luck!