Garlic for Grandpa, Kale Salad...

Hi All,
My grandfather passed away on Monday afternoon. He was 94 years old and we believe he died of "natural causes," but being that he was 94 he had many preexisting conditions including various types of cancer. He lived a long, full life and passed painlessly with his children at his side. Unfortunately  I did not know my grandfather or "Poppy" as we called him well, but we did get together on most holiday's for a meal. One thing I'll always remember about him was that he loved to eat, especially anything with Garlic (being Sicilian probably had something to do with it). So today I'm sharing one of my family's favorite garlic paste or dressing recipes; of course I've added my own twist but it's still super garlicky just as Poppy would have like it!

Here's the original Garlic Dressing that my family makes and keeps on hand to put on literally everything, salads, meats, veggies, pita bread, pasta, etc. I'm giving you fair warning this stuff is no joke...it's intense and everyone will know you eaten garlic after you've enjoy the oh so delicious combination of garlic, lemon and olive oil :)

Cino's Garlic Dressing  
Two heads raw Garlic (about 30 cloves peeled)
Juice from 6 lemons
3 tsp Salt
3/4 cup Olive Oil

1. Place garlic in food processor or blender with 1/4 cup of the Olive Oil. Process or blend until a thick paste forms.

2. Add the salt, lemon juice, and remaining Olive Oil.

3. Enjoy the GARLICKY goodness on anything!
(This big batch lasts about a week and makes about single 20 servings or enough to dress 3-4 large salads)

And here's my version in action... Garlic for Grandpa, Kale Salad!

The Dressing
4 cloves peeled raw Garlic
1 Tsp Bragg's Amino sauce or 1/2 Tsp Salt
Juice from 1/2 lemons
1/3 cup Olive Oil
1/4 cup Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar 
3-4 Pitted dates and soaked in 1/8 cup hot water
The Salad
2 large heads of Kale or about 30 leaves torn in to bit sized pieces
1 cup shredded Red Cabbage
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup Raw Sunflower, Pumpkin seeds or Pine Nuts

1. Place dates in 1/8 cup water and microwave for 45 seconds. Then place dates and hot water in the blender or food processor, add the garlic cloves and cider vinegar and 1/2 the oil. Process or blend until dates and garlic look minced and well mixed.

2. Then add the rest of the oil and lemon juice slowly, pouring each in a little at a time, then add the  Bragg's liquid aminos and blend or process well.

3. The dressing should be "whipped" in appearance, slightly sweet and very Garlicky! Pour over the torn kale, cabbage, carrots, and seeds of your choice. Toss well and enjoy.  I like to let the dressing soak in about 5 -10 mins before consuming because it's dense and more porous than lettuce so it really absorbs the garlicy-ness!
(this dressing recipe makes a very generous amount of dressing for one large salad but will keep for about a 7-10 days in the fridge)

Spicy and Oh Sooo Healthy! YUMMM! You can read about the health benefits of Kale here!!