Home on the Range: Reader Recipe Request for 'Lesbian Kale Salad' (2024)

We recently received "a heartfelt request" from reader Celia Cuddy of Burlington. "Years ago (maybe in the 1990s?), Seven Days published a recipe for something called 'Lesbian Kale Salad,'" Cuddy wrote. "It was delicious. I cut out the recipe and saved it for many years, but — gasp — this aging lesbian can't find it anymore in my recipe collections. I've searched for it on your website, but no luck. Can you help me, please?"

A little sleuthing among longtime Seven Days staffers uncovered the magical recipe Cuddy sought. It turns out that its publication dates back not as far as the 1990s but to a 2008 article about Bo Moore (then Bo Muller-Moore) of "Eat More Kale" fame. Along with explaining the story behind the "catchy, quirky, cryptic, trendy" slogan, the article naturally included two recipes for ways to eat more kale, including one for a tangy, umami-rich dressing named Lesbian Kale Sauce, which is why Cuddy's search was initially fruitless.

Seven Days touched base with Holly Rae Taylor of Bolton, the original recipe's source. In the intro, Taylor attributed it to Anya Schwartz, "who probably got it from some hippie cookbook — but I came up with the name, so I think that counts for something."

By email last week, Taylor wrote, "How exciting to see Lesbian Kale Sauce back in the limelight!" She couldn't remember the exact genesis of the name but thinks it was "just putting our own in-group stamp on it." It was deployed more as sauce for steamed kale, Taylor added, because back then "we didn't massage our kale into salads."

According to Taylor, Schwartz — who lives in Bristol — said the recipe "has evolved a bit from the original."

The version below reflects that latest evolution with my testing notes in parentheses. With Schwartz's subbing of apple cider vinegar and maple syrup for the original balsamic vinegar and sugar, respectively, it has gotten even more Vermonty.

The original recipe can still be found online at the bottom of the 2008 article. That included "two perfectly acceptable ways to enjoy Lesbian Kale Sauce: 1. Dip steaming hot steamed kale directly into sauce, one fork- or chopstickful at a time. 2. Pour sauce over a big beautiful bowl of steamed kale, toss and serve!"

I love kale as much as the next locavore Vermonter, but I do not care for it steamed; it tastes to me like soggy newspaper. But I found this sauce equally delicious as a dressing for raw, ribboned kale, which I softened by briefly massaging it with a squeeze of lemon juice and dash of coarse salt.

However you enjoy your kale, Lesbian Kale Sauce will definitely encourage you to eat more of it.

2023 Version of Lesbian Kale Sauce

Adapted from Anya Schwartz

Makes about 3/4 cup

Ingredients

• 5 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 5 tablespoons tamari
• 2 dashes sesame oil (I used 1/4 teaspoon)
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 nub ginger, grated (I used about 1 packed teaspoon)
• 1 clove garlic, minced, optional (I used about 1 packed teaspoon)
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Wasabi to taste, optional
• 1/2 cup sesame seeds toasted with a pinch of sea salt, divided (This is a lot of sesame seeds; a scant 1/4 cup seemed plenty.)

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together all the ingredients with 1 tablespoon of the sesame seeds.
2. Taste and adjust ingredients as desired.
3. Use the sauce to dress steamed or raw, briefly massaged kale, and sprinkle more sesame seeds on top. (Raw baby kale can simply be dressed; no massaging required.)