Robin Original: Cranberry and Kale Salad

Seeing this salad on my table this Christmas made me very proud. Not only was it healthy, it was also freakin' delicious! It's super-easy to make too, and the red and green color scheme made it feel special and Christmas-y.

1 bag cranberries
2 bunches kale
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup orange juice
2 tbs. honey
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp. salt
2 lemons

Add the cranberries, orange juice, sugar, and 1 tsp. of salt to a pot, and bring it to a boil. Bring down to a simmer, and let it cook until the cranberries are soft (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat, stir in honey, and put in the cranberry mixture into the fridge to get cold. (This step can be done 1-2 days in advance, by the way).

While the cranberries are cooking, wash the kale, and then cut out all the stalks. Take the remaining leaves and slice them thinly. The easiest way to do this is to take 4-5 leaves, roll them up like a cigarette, and then slice them thinly while they're in the roll. It's hard to explain, but super-easy to do. There's actually a video here that will give you a better idea. Thank you, Aarti.

Once the kale is all sliced up, but it in a large serving bowl. Juice the two lemons on top of it, drizzle the olive oil over it, and sprinkle 1 tsp. kosher or sea salt over it. The next step sounds weird, but you then want to stick your (clean, of course) hands into the kale and massage it. Yes, that's right. Massage it. Again, watch the video above for a better explanation, but you want to knead the olive oil and lemon juice into it until it begins to break down and turn a really gorgeous emerald green color, like in the picture above.

Once the kale is properly massaged, take 1/2 of the (now cold) cranberry mixture and stir it into the salad to make a "dressing." Then put the rest of the cranberries into a nest in the center of your salad. And there you have it! A gorgeous, healthy and delicious alternative to the usual ho-hum side salad. Your guests will love it.