Portland Girl Makes Kale Salad, Gets Trip to White House

All Kale Caesar!

That's the word from from 12-year-old Hannah Conte of Portland who spent Thursday at the White House.

She was one of 56 kids who attended the White House Kids State Dinner as part of the Healthy Lunchtime Challenge.

Kids ages 8-12 were invited to submit recipes for healthy meals.

More than 1,200 kids submitted recipes.

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"The competition was stiff," First Lady Michelle Obama told the winners. "You should be very proud of yourselves. You earned these spots at these tables."

The First Lady told the kids that the White House did everything to make sure the event mirrored a real state dinner, complete with a receiving line, fancy table settings and entertainment — a live performance of "The Jungle Book: Alive with Magic."

Conte's recipe was a kale salad with salmon.

"This recipe is for hungry kids who like salad and want to make it a meal," says Hannah. "In this recipe, I’ve added protein (salmon) and a heartier base (kale) to turn one of my favorite dishes into a satisfying meal."

Hannah says that every year her grandma serves Caesar salad as a starter on Christmas Eve.

"I was inspired to create All Kale Caesar so that my favorite salad wasn’t just a side dish — it’s a satisfying meal," she says. "I hope you enjoy this salad as much as I do!"

Here's a list of all the winners and links to their recipes.

THE RECIPE

Makes 4 Servings

Ingredients:

• 4 slices whole-wheat bread, cut into ½-inch cubes
• ¼ cup olive oil, plus 3 tablespoons
• ½ teaspoon salt, truffle flavor or regular
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 8 ounces salmon fillets
• 1 head kale (about 5 cups), stems removed, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• Juice of ½ fresh lemon
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• ¼ cup chopped black olives

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 275°F. In a large bowl, combine bread cubes with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden and dry.
2. Meanwhile, season the salmon with salt and pepper. In a nonstick skillet, warm 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat, add the salmon skin-side down and cook for 5 minutes, turn over and cook 2 minutes more, or until salmon is firm. Remove skin.
3. In a large salad bowl, add the kale. Place the whole uncracked egg into a cup with hot water and let sit for 5 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk together remaining ¼ cup olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Crack the egg into the dressing and whisk until combined. Add the dressing to the kale and massage in so that the kale is well coated. Flake the salmon and add to the kale along with Parmesan, olives and croutons. Toss well to combine.

462 calories; 34g fat; 21g carbohydrates; 20g protein