The Daily Meal's Family Dinner: Kale

Breaking bread is a fulfilling experience well beyond the food that is enjoyed. Everyone at The Daily Meal can speak to this, which is why we've started our Family Dinners. Every week, we're creating a way for all of us — from our readers to contributors and staff — to sit down and eat together by sharing weekly menus for you to cook or be inspired by.

Now, along with our Recipe of the Day Newsletter, we'll be offering you menu ideas in the form of a three-course meal, with tips and suggestions for each so it's even easier for all of us to #eattogether. Check back to see what we're serving at our family meal each week, and share what you've made with us through Instagram and Twitter using the hashtag #eattogether. We're excited to start sharing a meal with you once a week and we hope you are, too.

We could go on and on about the health benefits of kale, but right now we're just going to talk about what we want you to do with it. While the leafy green is often featured all on its own braised or steamed, this kale salad has a multi-dimensional quality to it because of its abundance of flavors, and the kale is raw. Pair it with a healthy, poached salmon fillet with rice, and you're in business. Because you've been so good for dinner, we say splurge a little and make these almond butter cookies to enjoy with a glass of milk for dessert. OK, with that heart-healthy nut packed into each one, it's not much of a splurge, but it still provides the perfect sweet ending to your meal.

Baby Kale Salad with Kumquats and Sesame Vinaigrette

To appreciate this salad is to appreciate its many different components — the texture of the raw kale leaves paired with the bold and spicy cayenne-spiked vinaigrette, the nuttiness of the sesame seeds offset by the zesty kumquats, and the sweet and crunchy carrots that bring it all together. This salad proves that kale, while good for you, does not have to be boring.

Poached Salmon with Parmesan Rice

Inspired by the renowned Eric Ripert, this poached salmon recipe masks itself as a rich and indulgent meal. Steamed in a light white wine-and-lemon water bath and paired with buttery Parmesan rice, you'll feel satisfied by this healthy dish.

Almond Butter Cookies

These cookies scream "treat yourself!" But really, you're not splurging that much by enjoying one or two. This whole-wheat version of the traditional Chinese cookie recipe is made with antioxidant-rich almond butter and is stamped with the heart-healthy nut before being baked, helping you satiate your sweet tooth while still eating healthy.  

Anne Dolce is the Cook Editor at The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @anniecdolce