Sometimes people will suggest softening up the kale a bit by soaking it in acidic lemon juice before using it. But I don’t find it necessary to add lemon juice to the kale before making this recipe. Using red leaf kale (the curly kale) and massaging the chopped raw kale for 1 minute produces a delicious salad for me, every time. Plus, there is some fresh squeezed lemon juice mixed in with dijon mustard in the dressing recipe.