I used to HATE kale in salads. I thought kale was too tough, too chewy, too grassy. I think I had some bad ones. Someone else I was with ordered on in a restaurant one time and when I tried it I was pleasantly surprised! It was tender. I wasn’t chewing and chewing the same bite feeling like a grass-grazing cow. I was converted.
I learned that it’s important to slice the kale thinly. That helps. Also, dressing the salad 10-30 minutes before serving is key in allowing the leaves to soften. So now, I’m a fan!
We ate the salad with scallops and romesco sauce… that recipe needs a little work before sharing, but it was still delish!
Feel free to modify the recipe to fit your dietary needs. Leave out the cheese for vegan or paleo. Sub in maple syrup or agave (in the candied nuts) for honey if vegan. If you want to make the salad a meal the recipe makes two meal-size salads. Feel free to add seared tofu, steak, or chicken if you want to beef it up even more.
A good place to start if you’re wary about kale salad is my Spicy Kale Caesar with Chicken and Candied Pepitas. It combines classic, familiar caesar with this new idea of kale in salad. Though I would argue this recipe is just as good…
- 1 bunch dino kale, stems removed, thinly sliced
- 2 ribs celery, thinly sliced
- ½ a granny smith apple, cut into matchsticks
- 1 small shallot, thinly sliced
- 2 ounces white cheddar cheese, sliced into thin chunks (I used Trader Joe's Unexpected Cheddar. You could use any hard white cheese like parmesan, gruyere, manchego, white cheddar, etc. )
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
- salt and pepper
- ⅓ cup Quick Honey-Candied Walnuts (Just follow the quick recipe here for candied pepitas, but sub in ⅓ cup walnuts for the ¼ cup pepitas!)
- In a bowl, combine kale through cheese.
- Drizzle with olive oil, vinegar, desired amount of salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Taste and add more dressing or S&P if needed. Let salad rest so kale can soften while you...
- Make the Quick Honey-Candied Walnuts (Recipe for candied pepitas here - just sub in ⅓ cup walnuts for the ¼ cup pepitas).
- Plate salad, top with nuts, and chow down!
Rate, Review, & Comment