Best Kale Salad

Kale or leaf cabbage is a green leafy vegetable that is known to be packed with nutritional benefits. It is rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that could prevent us from having future health issues. Despite of abundance of benefits, I never liked kale when it was first introduced to me because of the hard and stiff leaves.  I would rather have spinach or lettuce in my salad. I found out later on that I can make the kale enjoyable to chew when you give it a gentle massage of olive oil and a little bit amount of salt before combining it with the other salad ingredients.

I created a salad recipe that later on got a lot of compliments from friends at a few different potluck parties. The salad is best served with grilled meat and red wine.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Serves: 6

 

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch of curly leaf kale
• 1 avocado – cube cut
• ¼ cup pistachio
• 1 cup corn kernel
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes
• ½ cup pomegranate seeds or dried cranberries (optional)

       Dressing:

• 2 gloves garlic (minced)
• 2 tbsp. vinegar (white wine, champagne or apple cider vinegar)
• 2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• ¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 1 tbsp. honey (optional)

       Kale Preparation:

1. Wash the leaves and shake off excess water.

2. Remove the hard stalk either by ripping or cutting the leaves off. Discard the stalk.

3. Use kitchen towel or paper towel to thoroughly dry the leaves (you may use salad spinner if available).

4. In a bowl of kale, drizzle 1 tsp of olive oil.

5. Add a pinch of salt (optional)

6. Gently massage the leaves with your hand until the leaves are all coated with oil.

7. Now the kale is ready to use!

 

Instructions:

1. In a bowl of olive oil add minced garlic, vinegar (white wine, champagne or apple cider vinegar), lemon juice, Dijon mustard, honey and parmesan cheese. Mix well.
2. In a separate bowl of kale, add avocado, pistachio, corn kernel, cherry tomatoes and pomegranate seeds or dried cranberries (optional). Add the dressing.

Note: Adjust the amount of dressing, just enough not to drench it. You may want to use it for your next batch of deliciousness!

3. Toss it all together and enjoy!