Happy Monday, all! How was everyone’s weekend? Ours was pretty low key and I feel really refreshed today, which is the best feeling when your to-do list is about two pages long;) Christmas week is a busy one!
After our Belize vacay last weekend, I was craving veggies and just healthy foods in general. We were only gone for a few days, but going out to eat gets old real quick and this kale salad was exactly what I needed. I used chopped dino kale, red bell pepper, carrot, red onion and parsley and topped it with an apple cider vinaigrette and toasted almonds. Then I added two fried eggs for protein and it was Monday night perfection.
If you’ve never tried Dino kale (aka Lacinto) I highly suggest you do! It’s a bit of a pain to prepare because you need to remove the center stem before chopping, but it’s so worth it. It has a lot of texture and is so pretty.
Maybe you’ve been eating tons of Christmas goodies, or going out to eat too much like me, and need this salad in your life. It’s the perfect, delicious way to turn around a few days of not so good eating. You will love it!
- 4-5 cups dino (or lacinto) kale - this is about 1 large bunch
- 1/2 a granny smith apple - sliced thin
- 1/4 cup diced red onion
- 1/2 cup flat italian parsley - chopped
- 1 red bell pepper - sliced thin
- 2 carrots - cut into small 2 inch strips
- 1/2 cup chopped or slivered almonds - toasted
- For the Dressing
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/4 tsp honey
- Using your hands or a knife, remove the middle stem from the kale leaves, then chop the leaves or rip them into bite size pieces
- Add the kale to the a large bowl with the rest of the toppings
- To toast the almonds place them in a small saute pan on medium-low heat and toast until golden brown
- To make the dressing, add all ingredients to a blender or small food processor and process until smooth, or if you just want to whisk to combine, be sure to mince the garlic clove
- Add the dressing to the salad and massage the kale leaves with your hands so the kale absorbs the dressing - this will also make the kale more tender
- Serve by itself, or with protein of choice (quinoa, chicken, shrimp, eggs)
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