This hearty kale salad is perfect for lunch and dinner. Feel free to put your own unique spin on it with your favorite greens, nuts or dried fruit. Be sure to read my tips on preparing your kale and making your dressing!
Kale is one of those greens that sometimes gets a bad wrap. We all know its really healthy for us and is very nutrient dense. Kale contains a lot of vitamins such as vitamin K, which is crucial for blood clotting and blood health. But I'll admit, kale isn't something I eat in a salad on a daily basis but I do enjoy it from time to time.
Kale tends to be very tough and fibrous and so what I found to be super important when eating kale is to give it a massage. You're probably thinking that I'm over here with the lights turned down, relaxing music on and some lavender oil in my diffuser, while giving my kale a massage. That would be hilarious, but it's not that kind of a massage!
When I massage kale, I remove the stems from the leaves, place the leaves in a bowl with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of kosher salt. I then take the pieces of kale and gently rub them between my fingers until they are slightly softened. I don't mash them to bits, but instead just help break them down a little so that they aren't quite so tough. After that I go about making my salad or adding it to whatever I am making. Trust me, this little trick will change your kale game forever!
The next little tip I wanted to share is for making a salad dressing. You'll notice that this recipe
not like to mix together. Well, this vinaigrette will stay combined for quite a bit longer than most. That is because we use a little Dijon mustard in it to act as an emulsifier. Basically the dijon mustard grabs the little acid and fat molecules and forces them to be friends, thus keeping your vinaigrette from separating.
I hope you enjoy this recipe! When you make it be sure to leave some comments below or tag me in a picture on instagram!
Kale and Millet Salad with Lemon Dressing
4 Servings
Ingredients
2 cups millet, cooked and cooled (could also use quinoa)
2 bunches of kale, stems removed
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/3 c. dried cranberries
½ c. slivered almonds, toasted (or any type of nut)
1 avocado, diced
1/3 c. shredded parmesan
Salt and pepper to taste
Lemon Dressing:
Juice and zest from one lemon
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tsp. maple syrup
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
1. After you have removed the stems from the kale, put the leaves in a bowl and drizzle with 1 tbsp. of olive oil and a light sprinkle of kosher salt. The best way to achieve tender kale is to massage it. So, the next step is to take your hand and massage the leaves a of kale with your fingers and completely coating the leaves in oil. (The kale will start to feel softer). The addition of salt will also help to break down the leaves. Once you have massaged the kale, take out some of the leaves, stack them on top of each other and slice into thin strips. Repeat with remaining kale until it is all sliced in thin bitesize strips. Place the kale back into a bowl.
2. Next, to make the dressing; combine all of the ingredients together into a small bowl or mason jar. If using a bowl, whisk until combined. If you are using a mason jar, place the lid on top and shake until combined. Be sure to season with salt and pepper and give it a taste to make sure it is to your liking.
3. Finally, put cranberries, almonds, parmesan, millet and avocado into the bowl with the kale. Drizzle with 2/3 of the dressing and mix to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning or put on more dressing as desired.
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