Kale Salad

Many of us have jumped on the Kale Train to healthy town. It’s delicious and packed full of nutrients so I can see why it’s so popular. I like to use kale in salad, but I also add it to soups and roast it in the oven to make kale chips, which are absolutely delicious.

In my opinion kale salads are better when made ahead of time so the kale, which is thick, has a chance to soften up a bit. I actually prefer this salad on day two. Ice burg or Romaine lettuce wouldn’t hold up to being dressed ahead of time, but behold the mighty kale leaf which is tough enough to be a make ahead meal.

This kale salad is a copycat recipe for Chick-fil-A’s super foods salad. They use dried cherries and walnuts, but I prefer pecans, so I used a dried cranberries and candied pecan mix that I found at Walmart in the salad toppings section. Also, I can’t find broccolini at my local store, but broccoli florets cut up into small pieces works just fine to achieve the same flavor profile.

I hope that if you haven’t given kale a try that this salad, with it’s homemade maple vinaigrette, will convince you to hop on board the Kale Train to healthier lunch and dinner options.

Ingredients:

For the salad:

• 1 bag of kale, washed and dried
• 1 cup of broccoli pieces, cut small
• 1/2 cup of dried cranberries and candied pecan mix

 

For the vinaigrette

• 1/4 cup of oil (use whatever tastes best to you)
• 1/4 cup of maple syrup
• 2 Tbsp. of apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. of lemon juice
• 1 tsp. of dried parsley flakes
• 1/2 tsp. of garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. of salt
• 1/4 tsp. of black pepper

Directions:

For the salad:

Make sure that the kale is cleaned and dried.  Remove any stems or pieces of kale that aren’t edible.

Tear large pieces into smaller bite sized pieces. Place the kale and the broccoli, cranberries, and pecans into a bowl.

For the salad dressing:

I make my dressing in a mason jar.  Place all of the salad ingredients in the jar, cover it with a lid, and shake thoroughly to mix.

Immediately pour the dressing over the salad and stir.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to eat.  Before serving stir the salad again.

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