When I think of fall I often think of hearty foods that help to warm the body from the inside out. Just because the weather is cooling down and the days are getting darker doesn’t mean we need to gravitate towards heavy and unhealthy food choices…we just need to find foods that are in season and taste delicious. This fall kale salad is that winning combination and you’ll certainly be getting addicted [beware].
Fall flavors often include seasonal produce items. In this recipe I used cranberries, pears and kale. I added the soft and creamy goat cheese crumbles to help balance the acidity and sweetness of the honey/lemon dressing. For a bit of crunch, add your favorite chopped nut or seed. In this recipe I used my favorite toasted slivered almonds, but you could try adding pecans, walnuts or even pumpkin seeds to the salad.
Start out by washing and drying the kale leaves. I chose dinosaur kale, but pick whichever type of kale is available to you, ideally organic. Take out the inner rough stem of the kale leaf. Check out this video if you are not too familiar with this process. Chop the kale leaves into small ribbons by crumbling the leaves into a tight pack and then making even slices on the cutting board.
Next, add some of the lemon juice and olive oil to the kale in a medium mixing bowl and massage thoroughly. This process allows the rough kale leaves to become more tender and taste less bitter. Throw in the rest of the ingredients into the mixing bowl and toss to combine. It’s that easy!
- 1 bunch of organic dinosaur kale, washed with stems removed
- 1 medium lemon
- 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/4 cup goat cheese crumbles
- 1/4 cup craisins
- 1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds
- 1/2 medium Bosc pear, small dice
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Chop kale into small ribbons and place in a mixing bowl.
- Add about 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of oil to the kale and massage until all of the kale leaves are all coated.
- Make the dressing by whisking together 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of oil, and 1 tablespoon of honey with salt and pepper.
- Toss together the kale with the rest of the ingredients and then pour the salad dressing over the entire salad. Mix together until well coated.