A big thanks to Hook Line and Savor for sponsoring this post and for creating great-tasting, allergy-friendly, clean ingredient products. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
In my opinion, every person should have a kale salad recipe in their back pocket. This is important. File it under Mary’s life rules to live by. Whether you’re the only vegetarian in your family or the only person in your circle who cares about hitting your daily green quota, kale is there for you my friend. In the past year, I think I’ve brought a kale salad to every family dinner I’ve been invited to. Sometimes I’m the only one who eats it, but I’m not complaining. In fact, if I were a vegetable, I think it’s safe to say I’d be a kale salad. And if you think that sounds boring as far as anthropomorphized vegetables are concerned, then you don’t even know kale salad. It’s healthy, hearty, and surprising every time. Just as I hope to be. Don’t sleep on kale salad, y’all.
I’ve documented many times here on the blog that I prefer weeknight dinners that are fast and balanced. Ain’t nobody got time to make an apple and pear mostarda on a Tuesday night… I save that sort of cookery for the weekends. Instead, I opt for fast proteins and even faster vegetables, like this delightful meal of kale salad and beer battered haddock from Hook Line and Savor. Side note: this beer battered haddock is dairy, egg, and gluten free, and is cooked from frozen in about 25 minutes. Plenty of time to make yourself a nice kale salad.
I’m a bit obsessed with these catch codes on the Hook Line and Savor boxes. I mean, how cool is it to know that this haddock I had for dinner was caught off the Canadian Atlantic Coast?
Let’s get back to the kale. My go-to kale salad recipe starts with Lacinato kale (also called dinosaur kale and Tuscan kale). It’s the kind of kale that’s got long flattish rippled leaves (not the kind that’s all curly all the ends). I think this is the best tasting kind of kale out there, and the texture is more amenable to the kale averse eater. But good news: if you can’t find Lacinato, any kind of kale will do. I top the kale with a simple dressing of fresh lemon juice and zest, olive oil, and salt. And then I add something fatty. Something like a mountain of freshly grated parmesan cheese or a generous scoopful of roasted hazelnuts. OR BOTH, which is how Harvest Pizzeria serves my favorite kale salad in Columbus.
This is a dinner I’ll be eating on repeat the next few weeks.
A simple kale salad recipe that comes together quickly and is easily customizable.
- 1 bunch kale, preferably Lacinato
- 1 large lemon
- 2-3 tbsp olive oil
- Salt
- black pepper
- Parmesan cheese, grated
- roasted salted nuts, such as pecans, walnuts, slivered almonds, or pine nuts
- dried fruit, such as cranberries or golden raisins.
In a small bowl, combine the zest and the juice of one large lemon with 2 tbsp olive oil, a pinch of salt, and several cracks of black pepper. Whisk to combine. Taste, and add more olive oil or salt as you like. I generally shoot for a 50-50 ratio of olive oil to lemon, but this may be too tart for some.
Destem the kale. Stack the destemmed kale up like a deck of cards, and slice into thin strips or bite-sized chunks, as you prefer.
Place kale in a large bowl with 2 tbsp of the dressing. Using your hands, gently massage the dressing into the kale. Let the kale marinate until you are ready to serve the salad.
To serve, garnish with cheese, roasted nuts, and/or dried fruit. Add additional dressing to taste.
1 Comment
Yum yum yum yum yum!!!