Sweet Kale Salad

One of the best ways to find inspiration for new recipes is to take a favorite meal that you’ve had while eating our or have seen in stores and re-create your own version. That’s exactly what I’ve done with this recipe for Sweet Kale Salad. There are so many salad kits with this flavor profile, and while the kit is convenient, you don’t get much and I’m not a fan of poppy seed dressing and end up throwing it out. So, I decided why not make my own, for less money, with a dressing that I love and can eat over and over again! Instead of using shredded Brussels sprouts as most sweet kale blends, I used broccoli slaw, as it’s quick, less bitter, and more likely for everyone to love. I also created my own dressing, however, you could also use a pre-made balsamic vinaigrette to save more time. Although a little on the pricey side, Tesse Mae’s Honey Balsamic tastes amazing!

This salad is packed with green goodness from the vitamin K rich kale, broccoli, cabbage and carrots. It’s also a good source of magnesium and vitamin A with the pumpkin seeds. Massaging the kale with fresh squeezed orange juice is key to reducing the bitterness, softening the leaves and adding loads of flavor. Seriously, I can eat this salad by itself without any dressing at all. To quickly make this salad, I like to de-stem the kale and rough hand tear it as I go along, but feel free to use a knife and chop it, if you feel that’s easier for you. I ate this salad without meat, however, salmon, shrimp or chicken would also compliment the salad well.

I hope you love this recipe as much as I do! Please leave a comment and share this recipe with a friend and tag @benutritionco on IG or FB.

XO,

Basheerah

 

Sweet Kale Salad

Prep time: 10 mins       |  Cook time:  5 mins   |   Total time: 15 mins

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted

• 1 bunch kale, de-stemmed and rough chopped

• 2 large oranges, fresh squeezed (or 4 small oranges)

• 1 bag broccoli slaw (16oz)

• 1/2 cup dried cranberries

• 1 garlic clove, rough chopped

• 1 cup kale, chopped

• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard

• 1 tablespoon honey

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• Pinch of fresh ground black pepper

• Pinch of applewood smoked sea salt

Directions

Prep:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

2. Toast the pumpkin seeds for about 5 minutes, until slightly browned

3. De-stem and rough chop/tear the kale

4. Rough chop the garlic

Make:

1. Place the kale in a large bowl and squeeze the juice of one large orange (or two small) into the kale. Massage the orange juice into the kale until the batch reduces by about 3/4s of it’s original size.

2. Add the broccoli slaw, pumpkin seeds and cranberries to the bowl and toss everything together.

3. Make the dressing by first squeezing the other large orange into a small food processor. Add the garlic, dijon mustard, honey and balsamic vinegar to the food processor and process until well mixed.

4. With the food processor running, drizzle in the olive oil, until emulsified.

5. If eating immediately, pour the dressing onto the salad and toss well until everything is well dressed. If not eating immediately, place the salad and the dressing in separate air tight containers, then pour on the dressing just before eating. Enjoy!

Nutrition Info (per serving)

240 calories (117 from fat), 13g total fat, 23g carbohydrate, 5g dietary fiber, 15g protein

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