Nutty Super Salad

Nutty Super Salad

Even the pup is crazy about this salad.

I'm a big fan of meals that can be made with a general combination of items versus following a strict recipe. This salad is a great concept that becomes a quickly lunch or dinner.

Ingredients

Costco's 7 Superfood salad mix
An array of nuts and seeds (I like to add chia seeds, walnuts, and extra pepitas)

OR

Kale, chopped
Pre-cut cole slaw mix
Radicchio, chopped
A few Brussels Sprouts, sliced thin
Dried cherries or cranberries (preferably with no added sugar)
Poppyseed dressing (I tend to choose Annie's Organic Lite Poppyseed Dressing.)
An array of nuts and seeds (I like to us chia seed, walnuts and pepitas)

Directions

Mix everything together. Eat.

Notes
-You dont need much dressing with this salad. If you're trying to cut back on added sugars, maybe try cutting the store-bought dressing with some extra virgin olive oil. It'll go further and you'll get some extra heart healthy fats.
-This is great with white beans or leftover grilled chicken for a little more protein.
-Don't feel like cutting the kale and radicchio? Check out the Earthbound Organic salad blends and use that.
-Other add-in ideas - fresh fruit, edamame, alfalfa sprouts

Massaged Kale Salad

Massaged Kale Salad  

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Original recipe found here!

Ingredients

1 bunch kale

½ tsp salt

1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped (see note)

½ cup currants

1 apple, diced

¼ c extra virgin olive oil

2 T red wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)

½ c gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

Directions

Wash kale well and shake dry. De-stem kale (see note) and cut entire bunch into ribbons, about ½ inch thick. Stack all the leaves and squish them together to do this all at once. Put kale in a large mixing bowl.

Add salt and massage the kale for 2-4 minutes, just like you would knead bread. The kale will become darker and wet, wilting a bit.  I massage mine until the volume of kale is reduced by about half.

Stir in walnuts, apple and currants. Drizzle with oil and vinegar, mix well. Gently fold in cheese. Enjoy! 

Notes

This salad keeps very well in the fridge for a couple days, and is almost better the next day.

Toast nuts in a small, dry skillet over medium heat. Toss regularly. Heat for about 3-5 minutes, or until fragrant.

To de-stem kale, fold leaves in half and “slide” leafy greens off with your hands. Alternatively, you can cut the leaves off using a paring knife along the stem, but I find this takes longer than necessary. Ripping the leaves off is just great.

Gluten free? Some soft cheeses are on the 'no' list. Change the gorgonzola out for feta, or make without the cheese...it's still great.

People that "can't stand" kale love this salad, just sayin'.