​Friendship Kale Salad with Lemon & Dijon Dressing

Eating healthy is both important and doable! It’s my desire to share these truths with the people around me, both by example and encouragement.

Salads are my fav and a great base to getting live, healthy food in our bodies.

I cherish a good salad – and this Kale Salad is sooo ‘ono (that’s delicious in Hawaiian)! Healthy Edge Chef Amber Thiel made a salad like this for my friends and I at a recent dinner, and everyone loved it. Now I want to share my personal variation with you!

Why I Love This Salad: Kale and deep green lettuces are chock full of green goodness making this salad a nutritional powerhouse. The avocado and pumpkin seeds give this salad good healthy fats. And the carrots and fruit will add a bit of sweetness, I usually opt out of the fruit so try not to overdo it and let the veggies shine! Optional to top it with feta cheese to round out the flavors. I do dairy only occasionally, so sometimes I skip that.

What I like about the dressing is that it’s made with lemon juice instead of vinegar, which is less acidic.I hope you like this and if you do let me know!

Kale Nutritional Highlights:

• Tops Many Health Lists as One of the Earth’s Most Nutrient-dense Foods
• Loaded With Powerful Antioxidants Like Quercetin and Kaempferol
• Excellent Source of Vitamin C
• Can Help Lower Cholesterol, Which May Reduce The Risk of Heart Disease
• Rich in Vitamin K
• Numerous Cancer-Fighting Substances in Kale
• High in Beta-Carotene
• Good Source of Minerals

Salad Ingredients:

You can eyeball these based on your preferences and how many people you’re serving.

• Kale, with the fibrous ribs removed – massage the kale with a little bit of the dressing first (to tame the intensity of it) then mix with the rest of the ingredients,
• Fresh Spinach, roughly chopped (or, I like a more mild lettuce like mixed greens combined with kale)
• Apple (chopped), Raisins, or fresh Strawberries (sliced)
• Carrot, shredded
• Celery, chopped small
• Avocado, sliced, sprinkled with sea salt and pepper
• Pumpkin seeds
• Feta Cheese, crumbled (optional)

Dressing Ingredients:

• 1.5 tsp finely grated lemon zest
• 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp honey
• 1.5 tsp Dijon mustard
• 3/4 tsp sea salt (to taste)
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

• It’s key to massage the kale with the dressing, or lemon & olive oil, until dark green and wilted.  Or in the winter, you can lightly sautee’ the kale to create a warm feeling to the salad.
• Mix all ingredients together: kale, spinach or mixed greens*, apples, raisins or strawberries, carrots, feta cheese & pumpkin seeds.
• Drizzle lightly with dressing and allow to marinate for about an hour before serving. You don’t have to use all of the dressing!

*If you’re not serving right away, you might want to add the other lettuces right before serving as they have more tender leaves.

Share With Me!!

Inspired to try?! Please post your pictures at #bethanystylehealth – I want to see your healthy creation. Did you share this? Take it to the office? Try a variation? Give me all the details!