Summer Fruit Kale Salad
Now that the first post is out of the way, I can actually get started with some recipes!
When my husband and I were in the early dating phase, I remember holding up a bunch of kale asking if he likes it. Neither of us can quite remember exactly what happened (I thought it was a blank stare but Jelani thought he asked if that what spinach looks like), but I do remember him having no clue what it even was. Luckily for me, he would eat whatever I put in front of him. Hello kale, and pretty much any fresh vegetables, tofu, lentils, … I never quite understood how someone could live off of frozen meals and take out. Hi honey, let’s get you healthy!
I love this kale salad recipe and I make it all the time. I usually get 2 or 3 bunches of kale at the farmers market, make this salad base, and have it around for lunches all week. The best part? It doesn’t get soggy! And it tastes better in day 2 and even 3 than it does the first day you make it.
This salad is incredibly versatile and can take almost any combination of ingredients that pair well with the earthiness of kale and the brightness of citrus. And because I got hungry as I prepped the kale yesterday, I tossed some of the kale into a bowl while the rest went into the refrigerator to meld and topped it with some leftover herb roasted chicken, chickpeas, and a dusting of parmesan cheese.
Plan ahead for this one if you can. It takes minutes to put together and you can eat it right away, but it tastes so much better after it has been soaking up that dressing for several hours or overnight.
I started with 3 bunches of beautiful kale (I mean, look at that kale!) and tore it into bite-size pieces. If you love kale, go crazy and gather as much kale together as you’d like! If you aren’t the biggest kale fan or are new to the veggie, start with 1 bunch or see if your favorite grocery store has a bag of pre-chopped and washed kale.
For the dressing, I juiced one grapefruit and two lemons into the cup of my Ninja blender and added in a garlic clove, olive oil, honey, and salt and blended all up. If I don’t happen to have a grapefruit, I use all lemon, a mixture of lemon and lime, or lemon and orange. And adjust the amount of honey if your fruit is tarter or sweeter of for your sweetness preferences.
Drizzle the dressing over the kale and massage it in, making sure the dressing gets into all the crevices of the kale. At this point, you can sprinkle the toppings on and enjoy, or put it in in a sealed container in the refrigerator and build your salad when you are ready to eat.
For my salad, I added sliced strawberries, blueberries, sliced toasted almonds, and a little bit of feta (because I happened to have some leftover from another recipe). It was delicious.
Kale Salad
Ingredients
Kale Salad Dressing
- ½ cup grapefruit juice (about 1 large grapefruit)
- ¼ cup lemon juice (about 1 – 2 lemons)
- ¾ cup olive oil
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tbsp honey
- salt and pepper to taste (I use about ½ tsp of kosher salt and a pinch of pepper)
Salad
- 1 bunch kale
- sliced summer fruits: strawberries, blueberries, nectarines, peaches, mangos, cherries, or any other fruit
- other topping ideas: almonds, crispy chickpeas, leftover chicken, feta, walnuts, etc.
Instructions
- Tear the kale into bite sized pieces and place into a large bowl.
- Combine all the dressing ingredients into a blender (for this small amount, I use my Ninja blender because it is small and the cup turns right into the extra dressing vessel to toss in the fridge) and blend until smooth.
- Alternatively, finely mince or grate the garlic and mix all ingredients in a bowl.
- Drizzle the dressing over the kale and massage it in – get in there with your hands!
- Eat as is, mix in some toppings, or cover and put in the refrigerator and let that acid do its magic.