Easy Kale Salad With Lemon Dressing

Using this method changed the game for us, and we hope it will for you too! Here’s our step by step guide for how to cut kale, including a video of me cutting kale in our kitchen. Tuscan kale has darker green, flatter leaves; it’s also sometimes called Lacinato or dinosaur kale. The flavor of Tuscan kale is milder than curly kale.

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Only made half the recipe since it’s just me and my husband but I wish I had made the full amount. I could have easily eaten the whole thing. Loved it and can’t wait to make it again. You can use any kind of kalefor this recipe– I like to use dark lacinato kale or curly kale. Bagged, store-bought kale also works as a shortcut but I still recommend massaging it first. This kale salad has become such a staple in our family.

To make those tough kale leaves nice and soft, they need a quick massage before we add the other ingredients. So once you have removed and discarded those tough kale stems , go ahead and roughly chop the kale as finely as you would like. I typically massage my kale for 1-2 minutes, so that it doesn’t get overly mushy. But just keep massaging until the kale reaches your desired level of crispiness. The recipe that I make is very similar. The direction tells you to massage the chopped kale with your fingers after adding the oil before the lemon juice.

It will turn beautiful and dark green and delicious right before your eyes. This is a great step for the kids to help out with. Here you'll find easy recipes for your Instant Pot and slow cooker, plus more wholesome, easy recipes that your family will love. Pour the salad dressing over the kale and toss to distribute evenly. For a fresh alternative to the dried cranberries, substitute pomegranate seeds, blueberries, strawberries or raspberries.

Tying it all together is an unexpected dressing of dried shredded coconut and lime juice that you'll want to steal for salads to come. Place the kale leaves into a large bowl and drizzle with the lemon juice, ½ teaspoon of olive oil, and a few pinches of salt. Use your hands to massage the leaves until they become soft and wilted and reduce in the bowl by about half. Strip leaves from the stems . Tear the leaves into small pieces and place in a large bowl.

Add Parmesan, oil, lemon juice, garlic, soy red kale recipe sauce, anchovy , pepper and salt. With clean hands, firmly massage and crush the greens to work in the flavoring. Stop when the volume of greens is reduced by about half. The greens should look a little darker and somewhat shiny.

It really does help take the bitterness out and tenderize the leaves without having to wait 4 or 24 hrs. Layer everything in (this is your Insta-worthy moment!) then toss and douse it all with the carrot ginger dressing. Serve the salad right away, or pack it up for lunches throughout the week. It can be stored dressed since kale leaves are so sturdy. If you’re packing this for multiple days, I would keep the avocado separate and add it to the salad before you leave for work. See this post for more of my best meal prep tips and this one for more lunch ideas.

Each time, guests would rave about it. Even if you don't think you like kale, try it with this dressing. Pulse garlic, oil, capers, honey, and remaining pecans in a food processor until nuts are in small pieces.

Scrunch, release, scrunch, release. Repeat until the kale is fragrant and dark green. This makes the kale less poky and more palatable. Kale is tough, so don’t worry about damaging the leaves!