I look for recipe inspirations practically everywhere I go. If a dish I try blows me away, I just have to find a way to re-create it at home. This happened at a recent BBQ when I tasted a delicious kale salad.
As I’m writing this, I’m a few days past getting back from a fall getaway to Florida. There’s something about vacations that causes me to revert to unhealthy eating habits. It was yummy while it lasted, but I’m trying to work my way back to good-for-me food. And that kale salad at the BBQ helped to put me on track.
I’d only had kale in soups, never raw. But this salad changed my mind about eating only cooked kale. It was light, crunchy and beautifully complemented the sweet cranberries and feta cheese that were mixed in. A slightly sweet dressing was like the icing on top…a healthy icing!
Soon after the BBQ, I was in my kitchen attempting to mimic what I had eaten. I added a few elements of my own – cucumber and almonds – for an extra crunch. And I’m quite happy with the results, as it came pretty close to the salad at the BBQ. Enjoy the recipe below, or add your favorite salad ingredients to make it your own.
Kale Salad with Cranberries & Feta Cheese
For the salad:
- 1 bunch of kale, chopped
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries (I used reduced-sugar cranberries)
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1 medium cucumber, diced
- ½ cup slivered almonds
For the dressing:
- 3 Tbl. extra virgin olive oil
- Zest of 1 medium lemon
- 1 Tbl. fresh lemon juice
- 1 Tbl. balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 tsp. brown sugar
- 1 tsp. dijon mustard
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- Pepper to taste
In medium bowl, whisk together the salad dressing ingredients.
Wash kale and dry with towel to remove excess water. De-stem the kale leaves and chop the leaves into bite-sized pieces.
In a large bowl, combine the chopped kale, cranberries, feta cheese, cucumber and almonds. Add the salad dressing toss until combined.
Add additional salt and black pepper to taste, if needed.
For another way to enjoy kale, check out my Tuscan Soup recipe!
