Simple Kale Salad and Lemon Dressing
This simple kale salad with lemon dressing is so very impressive. It is refreshing and very savory, and an easy and simple salad.
Simple Kale Salad and Lemon Dressing
Equipment
- 1 jar (mason jar) with a lid
- 1 wooden cutting board
- 1 large bowl
- 2 large salad spoons for tossing
- 1 large knife
Ingredients
- 6 cups kale chopped up
- 1-2 tsps virgin olive oil
- ⅛ tsp salt
- ½ cup cheddar cheese, or can use feta
- ¼ cup diced red onion
- ½ cup carrots that have been shredded
- ¼ cup cranberries
LEMON DRESSING
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tbsps red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 tbsps lemon juice
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar or honey
- 1 clove minced garlic
- ¼ tsp oregano
Instructions
- Start by making the lemon dressing. To make the dressing just combine all the ingredients listed above in a jar with a lid
- Shake the dressing really well, helping it to emulsify,
- Next, dip one of the kale leaves in the dressing, adjusting the sugar or honey, salt, and pepper to taste.
MASSAGING THE CHOPPED KALE
- Massage the chopped kale with a pinch of salt and a little bit of olive oil.
- Just rub with your fingers for about 4-5 minutes or until the leaves begin to darken and tenderize.
- This process of massaging the kale causes the kale to have a silky texture and helps to make it really taste fantastic.
ASSEMBLING THE SIMPLE KALE SALAD
- In the large bowl, combine the already massaged kale, cranberries, cheddar cheese or feta cheese, onion, carrots, and almonds
- Be sure to shake the lemon dressing in the jar with the lid again, and then pour about ⅓ to ½ of the dressing all over the salad.
- Toss the salad to make sure it is coated. If not enough for you, then add additional dressing for your taste.
Nutrition
How to Store This Lemon Dressing
The lovely thing about this dressing is that you can leave it refrigerated for several days, and it will not ruin or even wilt your lettuce.
Since kale is such a hearty green, it can sit in the fridge, dressed, for several days and still be delicious! Because it is so tough if you are using it raw in a salad I would recommend massaging it first.
You will definitely feel very strange kneading a pile of greens for several minutes on your cutting board, but do it anyway! And yes, it makes a huge difference!
**Remember to always cut the massage kale into bite-sized pieces. Love me some kale, in this simple kale salad with the lemon dressing as well as cooked in many other ways.
I found this video on Youtube and decided to share it with you. Boy, does her salad really look so delicious?
I will definitely be posting other recipes which have kale as an ingredient in them. I have been thinking, this would be a good idea, because, after all, I did name the blog Kale and Croutons.
You may need less dressing (or maybe a little more) depending on the size of your bunches of kale. Just dress the kale salad to your preference. The dressing is super easy to whip up if you need to make a little extra (for extra large bunches!)
If you have not tried this simple kale salad with lemon dressing, what are you waiting for? Believe me when I say that you and your friends and family will love it. Once you try it just leave me a comment, letting me know what you thought of it.