Chopped Kale Salad

Kale, I wasn't a fan but it's really good for us so I'm trying to find ways we will enjoy it.  I don't mind it in our morning smoothies as the taste is masked with the other fruits and veggies.  I almost gave up but then I came across a recipe that intrigued me to give yet another kale recipe a try.  One reason I don't care for kale is it's texture along with the bitterness.  This recipe chops the kale in the food processor and adds sweet raisins to offset the bitterness.  An added bonus is, you can eat it right away or store in the refrigerator, it's even better the next day.


Chopping the kale this way is brilliant!  Texture problem solved.    I had to do a few batches to get 6 cups.  Just use the pulse button a few times to get it to this texture.


I combined two recipes and came up with this one to suit our taste, here are the two sources that inspired this recipe. Melt In Your Mouth Kale Salad from Food Babe and Chopped Kale Salad from Lesley Easts.
Chopped Kale Salad
Serves 2 Main Salads or 4-6 Side Salads
  • 1 bunch of kale, stems removed, rinsed and dried  (I yielded 6 cups after it was chopped)
  • 1/2 cup raisins or currants (both are good but I'll be using raisins as I always have them in my pantry)
  • 1/3 cup sunflower seeds, toasted pine nuts or slivered almonds (whatever nuts you like will work great)
  • 1/3 freshly shredded Parmesan cheese (have extra for garnish, more cheese the better!)
  • Juice of one lemon (1/4 cup)
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 Tablespoon honey
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Instructions
  1. In a food processor, process kale using the pulse button a few times. You want a finely chopped texture.
  2. To make dressing, whisk lemon juice, olive oil, honey, salt and pepper together in a large bowl that you can mix in the whole salad.
  3. Add chopped kale, raisins, sunflower seeds and Parmesan to bowl with dressing
  4. Toss all ingredients together and serve or refrigerate.  (I think it's better the next day!)
  5. Garnish with extra Parmesan cheese before serving.