Real Food, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, IBD-AID (Phase III: omit dried cherries), Paleo
This kale salad has been my lunch of choice for the past few weeks. Most days I eat leftovers for lunch, but I’ve found that as the weather warms, I crave greens. This salad is fresh and crisp, with a diverse mix of flavors. Feel free to change it up to meet your personal preferences. The dressing provides a great base for just about any mix of greens and toppings. My husband has always been one who dislikes fruit on a salad. He claims to prefer a savory salad. That said, he loves this one. I think the fruit mixed with the pickled onions and citrus dressing makes such an interesting array of flavors. If you’re not a “fruit on salad” person, give this a try anyway. It may change you.
THE INSPIRATION
Several years ago, I ran across this recipe for Best Ever Paleo Kale Salad on Paleo Running Momma. I followed her recipe exactly a few times before deviating to changes that I prefer. The most valuable thing that I took away from her recipe is how to quickly pickle red onions at home. Pickled red onions are one of my favorite salad toppings. Even my ten year old loves them. I used to see pickled onions as a luxury that only a restaurant could provide, but they are so quick and easy to make at home.
Her original recipe is great as is, but I’ve made some changes to meet my preferences. In my recipe, you’ll find dried cherries and pecans instead of dried cranberries and almonds. I like to add strawberries in the spring and summer. Also, her homemade dressing calls for dijon mustard. I’ve tried that exactly as written several times and I think I just don’t like dijon mustard. I’ve adapted the dressing to meet my liking. With any recipe, I encourage you to do the same.
PICKLED RED ONIONS IN A PINT MASON JAR
During salad season, I make a fresh jar of pickled red onions at least once a week. Simply slice a red onion into thin arcs and stuff them into a pint mason jar. I don’t measure ingredients anymore, but I’ll give the best approximate. After stuffing the sliced onion into the jar, fill the jar halfway with apple cider vinegar. Add about a tablespoon of maple syrup and a pinch of salt. Fill the jar the rest of the way up with filtered water. That’s it. You’ll have pickled onions in as soon as thirty minutes, though I do think they taste better after a day or two. Store the jar in the refrigerator. I will reuse the liquid maybe once if I run out of onions quickly. Each week I begin with new liquid, though.
THE DRESSING
This is my go-to dressing for any kale salad. It softens the kale and coats everything beautifully. Like the pickled onions, I don’t measure anymore. In small ramekin or glass bowl, I squeeze the juice of half a large lemon. I pour just enough olive oil to equal the lemon juice. I add a couple teaspoons of maple syrup. Then I add about 1/4 teaspoon of salt and a bit less of white pepper. I use my little milk frother to mix everything well. I’ve also used this dressing on an arugula salad. It’s great there too. Plus, it’s so much cheaper than buying pre-made salad dressing from the store. The quality of ingredients is much higher too, as most pre-made dressings are made with seed oils.
Enjoy this kale salad! Want to pair it with a protein? Consider this Baked Salmon as an addition.
Sensational Summer Salad with Kale and Insanely Easy Pickled Onions
Notes
After mixing the dressing, I find that this salad lasts about 24 hours in the refrigerator. Much longer than that and the kale seems to wilt and get soggy. If you’d like the ingredients to last longer, keep everything separate and mix for each individual serving.
Ingredients
SALAD INGREDIENTS
- 1 large head of kale, washed and chopped into small bites (If I buy pre-washed/chopped kale, I usually chop it even smaller)
- 1 apple, sliced thin and cut into bite sized pieces
- Sliced strawberries or blueberries (optional)
- 1/4 c dried cherries
- 1/4 c chopped pecans
PICKLED ONION INGREDIENTS
- 1 pint sized mason jar
- 1 red onion, sliced thin
- Apple cider vinegar
- About 1 tbsp maple syrup
- Pinch of sea salt
- Filtered water
DRESSING INGREDIENTS
- Juice of 1/2 large lemon
- Olive oil
- About 2 tsp maple syrup
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- White pepper
Instructions
- Begin by pickling the onion. Slice a red onion into thin arcs. Stuff the sliced onion pieces into a pint sized mason jar. After placing the onion in the jar, fill the jar halfway with apple cider vinegar. Add about 1 tablespoon maple syrup and a pinch of sea salt. Fill the jar the rest of the way up with filtered water. Place the lid on the jar and refrigerate. The pickled onions will be ready in about half an hour, but taste best after a day or two. I use the pickled onions to top each individual salad as desired. (See notes above for other details.)
- In a ramekin or small glass bowl, squeeze half of a large lemon. To that lemon juice, add just enough olive oil to match the lemon juice, so they are in equal parts. Add about 1 tbsp maple syrup. Then, add the sea salt and white pepper. Stir to mix. I like to use a milk frother. See the link above. Set the dressing aside.
- Add the chopped kale to a large salad bowl. Pour the dressing over the kale and mix. Add the other salad ingredients (apples, cherries, pecans) and lightly toss.
- When serving the salad, top with pickled onions.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.