This is the prettiest and best tasting kale salad I ever made. My inspiration came from True Food Kitchen, a popular restaurant here in California. After you eat there, your skin tingles and you glow. Kidding. But it really is very good.
I also have a kumquat tree in my backyard that is loaded with kumquats. And to make you even more jealous, I grow my own kale. Brings new meaning to locally-sourced, right? Kumquats are unique because the skin is sweet and the inside citrusy-flesh is sour. Unlike oranges, you eat the whole thing. Just pop them in your mouth, peel and all! I call them my “natural” vitamin C pills.
Cool Citrus Shredded Kale Salad
Ingredients
- 2 medium bunches destemmed kale, finely chopped (8 cups chopped)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, to taste
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (just eyeball it)
- ½ cup roasted walnuts, chopped
- 1 handfuls dried (low sugar) sweetened cranberries
- 10 kumquats, sliced thinly
For the salad & dressing:
For garnish:
Instructions
- Wash the kale and remove the stems from the kale. Finely chop the kale leaves so they look shredded (the smaller, the better!). Place into a large bowl.
- Roast the whole walnuts in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes until lightly browned. Let cool, chop finely and then set aside.
- For the dressing: In a mini food processor, process the garlic until minced. Now add the lemon, oil, honey, salt, and pepper and process until combined. Adjust to taste, if desired. Pour the dressing onto the kale and massage it into the kale with your hands. You need to give it a gentle massage to soften the leaves. Keep going-- for about 1 minute to ensure everything is coated perfectly.
- Now toss in the walnuts, mix well. Garnish with cranberries and sliced kumquats. Tastes best if you eat now and not the next day. But it will last until the next day so leftovers are tasty!
- Enjoy!
[…] there is no need to finely chop or massage the leaves into soft submission. I have another tasty kale salad recipe on this site where you have to massage the olive oil and honey into the leaves before serving. […]