Kale is such a powerhouse of nutrients. I’d tried so many recipe with kale, and while many of them were okay, none were wonderful. I’ve finally found a recipe that we love and make often.

Ingredients

Salad ingredients

• 1 or 2 bunches of Kale torn into bite size pieces (any variety)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 large apple peeled and sliced (honey crisps are great in this salad, but any variety will work)
• 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries (I usually use no sugar added, organic dried cranberries but was out, so instead I used Craisins. I think you could even use raisins in this recipe and it would be good.)

Dressing ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger (minced with juice included)
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• salt and pepper to taste

Wash kale then mix with 1/4 cup olive oil in large bowl and massage the kale until fibers are broken down. (A good massage for about 2 minutes will do the trick.)

Add apple, toasted pine nuts, and dried cranberries.

I toast the pine nuts ahead of time. Turn the oven onto broil. Place pine nuts on a cookie sheet. Put them in the oven and then watch them carefully. They burn very easily. You have about ten seconds between just right and burnt. I’ve burned them enough times that I’ve learned my lesson. (Pine nuts are pretty expensive, so I couldn’t afford to risk it anymore.) I do a whole cookie sheet at a time and freeze what I don’t use immediately.

I use a garlic press for the ginger. You have to score the ginger a bit so it’s not too hard to press. This works great and lets you keep all the ginger juice as opposed to leaving it on the cutting board.

Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl. Whisk together and pour over salad. Toss well.

Now your salad is ready. We eat it just like this if it’s a side salad. On other occasions we eat it as our main dish. In that case I usually grill some chicken breast, cut them up, and add them to the salad.