Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Kale and Pear Salad

Are you in a salad rut?  I get that way, but this one will cure that problem....in fact it is so simple and refreshing you just my want to make it everyday...which is what I have been doing anyways. 
I have a large bag of smaller leafy kale from Costco, so I wanted to find a great way to utilize it beyond just simply sauteing it.  I also needed to make a salad for a party we were going to and this seemed like a good idea.  The problem is that I rarely make something I have already made before when I go to these parties, for some ridiculous reason I get a wild hair to make something  "new" and wow can that be risky.  I guess procrastination and craziness just makes me become more creative....I don't know how accurate that really is, but we are going with that theory. 

Its also nice to have a light recipe like this in the summer when you would rather not be cooking hot foods.  So here you have it and enjoy this superfood dish as a side or load it with some chicken for a full meal.

Ingredients:

4 cups of kale (any variety, if you get the larger leaves make sure to remove the tough stems)
3 tbsp olive oil
1 large pear (diced into small pieces)
1/3 cup of dried cranberries or even dried cherries
1/3 cup chopped almonds or you could use any type of nut you prefer
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 small clementine, orange, or lemon (I used clementine, because I wanted a sweeter taste to balance the bitterness of kale)

Method:

Put the kale in a large salad bowl and drizzle the oil on top, using your hands, massage the oil into the leaves until they wilt a bit.  (This step helps to lessen the bitterness of the kale), Let it sit out for a few minutes then toss in the pear, cranberries, nuts and the salt.  Once it is all tossed together squeeze the clementine or lemon over top of it all, mix it up then let it sit for about 10 minutes before serving, to let the leaves wilt down and the flavors meld together.  Enjoy!

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