Winter Kale Salad
There’s a restaurant in Somerville, MA whose winter kale salad I fell in LOVE with last season. When I went a few months ago to get in again, they sadly hadn’t brought it back to the menu..I was devastated. So of course I asked about it for a few secret ingredients, and decided to give it a stab in my own kitchen. While I know many people prefer warm veggies in the winter, because this salad is massaged and paired with some roasted veggies, it wasn’t your typical cold and raw salad. Hope you enjoy it as much as I have!
Dairy free, gluten free, grain free, refined sugar free, soy free
Yield: 2-3 servings as a side dish
Ingredients
1 bunch lacinato kale
1 medium size bulb of fennel, stalks and green cut off
1 medium sweet potato
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
3 small red radish
avocado oil spray
sea salt
dressing:
juice of 1/2 a small lemon
juice of 1/2 a small navel orange
1.5 T tahini
1 tsp dijon mustard
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1 large garlic clove
1 T water
sea salt to taste
Directions
Preheat oven to 385 F
Chop sweet potato and fennel into medium size chunks and toss with avocado oil and sea salt in a medium size bowl
Roast veggies on a small sheet pan for 10 minutes, flip, and roast another 10, or until they have a golden brown edge
Wash kale, de-stem, and chop into bite sized pieces. Set kale aside in a large mixing bowl. Next, thinly slice radish and set aside
Now make dressing. Blend all dressing ingredients in a blender until smooth. Taste and adjust sea salt based on desired flavor, and add more water if you’d like a thinner dressing
Pour dressing over kale, massaging with your hands to soften the kale. Set aside until veggies are finished roasting
When veggies are done, add them to the bowl with the dressed kale, in addition to pomegranate seeds, radish, and toss with tongs
Serve salad as a dish dish or alongside your favorite protein (baked or grilled salmon/chicken/or shrimp would be my favorites) for a meal
Enjoy!
*salad will keep well in the fridge up to about two days since kale is tough, it doesn’t get soggy after it’s dressed
