Apple Dijon Kale Salad

Kale Salad with Apple, Raisins, and Walnuts

I've decided I might go on a quest to find the ULTIMATE kale salad recipe.

I bought a small bunch of kale a few days ago. I found an awesome looking Indian-spiced lentil soup recipe that I am wanting to try and it called for kale.  BUT I decided I should use up the soup in my freezer first before making more soup so I needed to use up the kale before it went bad.  I am in one of my "let's use up what's in the kitchen before we go shopping again" modes so I considered what I could make with kale.  I briefly considered making kale chips (like this recipe HERE), but I was craving a hearty sort of kale salad.  On hand, I had apple, walnuts, and raisins and that sounded good.  I did a Google search by typing in something like "kale apple raisin walnut" and I found a number of kale salad recipes calling for those ingredients.  There were a number of variations of course... some called for dried cranberries, some called for pecans, some called for feta or cheddar cheese.  I picked a recipe for which I had all of the ingredients and I would not have to make any substitutions and I really liked it.  I did, however, tweak the dressing a bit.  The recipe called for 10 to 15 grinds of black pepper and I over did it.  My dressing was a bit bitter so I added a touch of honey.  I did add some hard boiled egg to my salad for some protein and I really liked that.  And it just occurred to me that the recipe called for a tart Granny Smith apple and I used a sweet Gala apple instead.  Oh well. I followed the recipe pretty closely.

This is a great start on my quest for the ULTIMATE kale salad... I am going to keep trying other recipes.

Apple Dijon Kale Salad
From www.budgetbytes.com
Recipe Link (click HERE)

The slight changes I made to this recipe are listed in ( ) below.

1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 clove garlic
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
10 - 15 grinds fresh cracked pepper (I over did it with the pepper... start with less and add more if desired)
(Option: if dressing seems too tart, add in a teaspoon or so of honey, agave nectar, or maple syrup to balance the flavors).

1 bunch kale
1 medium Granny Smith Apple (I used a Gala apple)
1/4 cup raisins (I added extra)
1/2 walnuts (I added extra and I toasted the walnuts in a dry skillet before chopping them)

1. Tear the kale leaves from the stems. Cut the leaves into thin slices and then rinse well under cool water (in a colander). Allow the kale to drain as you prepare the rest of the salad.
2. In a blender combine the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, clove of garlic, salt, and pepper. Blend until the garlic is minced and the dressing is smooth. (Option: if dressing is too tart for your liking, add a teaspoon or so of honey, agave nectar, or maple syrup to balance the flavors).
3. Wash the apple and chop it into chunks. Roughly chop the walnut halves. Make sure the kale is as dry as possible and then combine it in a large bowl with the apples, walnuts, and raisins. Pour the dressing on top, starting with half, and toss to coat. Add more dressing as desired.

https://www.budgetbytes.com/2012/06/apple-dijon-kale-salad/