Kale and Apple Salad

It has been almost a month since I posted a recipe - must be the post-Christmas lull...

Here is a recipe for a delicious salad that includes kale.  I've always sauteed or baked my kale. On New Year's Eve, one of my mom's friend's brought a kale salad with blue cheese and I sat there investigating every single ingredient.  It was so good!  I asked her a few questions and pondered how I could make it better.  Here is the result of my pondering:

Kale and Apple Salad

Dressing

1/8 cup olive oil
1/8 cup lemon juice
1-2 tsp. honey

Whisk together and set aside.

Salad Ingredients

1 bunch of kale (washed, center ribs and stems removed, leaves thinly sliced crosswise)
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1 apple pear diced (or granny smith)
1/4 cup dried cranberries or blueberries
1/4 toasted almond
1/4 crumbled goat cheese

Place the sliced kale in a medium bowl and sprinkle with salt.  Gently massage the salt into the kale until it turns a darker green and is softened. In a small bowl, place the diced apple and the dressing, tossing to coat.  This will stop the apple from turning brown.  Add the apple dressing mixture, cranberries, and almonds to the kale.  Toss the salad together.  Crumble the goat cheese on top.

*This salad will keep in the fridge for about 5 days.  It actually tastes better after a day or two!

Spinach and Arugula Salad

Back in early Spring, I was getting tired of eating leftovers for lunch at school.  I needed something lighter, but still substantial enough to get me through until the end of the school day.  As a teacher I always need to eat food that will provide me with the lots of energy; this is probably the case for must of us as we are busy people! Being aware of which foods energize or make us tired is really important.  For example, it did not take me long to figure out that sweet potatoes at lunch made me really sleepy in the afternoon!  My need for something lighter, but energizing, brought me to this salad. 

Spinach and Arugula Salad

2 cups fresh organic baby spinach

1 cup fresh organic arugula

1/2 cup bite sized cold chicken (previously cooked)

1/4 cup blueberries

2 tbsp crumbled goat cheese (I use the fig or cranberry cinnamon)

Handful of toasted pecans

Dressing

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp raspberry vinegar

1 tbsp all-fruit strawberry jam (no sugar or sweetener added)

Combine the salad ingredients in a bowl.  Stir the dressing ingredients together in a measuring cup.  Pour the dressing over the salad and gently toss to coat.