My husband asked me what my plans were for lunch?  And I immediately said, “a kale salad.” In fact, as he asked I was thinking about this kale salad and exactly how I was going to create this masterpiece…homemade light, lemony and a touch of dijon dressing. I was dreaming about the the layers of kale, corn, tortilla chips and pecans! Sooo goood! But what I didn’t realize at the time, my husband was inviting me to go out to lunch. But I had my heart so set on this perfect kale salad, I couldn’t think about anything else. I blew my chance for going out for lunch, but hey sometimes a gal just needs her kale salad!!  

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Chopped Kale Salad (with Lemon Vinaigrette)

Healthy kale salad, topped with a lemony, fresh and delicious dressing.

Ingredients

  • 1 bunch kale stemmed, and finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 2 pinches salt

Lemon Vinaigrette:

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 lemon juiced
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon maple syrup or more to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 pinch garlic powder or to taste
  • 1 pinch cayenne pepper or to taste
  • salt and ground black pepper to taste

Salad:

  • 2 green onions, chopped
  • 1/2 cup corn, canned drained and rinsed
  • 1/4 cup crushed tortilla chips
  • 1/4 cup pecans coarsely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
  • 2 hard-boiled eggs chopped

Instructions

  1. Place the chopped kale in a large serving bowl and sprinkle with a little bit of salt. Add 1 teaspoon olive oil and 2 pinches salt. Gently massage the oil and salt into kale. Set aside to allow kale to soften, about 10 minutes.

  2. Combine 1/4 cup olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, maple syrup, cumin, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper in a plastic or glass container with a lid. Cover container and vigorously shake until dressing is light yellow and evenly combined.
  3. Layer carrots, roasted corn, tortilla chips, almonds, and smoked cheese on top of kale. Drizzle dressing over salad. Mix salad using tongs to evenly distribute. Gently stir eggs into salad.

Recipe Notes

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  • If you like the dressing on the sweeter side, add a little  extra maple syrup.
  • Great add-ins to this salad are edamame, avocado, dried cranberries, chopped apples or bacon.
  • Don't skip rubbing a tiny bit of salt into the chopped salad for a couple of minutes, it takes out the toughness and gives it an extra boost of flavor.

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