Who’s ready to dive into the week?! OK, to be honest, I’m not. We had a really fun weekend, including a last-minute trip up to the lake to take the boat out and visit with friends. We came back yesterday and had an extended brunch at one of our favorite local restaurants. Super fun all around! But this week, well, this week at work is looking like a doozy. Plus, M is off of school at the end of the week and will be home with me while I’m working, which is not much fun for either of us. BUT, silver lining, I have my monthly girls dinner night on Wednesday and that’s ALWAYS a good time! So hopefully that’ll give me a good mid-week boost to carry me over to the weekend! And now, on to today’s recipe, which should definitely be on your menu this week! You guys know I love me some kale, right?
My citrus kale salad is a go-to year round, as is my kale quinoa salad actually, but now that we’re moving into fall, I wanted a massaged kale salad with some fall flavors! This kale apple salad has sweet, in-season apples, cubes of creamy, rich cheddar cheese, crunchy pecans and an apple cider vinaigrette (made along with the salad, not separately) and some maple syrup to really drive home the warm, cozy feelings! You’ll be making this on repeat like we do!
To massage your kale, you need to chop it finely and then drizzle with the oil and lemon juice and use your fingers to rub the liquids into all the leaves. Just rub and mix with your hands until you’ve gotten everything coated. Then you let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes so that the kale softens. If you need to prep the kale ahead, you can massage it and let it sit in a covered container (or large bag) in the refrigerator all day. I prefer to thinly slice my apple - cause it’s pretty and helps it stand out from the cheddar cubes - but you can dice it if you prefer. As with most salads, your heavy ingredients will fall to the bottom of the bowl when you mix it all up. Just be sure to use a spoon when serving and get scoops from the bottom so everyone gets some of the apple slices, cheddar cubes and pecan pieces. You can substitute walnuts for the pecans if you prefer - or use your favorite nut! You could add in some dried cranberries here as well!
What to pair this with for dinner? You can serve this along side my 3-ingredient balsamic pork tenderloin with thyme or spice-rubbed pork chops or easy paprika chicken. And if you love kale like I do, we should try this kale and wild rice salad and this winter kale super salad soon! In the meantime, let’s dive into the recipe! I hope you welcome fall with this kale apple cheddar salad. XO, Kathryn
If you need to prep the kale ahead, you can massage it and let it sit in a covered container (or large bag) in the refrigerator all day. You can substitute walnuts (or your favorite nut) for the pecans if you prefer. You could add in some dried cranberries here as well!
