Kale & Blueberry Salad

Something about the salads I create almost always contain certain elements to them: great crunch, something onion-ey, chewy, crispity, earthy, vinegary, and maybe a tad sweet. And in that order this salad contains: sunflower seeds, green onion, dried cranberries, kale, fresh beet, white wine vinegar, and blueberries. After consuming this salad you will be 98% healthier than the moment before you consumed this salad. 

Make the vinaigrette in the bottom of a large bowl or in my case, an 8-cup Pampered Chef Batter Bowl. Love it. Ingredients include green onions, fresh garlic, honey, any type of sweet vinegar - I think I used Champagne vinegar, EVOO, S&P. Don't measure. Just plop a tablespoon of honey in the bottom, a couple of chopped green onions, a crushed clove of garlic, 2 or 3 splashes of vinegar, season with S&P, and whisk in some EVOO to the count of three. You made vinaigrette. This vinaigrette can be used in any number of ways! Marinate chicken, fish, shrimp. Toss a million different types of salad. Drizzle over roasted vegetables. 

"Kale, kale, the magical treat. The more you eat, the more you toot. The more you toot, the better you feel. So eat more kale at every meal." Replace "kale" with "beans" and there you have the ditty my father used every. single. time. we ate beans. 

Color Explosion = Healthy Explosion.

Do you ever use ditties or fun songs to get your family to eat healthfully at the dinner table?

Printable Recipe Here

Kale & Blueberry Salad

Vinaigrette
1 tablespoon honey
3 green onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
4 tablespoon sweet vinegar, like champagne or white
3 tablespoons good olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Salad
3 cups kale
1 cup blueberries
1 beet, peeled
1 carrot
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup sunflower seeds

In the bottom of a large bowl, place the honey, green onions, garlic and vinegar. Give that a whisk. Gradually pour in the olive oil while whisking. Whisk vigorously for a minute. Taste, season with salt and pepper. 

Remove the inner stem from each kale leave, and discard. Chop the kale leaves roughly, place in the bowl with the vinaigrette. Grate the beet and carrot on a box grater, put grated veggies in with the kale and vinaigrette. Add cranberries and sunflower seeds. Toss. Season with additional salt and pepper, if needed. 

Serve immediately. Keeps in the fridge for a day or two.