This salad is easily customizable, so you can dress it up with anything you like. Try using a pear instead of the apple, or chopped pecans, walnuts, or pistachios instead of the almonds. You can also add a sprinkle of crumbled cheese, dried fruit (such as dried cherries, cranberries, or chopped apricots), sunflower seeds, or pepitas.
Kale Salad With Maple-Balsamic Dressing
Serves 4
- 8 ounces curly kale
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard or mayonnaise
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 apple, cored and chopped
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds
Tear: Tear kale leaves from stems and discard stems. Tear kale into small bite-size pieces.
Massage: Place kale pieces in a bowl. Squeeze and massage kale until leaves soften and turn dark green, 1 to 2 minutes.
Shake: In a small jar, combine oil, vinegar, maple syrup, mustard, and salt. Cover jar tightly with lid and shake until mixture is well combined, about 30 seconds.
Dress: Add apple, almonds, and dressing to bowl with kale. Use tongs to toss salad until kale is well coated with dressing.
