Sweet Kale Salad

Sweet Kale Salad is something I always get from one of my favorite vegan restaurants. I wanted the salad more often than I wanted to go to the restaurant so I recreated it at home. I'm so happy I did. It's simple, easy, and delicious without a bunch of fuss and a ton of ingredients.

Ingredients

1 bunch of kale, stems removed, leaves torn into bite sized pieces

½ small/medium red onion, thinly sliced

½ red bell pepper, thinly sliced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon maple syrup or agave nectar

¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard

½ teaspoon sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

For the dressing:

Whisk together the minced garlic, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, dijon mustard, sea salt, and black pepper. Slowly pour in the olive oil while whisking and continue to whisk until the dressing is emulsified.

For the salad:

In a large bowl, pour the dressing over the kale and massage the dressing into the leaves with your hands.* The leaves should become soft and slightly wilted. Add in the red onion and red bell pepper, continue to toss a few more times by hand. Voila! Sweet Kale Salad!

You can enhance your salad by adding dried cranberries and sliced almonds for a little more sweet and a bit of crunch. You can also top your salad with baked tofu or seasoned seitan. The base salad is done and the possibilities are endless.

Enjoy!

*Vinyl gloves are recommended but if you don't have them, make sure you wash your hands before and after massaging the kale.