Recipe: Kale Caesar Salad

Good morning! I feel like it was just yesterday I wrote about the top 10 reasons kale is your new friend with benefits. And, as promised I am going to share my recipe for Kale Caesar Salad today.

This salad will convert any person who hasn’t tried kale or is convinced that they don’t like kale to become friendly with my favorite vegetable. It is a great base for you to add anything you want.

Here is the recipe, and then we will dive into all the ways you can switch it up to your own tastes:

Caesar Salad Dressing:

1 large or 2 small Garlic Cloves, minced (totally optional- this dressing is delicious without the raw garlic, as well)
1/3 cup Lemon Juice
Zest of 1 Lemon
1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
¾ cup Fage 2% Greek Yogurt
¼-1/2 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes (optional but adds subtle heat)
Himalayan Pink Salt and Pepper
1 cup Freshly Grated Parmesan
1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce

This salad dressing yields about 1.5 cups. Now onto some tips for making this salad:

• When you prepare the kale remove the center stem and tough veins.
• When you dress the kale really dig in and massage it! Kale is a tough green- you really need to break down some of those fibers to make it taste its absolute best. The lemon juice is critical here as the acid helps to break it down.

• Once the kale is dressed pop the salad in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving – think of this as marinating. Let the kale absorb those delicious flavors.

• Once you are ready to eat it, top it with all your favorite things. Remember- you are eating kale, reaping huge nutritional benefits, you want to enjoy it! Make it taste mouth wateringly (may have just made that word up) good!

My go-to toppings for this salad are: sliced avocado, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms and crunched up organic croutons. We smash the croutons until they are almost like a breadcrumb and they add such delicious crunch and contrasting flavors. You could add sun dried tomatoes, kalamata olives and pepperoncini and make it Mediterranean. Add grilled shrimp, hard boiled egg or chicken to increase protein and make it a full meal.

There are a million and one ways to play with this dish- and that is what I want for you. Play with your food and enjoy it! Make meal time and food prep fun- play music, enjoy a good wine and do it with someone you love or a friend.  Sharing the experience together connects you to your food and makes enjoying your meal so much more meaningful and special.

I hope that you love this salad as much as we do! This will add a lovely green pop of color to any holiday table. Have a fabulous day and thank you so much for checking in today!