Tuesday

Kale & Apple Salad with Candied Almonds




That last bunch of kale I bought was huge; too much for my little household to consume
in one recipe, so here's what I made with the other half.  

I've never been very fond of raw kale (unless a little is added to whatever I'm juicing), but
I'm a FAN of this recipe adapted from "Oak at Fourteenth"  the restaurant
located in  Boulder, Colorado.

I changed it around just a little bit; and it received great reviews and thumbs up here . . .

You can prep all but the sliced apples up to a few hours ahead, refrigerate, then right before serving slice the apples, toss with the dressing, 
then toss dressing & apples to the sliced kale and serve.






The original recipe called for the following ingredients:

Candied almonds
Granulated sugar
Honey Crisp apple, cut into thin rounds
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan
1 1/2 cups finely sliced kale
1 lemon, juiced
olive oil
Togarashi chile powder *
Salt to taste



Here's what I did differently ~

I omitted the grated Parmesan
Added the zest and juice of one very sweet orange
Reduced lemon juice to 1/2 of a small lemon
Added a scant 1 Tablespoon of organic vinegar
If you cannot find a sweet apple and a sweet orange,
add honey, sugar or other sweetener to make the dressing
pleasantly sweet.



The first thing to do is to make the candied almonds (or you can use
commercially prepared almonds like Honey-Roasted.) But I have to tell
you the homemade candied almonds are very excellent (and addictive!) --
so you'll probably want to double the batch for munching while
you're putting together the salad, and extra to serve alongside at serving time.  :)




The next step is to remove the tough stem from each kale leaf (discard), then slice
each leaf crosswise into thin strips (about 1/4 to 1/8-inch), and give them a little
chop to the kale pieces fork-managable.

I like to use my Kyrocera ceramic knife* for prepping this salad ~ it's razor
sharp blade and makes quick work of the kale (and the thinly sliced apple.) 





Next prep the dressing~

Zest the orange, then squeeze the juice and pour into
a small mixing bowl.





Then juice 1/2 of the lemon, (reserve the other half for another use.)




Whiskthe juices together with the vinegar, taste and add honey or other
sweetener to taste, then whisk in the olive or grape seed oil.
Season with sea salt  and freshly ground black pepper to taste.






Slice the sweet apple into thin slices and toss with the dressing.
Pour dressing and apples over the sliced kale and mix thoroughly.

Plate up, scatter almonds over the top of the greens, pass
the  Togarashi seasoning at the table for each diner to add to taste.







I hope you'll give this recipe a try, even if you're skeptical about raw kale,
prepared this way even those who don't care for kale just may become
converts!

Thanks for stopping by today, friends.

xo~m




Source List

Links to some ingredients and tools used in this post:

*Nanami Togarashi or
Shichimi Togarashi

 Either of these two Japanese seasonings are what make this salad unique.
Nanami Togarashi contains: Chili powder, orange peel, sesame seeds, Japanese pepper, ginger and seaweed.
Shichimi Togarashi contains: Orange peel, sesame seeds; (black, white and toasted),
cayenne, ginger, Szechuan pepper, nori (seaweed.)

OXO Good Grips Zester
 (click to learn more)

Eco Friendly Glass Citrus Juicer

OXO Good Grips 9-Inch Whisk

Kyocera Knife

Spectrum Organic Brown Rice Vinegar

Eden Foods French Sea Salt


John Boos 18-by-12-Inch Reversible Maple Cutting Board







5 comments:

  1. Looks so fresh and nice..I love citrusy:) Have to admit never heard of the asian spice..Thank you:)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hello Mme Magical! Me too with the citrusy, and it the slight sweetness cuts the bitterness of the kale.
    I'm sure you can find the Japanese spice blend near your home too. I buy mine at a local Japanese restaurant here; it's good on noodles, soups, meats, etc. Please hug those alphabet boys for me. :D xo

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh, I know how candied almonds are very excellent and addictive! :) The salad looks delicious ~ I have never tried kale. This would be a good introduction.

    ReplyDelete
  4. So beautiful & fresh! Honey Crisp is my favorite apple variety. Beautiful photos~ I want my salad served up in that wonderful bowl :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. This is the kind of healthy inspiration I need to have a look at before breakfast.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for your comments, friends ~ they make my day!

A Sampling of my food . . .

Subscribe:

 Subscribe in a reader...or

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner