The post-holiday need to hit the dietary reset button is real, and the best way to do so is with deeply nourishing whole foods. Far better than depriving your body through radical dieting, a steady stream of fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, and proteins will assuage even the most irritated of systems. Enter: The Winter Kale Salad.
This hearty bowl is perfect for winter, and packed with the earthy, rich flavors of apple, pomegranate, seasonal greens, hazelnuts, and crispy leeks. A generous handful of creamy feta and a bright black pepper red wine vinaigrette round it all out. If you’re looking for a moment to start making your New Year’s resolution a reality, start here—with a salad so delicious you’ll forget you’re mainlining greens.
By Lily Diamond
Ingredients
Salad
- 8 large leaves kale, washed and destemmed
- 1/2 apple, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup feta cheese
- 1/4 cup pomegranate arils
- 1/3 cup hazlenuts, toasted
Crispy Leeks
- 3/4 cup thinly sliced leeks
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked salt
Black Pepper Red Wine Vinaigrette
- 2 tablespoons olive oil from crispy leeks
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Directions
Thinly chop kale and coarsely chop toasted hazelnuts. Place chopped kale in a large bowl and set aside with other salad ingredients.
In a medium frying pan over medium-high heat, warm olive oil and smoked salt. After about a minute, test the oil with a droplet of water. When it sizzles, add thinly sliced leeks and reduce heat to medium. Distribute evenly and swirl in pan as the leeks begin to brown. Stir gently with a silicone spatula to bring any quicker cooking leeks to the center of the pan for an even cook. Once they turn a golden brown, remove from heat and quickly drain oil into a bowl to use for salad dressing. Set crispy leeks aside in a separate bowl.
In another bowl, whisk 2 tablespoons of olive oil from crispy leeks with red wine vinegar, sea salt, and black pepper. Let cool at least 10 minutes.
Once vinaigrette is at room temperature, pour most of it over chopped kale and gently massage, tossing to incorporate. Add crispy leeks (reserve a few tablespoons for garnish), apple slices, feta, pomegranate, and toasted hazelnuts, tossing gently. Top with the remaining tablespoons of crispy leeks and a few extra pomegranate arils. Serve immediately.
Nutritional Information
- Calories
- 405
- Total Fat
- 38g
- Saturated Fat
- 6g
- Cholesterol
- 11mg
- Sodium
- 519mg
- Carbohydrates
- 15g
- Dietary Fiber
- 4g
- Sugars
- 8g
- Protein
- 5g
YIELD:
3 servings
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