In Dinner By Nece 20 June 2021 Ziemek

Ultimate Kale Salad


Nothing beats impressing your family with a sweet and tangy kale salad. This delicious recipe is sure to impress anyone, including your kids. The salad is dressed with cranberries and zesty dressing, making it easy to be loved by all.

Great for any occasion and is always the first to be finished at any dinner party.

You can make the dressing the night before, put it in a jar and use it the following day. Same with sweet potato, kale, pecans and quinoa. I cooked the sweet potato the night before, cooked quinoa, put it in a container, cut and rubbed the kale with olive oil, and put it in a container or a ziplock. For the pecans, I usually cooked them in a big batch to save energy. I just put it in a tight lid mason jar and use it as you go. Watch out for the caramelized pecan, and it is addictive to munch on, so make lots of them. Side note, I crumble or halve the pecan when adding it to the salad. Now let’s get to it!

Ingredients:

For the Sweet Potato

  • 1 1/2 cups Sweet Potato, cubed
  • 1/2 tsp olive oil
  • Sea salt and pepper

For Pecans

  • 1/2 cup pecans
  • 1/2 tsp maple syrup
  • Sea salt and pepper (optional)

For Kale

  • 4 cup kale (chopped)
  • 1/2 tbsp. olive oil

Red Quinoa

  • 1/2 cup quinoa
  • 1/2 cap water
  • Sea salt and pepper

Dressing

  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tsp Agave syrup
  • 1 tbsp shallot (chopped)

  • Sea salt And pepper

  • 1/2 cup dried cranberry
  • 1 whole avocado

Instructions:

Sweet Potato

I start with preheating the oven to 350°F. While it’s preheating, I go ahead and peel the sweet potato. I cut them into small cubes, add olive oil, sea salt and pepper and mix. Spread it evenly in a cookie sheet tray. Bake for 30-35 minutes, depending on the size of the potato cubes. I check on the sweet potato halfway to baking, flip and mix, then continue baking until it’s cooked.

Pecans

Put together all the pecan ingredients, lay it in another baking tray and bake together with the sweet potato for only 6 minutes. Remember to mix it halfway through to avoid burning it. Once the pecan is finished baking, remove it from the oven and let the sweet potato continue baking.

Quinoa

Now go ahead and rinse the quinoa until the water runs clear, then drain the water fully from it. Place the quinoa into a small pot with a lid, add 1/2 cup water, salt and pepper. (ratio: 1/2 quinoa=1/2 cup water) Place it on the stovetop and bring it to boil. Once boiled, reduce heat to simmer and cook for 20mins. When finished, fluff it using a fork, then transfer the quinoa to a bowl to cool down.

While the quinoa and sweet potato are cooling down, I go ahead and prepare the dressing. Chopped 1/2 tbsp of shallot, put it in a bowl and add olive oil, balsamic vinegar, agave syrup, sea salt and pepper and then mix and set it aside.

Kale

Go ahead and prepare the kale. Rinse kale and dry it with a paper towel. Remove the stem of the kale using scissors and cut the leaves into small pieces. Rub kale leaves with olive oil. Generously massage kale with your hand until it is evenly covered with olive oil.

Mixing everything

Time to put the salad all together. In a big bowl, add the kale, the cool down quinoa and sweet potato. Add the whole avocado sliced in cubes, chopped dried cranberries, dressing, and mix until well combined. Top with the caramelized pecan and serve.

Enjoy your delicious kale salad!