If you are looking for that special salad to take to your next event… this is it! It’s quick and easy to make and taste better over time.  The food combination of lemon, dried blueberries and olives with kale is superb. 

I prefer the lacinato kale also known as dinosaur kale over other kale varieties.  It’s easy to remove the tougher stem from the kale.  You can watch this process in the video below.  I don’t purchase pre-cut kale for salads because the stems haven’t been removed.  Pre-cut kale is ok if you are cooking it, but I don’t like the larger pieces of kale stems in my salad.  If I do add a few kale stems for extra texture, I cut them into smaller pieces similar to the size of adding green onions.

The key to a great kale salad is to massage the leaves before serving.  This is typically done by adding the salad dressing to the kale and massaging it with your hands.  Lemony Kale Salad is quick since you add the lemon juice and a bit of olive oil directly to the kale then massage it.  Not making the salad dressing separately save time. 

Lemony Kale Salad with Dried Blueberries & Olives

• Servings: 4
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Print

Credit: Adapted from Dr. Hyman’s Raw Kale Salad from The Daniel Plan

Ingredients

1 large bunch kale, stemmed and finely chopped
1/4 cup lemon juice or the juice of 1 lemon
zest of 1 organic lemon
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (I use less)
1 garlic clove, minced
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts or nuts of your choice
1/4 cup dried blueberries
1/2 cup Kalamata olives, chopped

Directions

1. Add kale, lemon juice, zest and olive oil to a large mixing bowl. Massage kale with your hands for 1-2 minutes to soften kale.
2. Add remaining ingredients and toss to combine.
3. Allow salad to rest and soften for about 15 minutes before serving. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator. When eating leftover salad, I sometimes add a splash of lemon juice and olive oil to bring out the flavors again.