I love walking around a farmer’s market and seeing what’s fresh and in season. I always end up buying more produce than I can realistically use, but having too many vegetables is a challenge I am willing to accept! This simple salad was inspired by one of these occasions.
Raw kale isn’t for everyone. I’ve used different varieties of kale and found that I prefer the flatter black kale versus its curly relatives. This salad has the perfect balance of flavours: acidity from the dressing, sweetness from the corn and tomatoes, earthiness from the greens, and saltiness from the feta. If kale isn’t your cup of tea this salad works equally well with spinach or mixed greens.
One tip when making any kale salad is to massage the dressing into the kale leaves by hand. Raw kale tends to have a very tough texture and massaging the leaves help to soften and tenderize them. We enjoyed this salad right away but the leftovers were even better the next day for lunch.
- 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- zest and juice of 1 medium lemon
- 2 teaspoons of maple syrup or honey
- ¼ cup olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 large bunch of kale, washed and dried.
- 1 pint of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise
- 2 cobs of corn, cooked and kernels removed, approx 1 cup.
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
- ¼ cup of crumbled feta
- Prepare dressing by whisking all ingredients together, or as I prefer place ingredients in a small jar and shake to combine.
- Chop or tear the kale into bite-sized pieces, removing hard inner stem, and place in a large serving bowl. Add half of the dressing and massage the leaves by hands, don't worry about being too rough, the kale can take it.
- Add the tomatoes, corn, feta, basil and remaining dressing to the kale. Note: depending on the size of the bunch of kale, you may have more dressing than you need.
- Cover the salad and place in the fridge until ready to use.
2 Comments
This salad has become a family favourite. Upon first taste, my 6 year old son proclaimed “it tastes like the best thing ever!” And when my 11 year old daughter sees it on the table she says “Yes! (fist pump) Kale salad!”