Keyword: almonds, curly kale, dates, gluten free, kale, kale salad, Medjool dates, parmesan, Salad, tuscan kale
Servings: 4people
Author: GFchow @ gfchow.com
Ingredients
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2shallotchopped
1teaspoonhoney
1/2teaspoonkosher salt
1/4teaspoonhot red pepper flakes
2bunches kale (either Italian, also known as Lacinato or Curly Kale)washed, dried, stems and ribs removed, leaves sliced or torn by hand. See NOTES below for baby kale usage
2tablespoonsextra-virgin olive oil
1/3cupsliced almondstoasted
8Medjool datespitted and chopped
1/4cupParmesaneither shaved with a peeler or use a combo of grated and shaved
Instructions
In a large bowl, whisk together lemon juice, shallot, honey, salt and pepper flakes.
Add kale to the dressing and toss well until kale is thoroughly coated. Let sit at least 20 minutes or cover and refrigerate overnight. Kale is very fibrous but the good news is the acid in the dressing will break down the fiber. If you don't have time to let the salad sit, you can massage the dressed kale with you fingers and the kale will begin to soften in about a minute or two.
Toast almonds in a 350 degree oven on a parchment-lined (or foil sprayed with a non-stick oil) tray for 5-6 minutes until fragrant and toasted. Let cool. If not using immediately, store in a Ziploc bag at room temp.
When ready to serve the salad, add the olive oil and most of the almonds, dates and Parmesan and combine.
Transfer to a large serving bowl or platter and top salad with the remaining almonds, dates and Parmesan.
Notes
In a pinch, simplify this recipe by buying a bag of pre-washed and pre-torn kale that has most stems and ribs removed. When using baby kale (or mixed field greens) there's no need to dress it in advance. The leaves of baby kale are tender and will wilt and get soggy if left to marinate in the dressing for too long.Dried cranberries, dried apricots or fresh apples can be added to or substituted for the dates.Instead of using the almonds, experiment with using your favorite nuts.