I don’t know if it’s because the holidays are right around the corner and I’m already imagining myself indulging in too many canapes, cheese plates, desserts and glasses of wine, but I feel the need to get some greens and light dinners in my system right now. Luckily, there are a ton of great recipes that do the job and this refreshing hearty salad is one of them. The parmesan shavings and smashed avocado give it a Cesar salad feeling without the mayonnaisy heaviness and the dried cranberries add a nice tart sweetness to every other bite. To add substance, I shred some rotisserie chicken breast on top and it’s a wrap.
Important note for kale novices: you can’t just toss dressing on kale a few times, you need to give the leaves a full blown massage. Simply tossing will make you feel like you are eating chewy paper. So put it all in a big bowl and with clean hands, generously mix the salad until the sauce starts getting absorbed by the leaves. Don’t fret, it won’t get soggy. And the beauty of it is that you can let it sit for an hour and it won’t wilt.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- 1 avocado
- 6 cups kale, chopped
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup parmesan shavings
Instructions
- Mash the avocado with a fork on a small plate and add drizzle with lemon juice. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix the olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper well.
- In a large bowl, place the kale and cranberries. Pour the dressing and with your hands, massage it until it is all coated with the dressing. Mix in the avocado and parmesan using large salad spoons.
- Serve up the salad on each plate and top with some shredded chicken
