Recipe for Kale and Goat Cheese Salad with Blueberries, Cranberries, and Cashew in a Lemon-Honey Vinaigrette

I wanted to be creative and step away from the typical fruit salad, pasta salad, potato salad, and just-your-average greens.  I wanted something fresh and fun and of course, colourful!

Thanks to a wave of creative genius I was able to whip up a salad that used my favourite green, kale (and something that gave me an opportunity to finally use up the metric ton of blueberries I impulsively purchased last week in bulk. I figured if people can combine strawberries and spinach together, why can’t I switch it up and do kale with blueberries?! While I’m being adventurous, why go with plain almonds as a salad topper when there are CASHEWS on hand!

 (Honest, it really, really is good guys!  Even my kale-averse pals have tried it and loved it!)

“Eat it. It’s good, I swear! Kale Salad”

INGREDIENTS

For the Dressing

• Juice from 4 small organic lemons (about 1/2 cup of fresh squeezed lemon juice, strained of pits and pulp) *Do not use bottled or concentrate here…it will be too strong and overpowering

• 2 1/2 rounded tablespoons of Raw Honey 
  *Raw honey is important here for flavour/consistency of dressing.  I used a “Star Thistle Blossom” honey which imparts a nice pineapple-citrus flavour that pairs well with the lemon

• 1/4 cup of really good olive oil 

• 1/2 cup to 1/4 cup water 
  *you may want more or less acidity from your lemons so adjust as you see fit but I used just under 1/2)

• pinch of black pepper

• 1/2 tsp coarse ground sea salt

This makes a beautifully bright yellow dressing that is just perfect for the summer!  Juice your lemons into small strainer to remove pulp and pits.
Using a small whisk stir in the salt and add honey one rounded tablespoon at a time until dissolved.  Once honey is dissolved, add in your water and whisk again.  Last but not least add the olive oil and black pepper.  Transfer to bottle with lid and shake well for about 1 minute so all is really, really well combined.  I stored mine in the fridge overnight and took it out occasionally to shake it and keep the olive oil from solidifying in a separate layer.  Shake really, really, really well before pouring over salad.  Leave it for your guests to pour on individually, or lightly toss with greens just before serving.

For the Salad

• 2 to 3 large bunches of really fresh kale

• 2 to 3 cups blueberries

• 3/4 cup dried cranberries 
  *can be sweetened or unsweetened depending on preference, I used sweetened

• 3/4 cup cashews, toasted until golden, then chopped roughly

• a drizzle or two of Grapeseed oil, for massaging
  *this is chosen for it’s neutral flavour so there is not too much of an “olivey” thing happening after the dressing is poured on

• 3/4 cup of goats cheese or sheep milk feta, chopped or broken up by hand into bite size pieces

DIRECTIONS:

Rinse your kale really really well as it can sometimes be pretty dirty or sandy.   Dry them well with paper towels or clean dishtowels. (If you forget to do this, the oil and dressing will not stick to the leaves whatsoever and you’ll be sad.)
Rip the leaves off of the stems and tear into pieces about 1 to 2 inches wide.   You want them to be bite-size and easy to chew.  Toss them in a really big salad bowl or mixing bowl.  This is going to look like a ridiculous amount of leaves before you get to the next step, but just trust me, you want that much kale!

Put the leaves in a big bowl with a little squeeze of lemon juice and about 1 to 2 tsp grapeseed oil.  This next step might sound ridiculous to some, but it’s the key to having a tender kale leaf as the main component in the dish!  Massage the kale gently and the pile of leaves will go down in size as it “de-fluffs.”  You want to make the leaves more tender and less tough but still keep them crispy, so test one or two for texture.

(Don’t skip the massaging!  Kale already has a hard time winning new friends, so you don’t want to serve a tough and bitter leaf! Cut the poor dude some slack, give the leaf a chance to meet his new lovers!)  

After massaging the leaves, add your blueberries, cranberries and toasted and toss well to incorporate.  If adding the dressing right to the main bowl, do so at this time.   Sprinkle about 1/2 cup feta on top of the salad and toss lightly to incorporate into the bowl but not smoosh it.

Top your salad with the remaining 1/4 cup feta and about a 1/2 cup or so of berries and cashews as a colourful garnish and beautiful presentation.

Dig in and enjoy!  

Recipe makes 4 HUGE portions if serving as the main dish, and serves 8 as a side salad.