Want to cure your holiday hangover and get back to good already?
The best advice I can give you is this:
Eat dark leafy greens. Every day this week.
Spinach, collard greens, arugula, chard, or the most trendy and healthy of them all– kale.
Now, I know that a raw kale salad doesn’t sound appealing to most. And I would tend to agree.
Unless you know the magic way to make it.
Making kale and leafy greens taste good is important, because then you’ll be more likely to actually eat it instead of having a staredown with it in the store.
Eating these types of veggies immediately fire up your nutritional intake of fiber, vitamins and minerals, and increase the detoxifying power of your liver. Which, in turn, makes you feel noticeably better, more energized, more regular and more overall awesome at life.
If you’ve been around a while, you know that my Cashew-Pesto Kale recipe has been my weekly obsession and staple for a busy week (let’s count the # of times I’ve tweeted or posted a pic of it)– and has gained a great following with kids, picky eaters and those who thought they didn’t like it or couldn’t handle the taste or texture.
So, it’s only fair to have a winter counterpart to add to the mix with this new version– topped with caramelized onions, roasted sweet potato pieces and a clean maple-basil dressing. As with the pesto kale recipe, it keeps great in the fridge for a few days (one of the other great benefits of kale over other lettuces), so it’s a one and done kind of recipe.
The magic is all in rubbing the leaves with dressing. With your hands. This, plus a day of marinating in the fridge, physically breaks down the bitter elements that deter most people from this amazing superfood.
If you try this, I want to know. Are you a kale veteran or a newbie? Does knowing how to prepare it better make a difference in the taste and experience for you, or not? Let’s hear it.
Kale + Sweet Potato Salad with Maple-Basil Dressing:
Ingredients:
2 heads green curly kale, washed, stems removed, and with the leaves chopped or torn into bite sized pieces
2 sweet potatoes, cubed with skin on
1/2 onion, chopped and sauteed
Dressing: Combine the following in a blender or magic bullet:
1/4 cup olive oil + 5 TB white wine or red wine vinegar + 10 leaves fresh basil + 2 TB dijon mustard + 1 TB organic maple syrup (grade b is best because it’s the least refined) + sea salt + pepper.
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil and add sweet potato cubes. Drizzle cubes with a bit of olive oil, sea salt and pepper and roast for 15-20 mins or until cooked through.
2. Saute chopped onion over low-medium heat until it browns nicely. Set aside.
3. Wash and prepare kale and add to a large bowl. Prepare dressing in a blender and pour over the kale. With your clean hands (yes, with your hands) get in there and massage the leaves with your fingers, so that each one gets some dressing. This is the magic move.
4. Add onions and sweet potatoes and serve when ready, or let it marinate for a day in the fridge.
Hi Sarah! Quick question. I made the Cashew Pesto Kale and loved it. But got kind of confused about what kale to buy in the grocery store. I was drawn to the baby kale because it was pre-washed, so I used that. But it got sort of soggy and didn’t hold up as well. What should I be using for these recipes?
Good question! I have the best luck with the green curly kale (not the red or the dino/lacinato kale). The prewashed, prechopped just doesn’t taste as good to me, although I use it if I’m going to eat it immediately or within that day. You can also try less of the dressing and see if that helps too. Let me know what happens next time!
Hi Sarah! I am so excited to try this salad. I have kale still growing in the garden (can you believe it?!!) and left over sweet potatoes from Thanksgiving. (Don’t worry they are not cooked.)
Oh my gosh, no! That’s amazing. Lucky you.. Let me know what you think when you test this one out. So glad to have you reading 🙂 xo
I am going to make this salad for company this weekend but I bought one already made at Costco 2 weeks ago I loved it very similar to this one but it had toasted sunflower seeds and cranberries not sure about the dressing but this dressing is more appeaing to me , homemade is always better
Costco has a premade kale salad? That is amazing! I agree with you on the dressings– homemade is always better, cost wise, taste wise and health wise 🙂
Sarah! I am literally eating this salad as i type and it is SO yummy! I also added some shaved almonds for a little crunch 😉 going to try the pesto one next
Yes, I love this image 🙂
You have to try the pesto kale. That one is my favorite of the two, so you’ve got a good one to look forward to. Thanks for letting me know– I always want to hear the reviews. xo
I made both kale salads today; I am partial to sweet potato ( I used both the white flesh and a jewel yam) and a texture fan so I favored that one (I also added shredded red cabbage and topped with partially ground sunflower and pumpkin seeds). Great grab and go foods for those busy days. The pesto one would go great in a hummus wrap, among many other things.
Sounds delicious Caroline! So glad you tried it. And thanks for letting me know what you thought about it 🙂
[…] This recipe uses kale, but I sub in arugula or whatever greens that I have on hand. My favorite part is the dressing: Kale + Sweet Potato Salad with Maple Basil Dressing […]
[…] Maple Basil Dressing […]
Just made this…omg! It’s so good! I cheated and added bacon pieces and toasted pumpkin seeds. A little dressing goes a long way!