Kale Krack Salad

Let's get this party started!

  This is one of the easiest and best salads you will ever eat!  I probably make this salad at least once a week.  My husband, Damon, and I seriously don't get sick of this salad...it is that good.  Damon commonly refers to this as his "crack salad". He can pretty much eat a whole batch by himself, which unless your tummy is used to kale on a regular basis I would strongly advise NOT eating it all in one sitting! You may want to, and it might be tempting, but you will thank me later for the warning. 

  The salad has a taste of breadcrumbs which helps satisfy your craving for bread (if you have it).  The lemon dressing and almond meal give the nutty taste of parmesan which solves the cheese portion of it too.  Cheese used to be my biggest vice, not sweets, but cheese!  One year, my co-workers actually gave me a cheese tray for my birthday instead of a cake, that's how much I loved cheese!!  So, for those of you that think you can't do this, remember that the girl that loved cheese and had a huge platter of cheese for her birthday cake can give up cheese, so can you!!  

  Seriously, though this is a great salad to help you ease into this lifestyle.  My kids honestly love it and will eat it, not every week  like Damon but that's probably because they are kids and they get bored very easily.  

  Here are some helpful tips when it comes to removing the stem from the kale.  I would say it is a grip it and rip it approach.  I hold one end of the stem and then with my other hand I grip the leaf and slide my hand across the stem ripping both sides of the leaf off the stem at the same time.  Then you are left with long strips that are easy to stack and slice. Pictures are probably much better instructions...so here you go. 

  Another tip is toasting the almond meal.  It's important to keep an eye on it and not let it burn.  It can happen REALLY quickly if you aren't careful!  Watch it the whole time and stir often. You want it to transform from a cream color to a nice toasty brown color.  I'll include some more pics to make it easier.

   One final thing, I use a salt and pepper grinder.  Typically I do a couple of turns of pepper and a couple of turns of salt but I would estimate it isn't much more then 1/8 to a 1/4 tsp of each. I'll measure better next time...I promise!

  Hopefully you like the salad as much as we do!

Kale "Krack" Salad

Serves: 4-6 

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 bundles of Lacinato Kale (also called dinosaur, Tuscan, Italian or black kale)
• 3/4 cup of almond flour
• 1/4 cup of pine nuts
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup of olive oil
• 1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste 

Instructions:

1. Wash and wipe the kale down.  You need to clean the leaves. It is the most time consuming part of this salad but it's an important step. I rinse a handful of leaves in cold water and use a paper towel to wipe the inside and outside of each leaf. I told you it sucked but it's worth it. Lots of dirt and grit can get trapped in those leaves!
2. Remove the center stem from the kale, chop into thin long pieces and place in a large bowl. (Removal instructions above)
3. Next, use a garlic press for the garlic cloves (or chop if you don't have a garlic press or you hate cleaning one) and put in a separate small mixing bowl.  Add the lemon juice, olive oil, a little salt and pepper, mix and set aside. 
4.  In a small pan add the almond meal, pine nuts, a little salt and pepper and toast over low to medium heat. You need to watch this and make sure it doesn't burn, it can happen quickly!  Be sure to stir it often. 
5. Pour hot "breadcrumbs" over greens and then top with dressing. Toss gently with tongs. 
6. Serve right away or let it sit for an hour in the fridge or on the counter. This allows the dressing to breakdown the kale a bit more.  This salad holds up well for a couple of days if it will last that long!