Kale and Apple Salad

January 18, 2015

It’s one week into my retirement and I have my temporary kitchen set up (my house is still under construction) and I am excited to begin cooking again. I found this recipe on the Rawmazing blog a while back and have been meaning to give it a try. I was hoping it would be good and it did not disapoint. In fact it is great. My husband commented it would be a great company salad, suitable to convert anyone over to kale consumption.

Please note that the recipe makes a big batch. They say it serves 6 to 8, and those would be large servings. I suggest making the whole recipe for the dressing and maple coated pecans and then just massaging enough kale for your meal. The pecans and dressing will keep for at least a week in the fridge. Trust me, you will use up every bit as this salad is good enough for a meal in itself and I could (and have) eat it for dessert.

The first time I made it just as the recipe suggested, the second, I added a bit of sliced red onion which I thought was a wonderful addition.

Apple and Kale Salad with Oil Free Maple Mustard Dressing and Maple Pepper Pecans

From RAWMAZING

serves 6-8

Maple Pepper Pecans

• 1 1/2 cups pecans
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• pinch Himalayan salt

1. Toss pecans in maple syrup, mustard powder, pepper and salt. Spread the nuts on a non-stick silicome or parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, stirring once while baking. Cool and store in an air-tight container.

Dressing

• 1 cup cashews, soaked until soft, drained and rinsed
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 lemon, juice from

Place all ingredients in high-speed blender and blend until smooth.

Salad

• 3 medium bunches of kale, de-stemmed and torn into bite-sized pieces
• 1 lemon, juice from
• sprinkle of salt
• 4 apples, cored and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion rings

1. Place kale in large bowl. Sprinkle with lemon juice and salt. Massage the lemon juice and salt into the kale for about 4 minutes.

2. Add chopped apples, dried cranberries and red onion rings. Toss.

3. Add dressing (start with half and then add to your taste) and toss well.

4. Top with pecans and serve.