Warm Kale Salad

A salad made of red onions sauteed in oil and balsamic vinegar mixed with kale and topped with blue cheese, toasted pecans, and dried cranberries.

During the winter, when the weather is cold I don't always want a cold salad.  Yeah, yeah, I know I live in Hawaii and it doesn't really get cold here but I still get chilly (60s F is cold for me).  Many nights I just want something warm to eat.  This salad is warm, healthy, and comforting.

Don't eat cold #salad during winter have #WarmKaleSalad  [Tweet this]

Just a quick saute and this salad is ready to serve.  It's really no more work than a cold salad.  Just heat a pan, saute the onions in oil until soft, add vinegar and kale and toss until the kale turns bright green.  Serve the salad while it's still warm topped with your favorite toppings.  It's a great alternative to a traditional salad and it's hardy and delicious.

Instead of a cold #salad have Warm #KaleSalad  [Tweet this]

Warm Kale Salad

Servings:  4
Cook time:  under 10 minutes

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup sliced red onions
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 bunch of kale stemmed, torn, and washed
*Toasted pecans or candied pecans
Blue cheese crumbles
Dried cranberries

*To toast the pecans place about 1 cup of pecan halves in a dry non-stick frying pan.  Heat over medium heat, tossing and stirring frequently until darkened and fragrant.  Remove from pan immediately.

Have all the ingredients out and ready because this cooks quickly.

In a large skillet, saute the onion in oil until slightly soft (to your liking...I like mine with a little crunch still).

Add the vinegar and immediately add the kale.  Stir and toss well until kale is hot, bright green, and coated with the oil and vinegar.  The kale should shrink a little, be slightly wilted but not thoroughly cooked, and slightly tender yet still crisp (it doesn't take long).  Just experiment with cooking times worst case scenario if you cook it too long you will end up with Sauteed Kale and too short more like a kale salad both of which are still good.

Remove from the pan immediately, portion into bowls, and top with pecans, cheese, and cranberries.

Serve while it's still warm.

Makes about 4 salads.

Enjoy.

Recipes mentioned in this post:

Candied Pecans

Sauteed Kale

For more salads check out:

Avocado BLT Salad

Lamb Salad

Pork Tenderloin Salad

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Sauteed Kale

Warm kale sauteed until tender and flavored with onions, garlic, and balsamic vinegar.

Kale is a great winter green.  It's thick and hardy, deep green, and very nutritious.  Kale can be used many ways too.  Most often I just use it in salads but when it's chilly out I want warm food.  So, I made sauteed kale.  It's so simple and delicious, and just a small portion is packed with nutrients.

Kale is a great winter green.  It's thick and hardy, deep green, and very nutritious. [Tweet this]

Kale is a thick and hardy green that is related to cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, and collard greens.  When I bring my kale home I prepare it by first removing the leafy part from the thick stem.  You can use a knife, but I just tear it by hand off the stem them into bite sized pieces.  I rinse it and dry it in a salad spinner then store it in a gallon sized zipper bags (it's usually enough to fill 1 1/2 bags) with a napkin to absorb extra moisture.  Once it's washed I have kale that's ready to use when and how I want.  I can toss a few hand fulls with dressing for a salad or add it to soups or stir fries.  Raw kale is great, but I love cooking it because it reduces so one serving of cooked kale gives you more than you could possibly eat of it raw as a salad.  That's more fiber and nutrients per serving and it's delicious.

Sauteed Kale

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil (sometimes I use bacon grease for more flavor)
1 shallot (or 1/4 red onion), sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch of kale leaves, stems removed and torn into bite sized pieces
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
red pepper flakes (optional)

Heat oil, over medium heat, in a stock pot (or large skillet).  Add the shallot and saute until tender.

Add the garlic, stirring, until fragrant then immediately add all of the kale (it will fill the pan and maybe spill over but just pack it in) and cover with a lid.

Once the kale has reduced by about half add the vinegar and pepper flakes (if using) and stir.  Continue stirring and cooking until the kale is cooked to your liking and most of the excess liquid has cooked off (kale looses a lot of liquid as it cooks).

Serve immediately, but it's even good cold.

Sauteed kale makes a great side for just about any meal try it with Lamb & Guinness Shepherd's Pie or Tater Tot Hot Dish.

Enjoy.

Linked to:  Treasure Box, 2 Cup, Teach Me, Lou Lou Girls, Tasty, Tickle My Taste Buds, Wonderful, Cook Craft Share, Full Plate, Freedom, Foodie Friends, Pretty Pintastic, Best of the Weekend, Show Off, See Ya in the Gumbo

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