Holiday Salad

I’d eat my mom’s winter salad almost any day of the week.  Imagine mixed greens with crunchy green apple, spiced pecans, ruby-red pomegranates and a tangy apple cider viniagrette.   Looks gorgeous on a holiday table.   But sometimes, especially when I’ve been eating gravy and garlic-mashed potatoes, buttery Parker rolls and cornbread stuffing, I yearn for an even greener salad.

You know where I’m going with this, right?

Kale!  Our favorite wonder green.

Kale Salad with green apple, pomegranate seeds and Parmesan

Serves 6

Ingredients for dressing

2 tablespoons diced shallots

1 Tablespoon honey or agave

1 teaspoon Dijon

2 Tablespoons cider vinegar

3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a blender or cuisinart.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Ingredients for salad

3 heads kale, washed, ribs removed and cut into chiffonade (both Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods sell pre-cut kale)

1 pinch salt

1 pomegranate

1 green apple

1/2 lemon

Parmesan cheese, for shaving

Pecans, toasted or Sugar and Spice Pecans

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add a pinch of salt.  Prepare an ice bath by filling a large bowl halfway with a combination of ice and water.  Set beside stove.

Add the cut kale to the water and blanch until bright green, just 1 minute and no longer.  Use tongs or a slotted spoon and remove kale to the ice bath.  We usually make our salads with raw kale but in this instance I like the brighter color and the way in which blanching sweetens the greens and makes them easier to digest.

While the kale cools, grab an apron or large dishrag and cut your pomegranate in half horizontally.  Leaning over the sink or a large bowl, use your fingers to gently loosen the pomegranate seeds from the white pulp.  Set seeds aside and discard pulp. Cut your apple into matchsticks and toss with lemon juice.

Drain the kale and dry in a salad spinner.  This will take a few spins. Reserving a tablespoon, massage the dressing into your greens thirty minutes before serving.  Just before serving, toss the pomegranate seeds and apple slices with the reserved dressing and add to greens.  Top as desired with Parmesan shavings and pecans.

xoxosl