She Paused 4 Thought

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Kale Salad with Blue Cheese & Dates

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The sweet dressing and dates pairs well with the subtle bitterness of the kale in this Kale Salad with Blue Cheese & Dates.

Kale Salad with Blue Cheese & Dates

Killer Kale, A Cat Tale…

I have a confession. My cat, Dante, likes kale better than I do.  I am trying to take his lead and eat more of it.  So when I find a recipe that makes kale tasty, I get a little excited, even if I have to fight my cat for the green stuff.

Maybe Dante knows that kale has one of the highest levels of antioxidants of any vegetable. Its richness shines in: antioxidant nutrients, anti-inflammatory nutrients, and anti-cancer nutrients. This should up the ante for eating more kale.

As for Dante… here is the kale tale.

photography by cathy nelson arkle     photography by cathy nelson arkle

photography by cathy nelson arkle     cathy nelson arkle

photography by cathy nelson arkle     cathy nelson arkle

photography by cathy nelson arkle     cathy nelson arkle

To eliminate the problem, I buy curly kale for Dante and Dinosaur Kale (Lacinato) for me. It seems like a healthy and safe solution for both of us.

cathy nelson arkle
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Kale Salad with Blue Cheese & Dates

The sweet dressing and dates pairs well with the subtle bitterness of the kale in this summer salad. 

Course Salad
Servings 6
Author adapted from Elise Bauer - Simple Recipes

Ingredients

Salad

  • 1 pound fresh kale stems removed, leaves thinly shredded, rinsed and patted dry
  • 1/3 cup slivered almonds
  • 8 dates pitted and chopped
  • 1/4 cup blue cheese crumbled

Dressing

  • 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

  1. Use a sharp knife to cut out the tough midrib of each kale leaf, and discard or freeze for making stock later.
  2. Slice the leaves crosswise into thin, 1/4 inch wide, slices. The easiest way to do this is to work with a small bunch of leaves at a time, stack the leaves and roll them into a loose cigar shape. Then using a sharp knife, work from one end of the "cigar" to the other, slicing a 1/4 inch off from the end. Place the kale slices into a large bowl.
  3. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, rice vinegar, honey, salt, and pepper.
  4. A half hour to an hour before serving, toss the kale together with the dressing, almonds, and the dates, allowing the kale to marinate a bit.
  5. Right before serving, stir in the crumbled blue cheese.

 

Quote of the Day

“There are two types of people; those who eat kale and those who should.” – Bo Muller-Moore

I am the third type of person, I eat kale because I should. Although, I am learning to love it.
…and then, she paused for thought. 

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For more kale possibilities, CLICK HERE  for the LA Food Bloggers recipes from the January Kale-a-palooza meeting.
 

 

Yum

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Rona Lewis

    I have kale all the time. I sauté it with balsamic and cranberries or with garlic and pine nuts. It is SO versatile! As for this recipe, substitute goat cheese for the blue and I’m all over it!

    Reply

  3. Natalie @ The Devil Wears Parsley

    The photos of Dante are fantastic! What a cute kid! I’ll have to see if my kids like it too. The hubby always clips grass for them, and they seem to like that. A couple years ago, I realized that I actually liked kale, and buy it every so often. This salad looks right up my alley!

    Reply

  13. bumbleberry breeze

    Your Dante looks like our Kitty!!
    The salad looks divine- Yummy- I’m with you on the kale front but I’m surprised at how quickly I’m warming to it ( though swiss chard is still a hit. I also like the Tuscan better but the curly works well on kale chips (I posted that a while back)- am enjoying your blog-Judy

    Reply

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