Merry Christmas Stay Fit Kale Salad (Grain-Free, Nut-Free)

I've never been one to comply with conformity.

That's not to say that I'm disrespectful of authority or my elders, but I tend to rebel a bit against the quote unquote rational, logical, and (typically) trendy ways of living...the repeated ideas non-thinking people go around spouting simply because everyone else says it.

As a kid, I was never much interested in socializing or joining in many extracurricular activities, which my outgoing, prom queen candidate mother could never understand.

She was the epitome of extrovert in her day, and I often felt embarrassed or ashamed of my natural tendencies to be a loner.

She would try to tell me that if I didn't get out more and become more 'experienced', other people wouldn't find me interesting. To her credit, she was attempting to help, but all I ended up feeling was the need to actually lie to people about what I did in my spare time.

As I've grown up, I realize that I don't need to be anything but myself! The common notion that everyone must be a particular way or follow a certain path in order to be the best is totally fallacious.

Another adage I've never really subscribed to is 'everything in moderation'.

While I understand the general principle of what's behind this, as in the case of something like drinking alcohol, most of what I love, I overdo to the max!

One of my favorite Navy Seal creeds is 'everything worth doing is worth overdoing', primarily because it's how I live my own life and because it's completely contradictory to mainstream thought.

My main exaggeration in life is healthy food. I am constantly thinking, creating, reading, writing, watching, and talking food, much to the amusement of those around me.

With all of my healthy recipes, however, I had never properly attempted the 'massaged' kale salad, until just recently.

One afternoon, in need of something nutritious, I decided to give kale a go, and I'm so happy I did!

I've been reading about massaged kale salads for years, but can only now tell you they really are delicious! The massaging step makes the typically fibrous, hard-to-eat plant much more palatable and it infuses the dressing into each bite.

After I made this salad for the first time, I realized that the red and green colors from the added ingredients would make this a perfect recipe to close out 2014 with, so I hope you get a chance to enjoy this soon!

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Merry Christmas Stay Fit Kale Salad (Vegan, Paleo)

Prep Time5 mins

Total Time5 mins

Servings: 2 -3 servings

Calories: 226kcal

Author: Lauren Goslin

Ingredients

• 4 large kale leaves curly variety, de-stemmed and torn into bite-size pieces
• 2 T. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 T. apple cider vinegar
• 1 t. raw honey or maple syrup
• ¼ t. sea salt
• black pepper to taste
• ⅓ c. red bell pepper chopped
• 3 T. red onion sliced into thin strips
• 3 T. dried cranberries
• 3 T. raw pumpkin seeds
• 3 T. feta cheese eliminate or replace with chopped cauliflower, if vegan or paleo

Instructions

• In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, honey or maple syrup, salt, and pepper.
• Add in the kale and 'massage' the leaves with clean hands, working in the dressing to each leaf (30-60 seconds).
• Toss with the remaining ingredients.
• Enjoy!

Notes

Nutrition facts are based on using five cups of kale, raw honey, and feta cheese. WW points (new system): 6

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Sodium: 312mg | Sugar: 3.5g | Fiber: 2.7g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Calories: 226kcal | Polyunsaturated Fat: 11.8g | Saturated Fat: 3.5g | Fat: 15.3g | Protein: 7g | Carbohydrates: 17.9g

I love how pretty the red and green colors look, and the feta cheese sprinkled over the top gives the appearance of snow! 🙂

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I will return to posting after the holiday season, but will still be available for questions regarding recipes. 🙂