This salad is amazing! I make it at least once a week because I can eat it as a snack or lunch. I buy a large bag of kale, but of course it wilts to nothing after it’s chopped and tossed in dressing. You get the sweet from the apples, the tart from the mustard, the crispiness from the onion, and the savory from the honey. This is another quick and easy recipe that can be filling as well. This salad is a spin on the salad at Tropical Smoothie. They only sell it as a side and they only give you a dixie cup size amount, which sucks because it’s so good. Making it at home, yields way more and I can add whatever I want in it.
My favorite part of this salad is the walnuts. The walnuts make for a nice addition to this salad, but feel free to use any nut or seed that works best for you. I like walnuts because they’re known to be a great source of Omega-3s, promotes a healthy gut, lowers inflammation, and may help lower blood pressure. Growing up I didn’t eat them because they may my stomach turn! I would instantly have pains in my stomach and felt nauseous. After years of being plant-based, I decided to try them again to see if I would get the same feeling – nothing. I then started researching why I used to get the stomach pains. I found out that nuts and seeds contain enzyme inhibitors that protect them from sprouting during growth. These enzyme inhibitors, called phytates, make it difficult for the human body to digest the nuts because the phytates bind nutrients instead of releasing them, the stomach tries harder to break these down, hence the stomach pain. A solution for this is to soak your nuts and seeds. Soaking them causes the nut phytates start to break down, making them easier to digest. You can soak them for 20 minutes up to 24 hours. Of course, the longer the better.
Feel free to add more to this salad. Throw in some dried cranberries or raisins for a sweeter taste. This recipe is limitless!
When we talk about apples, I could do all day…there’s so many different kinds! I prefer Gala or the oldie, Golden Delicious. Umm…where did they go btw? You don’t see them anymore (story for another day). Not only are apples high in fiber, they contain calcium D glucarate, which helps the liver detoxify estrogen and improve estrogen metabolism. The fiber in apples also helps flush estrogen out of the body through the colon. Here’s another kicker – the apple cider vinegar (ACV) in the dressing not only tastes good, but is known to regulate insulin levels and improve insulin sensitivity. ACV is also good for balancing pH levels and improving fertility. Talk about a game changer!
Kale and Apple Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 6 cups chopped kale
- 1 large apple (sliced thinly)
- 1/2 red onion
- 1/4 cup walnuts
Vinaigrette
- 1 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup ACV (with the mother)
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 2-3 tbsp low-glycemic sweetener
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Add chopped kale to a large bowl
- Use your hands to break down the leaves. (I coated my hands in a tiny bit of olive oil which helps it break down very fast).
- Slice apple and onion into thin strips. Toss into the kale along with walnuts
- In a tightly sealable container (mason jar or similar), mix the vinaigrette ingredients together and shake vigorously until well combined and creamy
- Pour mixture into kale and toss to evenly coat the salad
