Kale Salad with Carrots, Raisins, and Creamy Curry Dressing

Kale. How I love kale. Don't you? It's just so darn good for you. According to this article it's the new beef. Per calorie, kale has more iron than beef, and more calcium than milk. One cup of steamed kale has 354.1% of your daily vitamin A, 88.8% of your daily vitamin C, and 10.4% of your daily fiber. It's full of omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidant nutrients, anti-inflammatory nutrients, and anti-cancer nutrients. Studies on five different types of cancer (breast, bladder, colon, ovarian, and prostate) show preventative benefits from kale intake. I'm hyper-aware of foods that have anti-cancer nutrients, particularly anti-colon cancer nutrients, because my mom died of colon cancer when she was in her late 40s and it's obviously a major concern for me. That's why I love kale. It's a super food. If you're interested, you can read more about the nutritional benefits here.

But let's talk about this salad. I borrowed the recipe from Choosing Raw, and it's good. Really, really good. As you've probably started to notice, I incorporate kale into a lot of recipes. It's one of the main ingredients in my Lentil, Kale, and White Bean Soup, and a side dish in my Gluten-Free Zucchini Quiche with Sautéed Kale and my Kale, Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes, and Chicken Sausage. It's a chameleon, if you will, and goes well in or with a huge variety of recipes. 

This creamy curry dressing really takes the cake. The flavor is so perfect with the crunchy kale. And it's so healthy! And of course it's super easy to make and eat throughout the week, whether for lunch or dinner. If you're feeling like you need some greens, definitely try this at home.

Kale Salad with Carrots, Raisins, and Creamy Curry Dressing

Serves 2-4 (depending on portion size)

Ingredients:

Dressing:

1 cup raw cashews or walnuts
1/4 cup lemon juice
4 pitted dates
3/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoons sea salt
2 teaspoons curry powder

Salad:

1 head kale, de-stemmed, cut into bite sized pieces, washed, and thoroughly dried
2 large carrots, grated
1/3 cup raisins

Instructions:

Blend all dressing ingredients in a food processor or high speed blender till smooth.

Massage the kale with about 1/3 cup dressing, making sure that everything is well coated and softened. Add the carrot and raisins, and remix the salad, adding more dressing if you like.

If you want this to be a heartier salad, you could add sliced apple or lentils.