Kale Holiday Salad

If you know me, you know I don't cook much. I have a few select dishes in my repertoire. I rotate but you can usually count on me for one of 4 things to bring if I'm coming over for dinner, a potluck or a party. One of my signature salads is this delicious well massaged Kale Salad. Its simple, fairly quick to make...you can put it together hours before as it only gets better as it sits. 

I make this salad year round, for barbecues and holiday parties alike. It's especially fun though for the holiday season because of the colors. 

What you'll need: For 4 to 6 people, (Double or triple the recipe for larger gatherings.)

1 Head of Fresh Kale

1/4 Cup Red Wine Vinegar

1/4 Cup Olive or Avocado Oil

2 Teaspoons Honey

1 Teaspoon Salt

1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Powder

2 Small Handfuls Sliced Almonds

2 Small Handfuls Dried Cranberries

First toast the almonds in a frying pan over medium heat. When they are nice and brown, remove from heat and set aside to cool. Next up..the Kale. Remove the leaves from the stem by tearing them into bite sized pieces. Then soak the kale for a bit in cool water, rinse and lay out on kitchen towels or spin through a salad spinner to dry. While the Kale is drying, make the dressing. Combine oil, vinegar, honey, salt and garlic powder in a small bowl and whisk together. Put the kale in your serving bowl. Pour about 1/2 of the dressing over the kale and start massaging the dressing into the leaves. This is probably the most important part of this recipe. Its what softens and marinates the leaves. Massage the leaves until they start to noticeably soften, about 3-5 min. Then add and massage in the remainder of the dressing. At last toss in the toasted almonds and cranberries. And thats it. The best party salad! You can eat it right away but part of the beauty is that it gets better as it sits and is just as good if not better the longer it marinates. Enjoy and let us know how it goes over! Happy Holidays!!