Kale Crunch Salad with Dates

A deliciously simple kale salad made with dates, Parmesan cheese, and almonds topped with a homemade lemon vinaigrette dressing.

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Resting time 30

Total Time 40

Servings servings

Calories 150kcal

Author Amee

2 bunches of kale rinsed, patted dry, stalks & stems removed and chopped into bite-size pieces
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup roasted almonds chopped
8 dates pitted and chopped
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan use the good stuff!

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes this adds a little spicy kick, but you can leave this out if you prefer
1/4 cup chopped sweet onion make sure to use sweet onion or it will overpower the dressing
2 garlic cloves peeled
juice of 1 large lemon
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp honey maple syrup is also great here!
1/2 tsp sea salt

Wash, rinse and pat kale dry, gently pressing leaves to soak up remaining water
Cut leaves away from hard stalk, then chop leaves into small, bite-size pieces
You want to make sure that you only have the soft leaves for your salad, not any firm stalks
Massage chopped kale with 1/4 cup olive oil for several minutes until leaves are thoroughly coated
Allow kale to sit for about 30 minutes to soak up the oil
Place all the dressing ingredients into a blender or Vitamix and blend until smooth
Pour over kale and mix well, massaging the dressing into the leaves
*Optional: refrigerate in a sealed container for 30 minutes and up to 24 hours for best flavor
Right before serving add the almonds, dates, and freshly grated parmesan, then toss and serve