Kale, kale, kale! It’s all the rage. Probably because it’s up there with broccoli and blueberries and the other super foods in terms of vitamins and nutrition.
Kale comes in many varieties, but most are very cruciferous. Most recipes call for kale to be cooked down quite a bit. I came across Baby Kale in the grocery store, and it looked softer than curly kale, and I thought, why not make a salad with Baby Kale?!? So I did. Because we all know how much I love a big, hearty salad for dinner.
For 2 servings, you’ll need:
2 cups fresh baby kale
1 medium Roma tomato
3 cloves of garlic
5 strips of bacon
1/2 a medium avocado
1/4 cup crumbled feta
1/4 cup chopped red onion
4 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
Start by placing the sliced Roma tomatoes, chopped red onion, garlic cloves and bacon strips on a baking sheet lined with foil. Bake this all together for 12-15 minutes on 365 degrees.
Bake until the bacon is nice and crispy. I love baking bacon because its not as messy as frying it!
Dice the tomato slices. Remove the garlic cloves from the skin. They should slide easily out after being roasted.
In a bowl, whisk together the tomatoes, garlic and onions. Mush the garlic into small pieces.
Crumble the bacon into small pieces.
Making a balsamic reduction is way easier than I thought! You simply start with 4x the amount of balsamic you’ll need in the end. Pour the balsamic into a small frying pan. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring frequently. Do this for 8-10 minutes, or until the balsamic has reduced into a thick, syrup-y type substance. We are basically boiling all the water out… Hence reducing it down.
To build your salad, start by plating a cup of baby kale. Top with the roasted tomatoes, garlic and onions. Add the bacon and feta crumbles. Plate some avocado slices along the side. Drizzle the balsamic reduction over the top.
It’s that easy!
Enjoy y’all!
I’ve never tried kale (enter gasp here!), but this looks really good!