Happy Monday!
January ends up being the hungry month, the month we banish comfort foods and sweets in favor of healthier options. We treat it like a punishment even though it is the better choice, right? :) I don’t believe in diets; life is too short to cut out entire food groups. But I must confess, I love healthy food. All that stuff we are supposed to eat? I like it. Can’t get enough. My latest obsession: kale.
The obsession began with a salad my sister made for me when she visited last fall (she finds the yummiest recipes). Since then, we have purchased no less than 2-3 bunches of kale each week. We love this honey lemon version (we keep it simple without the mango or pumpkin seeds), a pecorino lemon version and kale chips, oh my goodness, kale chips.
This salad is another found by my sis and she is responsible for its adaptation (I tell you, she is good!!). She replaced the original herbs with cilantro, fresh and wonderful and then, to keep it from being too dry, she added a sweet Italian dressing. We make a double batch and then eat it all week long. Eating the good stuff can be fun and tasty!
Salad recipe adapted from Whole Foods Dressing recipe from Food Network
Ingredients
- 1-15oz can of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cucumber, chopped
- 1 cup small broccoli florets
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup kale leaves, finely sliced
- 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
- 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
- Sweet Italian Dressing:
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped and smashed
- Salt & cracked black pepper
- 1/2 cup olive oil
Instructions
- Toss all the ingredients for the salad together and chill for an hour.
- Combine all the ingredients for the dressing and mix well.
- To eat, pour the dressing over desired serving.
- Keep salad, without dressing, in fridge.
P.S. It’s so cold here today school was called off for the whole state! We are staying inside and snuggling. And running around wildly, more than likely screaming.
Looks delicious! When I was buying lettuce at the grocery store on Saturday, I wondered whether the produce department stocks a bit extra at the beginning of January to accommodate all of the people who are suddenly trying to eat more nutritious foods. :)
I wonder now too Rachel! Haha!