Simple Kale and Parmigiano-Reggiano Salad Recipe

I LOVE the Whole Foods Market recipe page!  I get tons of ideas for healthy (and often times very simple) recipes we can make at home with ingredients we buy at Whole Foods (or really anywhere I suppose).  I love to cross reference this page with current sales. This month I want to feature the amazing kale salad recipe with Parmigiano-Reggiano you can purchase at Whole Foods Market.  People say cheese is very pricey at Whole Foods and this is not exactly untrue – it is some of the best in the world and it is priced higher.  I love Parmigiano-Reggiano because you do not need to use very much cheese to really curb a cheese craving.  I bought a small piece for only about $3.  I used less than 1/4 of it in our kale salad for five people and we have more for our dinners throughout the week!

Today I want to share a healthy recipe that our whole family loves! Simple Kale and Parmigiano-Reggiano Salad with homemade dressing and pumpkin seeds!

My recipe is adapted from the Whole Foods Kale Caesar Salad with Parmigiano

Our kids at one point fell in love with a conventional salad dressing you can get at any old store, let’s call it “Cheese Fantastic” – well, I am not a fan of this dressing because it has a boatload of sugar and preservatives – but I won’t lie, I buy it for them from time to time.  They said this salad dressing tastes “Like Cheese Fantastic but like if it was healthy and fresh.”  <— that’s a compliment friends.

Kale Salad Recipe

Ingredients

• Lemon
• Olive Oil
• Dijon Mustard
• Garlic
• Pepper
• Salt
• Parm
• Kale
• Pumpkin Seeds

Process

1) Wash & dry kale.  Strip the leaves off and discard the middle stalk (I actually freeze the stalks and pop them into green smoothies – if your blender is strong enough this is a great way to still get that great nutrition, stretch your food purchase just a little further, and keep something out of a landfill).  Cut or tear into bit size pieces and put into a bowl to set aside.

2) Grate about 1/2 cup of Parmigiano-Reggiano and set aside.

3) Mix together the juice of one lemon, about 1/2 a cup of olive oil, two crushed garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard, salt & pepper to taste.

3) Wisk in about half of the Parmigiano-Reggiano into the dressing.  That’s it!  You now have the most delicious homemade dressing for a drastic price difference than buying a jar of premade dressing!

4) Mix the kale and salad dressing together.

5) Top with additional Parmigiano-Reggiano and pumpkin seeds.

Voila!  Delicious!

I eat this as a quick lunch, we serve as our side salad with dinner, and we have even grilled chicken and tossed in quinoa for a complete meal! This kale salad works with just about any meal.