Kale salad that kicks the after Christmas blues

I wanted to begin the year 2021 on a good note. Eating all that rich, heavy holiday foods has my system all out of sorts. This kale salad is a sure fire way to get your body moving in the right direction. The salad is light and refreshing and packed with Vitamin C.

The Mayo Clinic deems that kale is a nutrition superstar due to the amounts of vitamins A, K, B6 and C, calcium, potassium, copper, and manganese it contains. One cup of raw kale is just 33 calories and only 7 grams of carbohydrate. This means that it is a very diabetes- friendly/ weight-friendly vegetable. The only people according to the Mayo Clinic that need to avoid or limit their kale intake are those that form oxalate containing kidney stones or take the blood thinner Coumadin/warfarin. Be sure to check with you doctor or dietitian if you have any questions. 

Kale can be steamed, stir fried, roasted, or eaten raw. It can be turned into smoothies, kale chips, wilted into soups, mashed into potatoes, or turned into pesto. This recipe just highlights one of the many ways that you can incorporate kale into your diet. 

The Salad

1 bunch of organic kale

4 tangerines or clementines

4 ounces organic goat cheese, crumbled

The Dressing

1/4 cup organic orange juice

1 organic garlic clove, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon sugar

Pinch of Kosher salt

Pinch of black pepper

1 tablespoon plain organic Greek yogurt

1. Wash kale and pull leaves off of the stalks. Roll up the kale leaves and slice very thin. 

2. Peel the tangerines or clementines and slice them.

3. To make the dressing, add all dressing ingredients into a mason jar and shake until combined. 

4. Place kale into a large bowl and pour about half of the dressing mixture over it and toss. Allow this to sit for a few minutes before adding the citrus.

5. Just before serving, add the crumbled goat cheese.