Kale Salad w/ Mango Vinaigrette

Hi- Ya !

It's HOT outside Baby!!! In the summer months I tend to eat more salads.  I like to change up my greens and vinaigrette's.  One of my go-to greens is Kale.  Kale is an impressive green, high in Antioxidants and Vitamin C.  It tends to be a tough green, so I use a method to soften the leaves as part of my preparation of this deli-sh salad, which you will find below.

I start off with a bowl of clean, dried, destemmed, chopped kale.  I don't know about you, but time is a commodity and I am always looking for ways to shorten my prep time in the kitchen.  One of my time-saving gadgets is my handy dandy Chef'n Looseleaf Kale and Herb stripper that is easy and quick to use.  If you don't have this gadget run to your closest Sur La Table and pick up or order online here.  Until you get yours you may cut the stems away from the leaves with your everyday kitchen knife.

Now its time to get your hands a little dirty (wink, wink). You will need to marinate the kale to soften them up a bit.  Drizzle extra virgin olive oil b.k.a. EVOO and pinch of kosher salt.  Squeeze the juice from 1/2 of a lemon, then with your fingers rub them leaves down.  Let them hang out in the bowl while you prepare the vinaigrette.

  

Mango (another FAVE summer fruit) will be the staple of this vinaigrette. Guess what? I have another user friendly gadget.....Pampered Chef Mango Wedge Slicer here.  Mangoes can be a bit messy if you have a really ripe one, so be sure to use a cutting board.  

In a small bowl add mango rice vinegar, garlic, red pepper flakes, and mango puree.  Slowly pour in the walnut oil in bowl while whisking for about 1-2 minutes making sure the oil is completely ONE with the other ingredients.

Now lets assemble your salad !!

Place the marinated kale on a big plate or bowl.  Add the cucumbers, chopped mango, red onions, English cucumbers, craisins, cherry tomatoes and goat cheese.   Pour about 2-4 tablespoons of the vinaigrette over your salad, toss and enjoy.

Ingredients for Kale Salad
Serving Size: 1

2 cups of softened Kale, desteemed, washed, dried, & chopped
½ mango chopped
2 tbsp diced red onions
4-5 slices of an English cucumber, diced
1/8 cup of Ocean Spray’s Reduced Sugar Craisins
2 tbsp of crumbled goat cheese
8-10 cherry tomatoes

Ingredients for Mango Vinaigrette
Serving Size: 2 oz

2 tbsp of Nakano Seasoned Mango Rice Vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
¼ cup of La Tourangelle Roasted Walnut Oil
1 tbsp of mango puree (from previous used fresh mango)
Pinch of kosher salt