Strawberry Kale Honey Lemon Salad (Printable Version)

Crisp kale and juicy strawberries tossed in a zesty honey lemon dressing for a refreshing, nourishing meal.

# What You Need:

→ Vegetables & Fruit

01 - 6 cups kale, stems removed and chopped
02 - 1½ cups fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
03 - ¼ small red onion, thinly sliced
04 - ¼ cup toasted sliced almonds
05 - ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese

→ Dressing

06 - 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
07 - 1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
08 - 1 tablespoon honey
09 - 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
10 - ¼ teaspoon sea salt
11 - ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

# Directions:

01 - In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, honey, Dijon mustard, sea salt, and black pepper until fully emulsified.
02 - Place the chopped kale in a large salad bowl. Pour half of the dressing over the leaves and massage firmly with your hands for 1 to 2 minutes, until the kale softens and turns a deeper green.
03 - Add the sliced strawberries, red onion, and crumbled feta cheese to the bowl. Drizzle with the remaining dressing and toss gently until all ingredients are evenly coated.
04 - Scatter the toasted sliced almonds over the top and serve immediately while the greens are still crisp.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • Massaging the kale with dressing transforms it from tough and bitter into something silky and almost buttery, and it feels like a little kitchen magic trick.
  • The honey lemon dressing walks the perfect line between sweet and tangy, making even the most salad skeptical people go back for seconds.
02 -
  • Skip the massaging step and you will end up chewing on tough bitter leaves that fight against every other flavor in the bowl.
  • Dressing the salad too far in advance will make the strawberries weep and the kale soggy, so save the final toss for the last possible moment.
03 -
  • Strip kale leaves from the stem by pinching the base of the stem with your thumb and forefinger and pulling upward in one quick motion.
  • A plastic bag gently massaged over your hands keeps things less messy while still breaking down those tough kale fibers beautifully.

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