Day 17: Warm Kale Honey Salad

As promised, here is that warm kale salad I mentioned on Day 16. For this salad, I am using dinosaur kale, because it holds up best to heat, in my opinion. 

I know the recipe calls for 12 cups of kale. But Lordy that’s a lot of kale, even for our Sleichter squad. I use about 6-8 cups of kale in my version. 

Now the bacon? Totally go with the full 12 slices. Because ... more bacon.

Ingredients

• 12 strips Bacon- diced
• 2 large Shallots, peeled, sliced into thin rings, and separated
• 2 tablespoon garlic infused olive oil
• 6-8 Cups Dinosaur Kale, stems removed & chopped
• 1/4 Cup Walnuts
• 1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
• Salt and Pepper, to taste

Honey Dijon Vinaigrette

•  4 tsp Dijon Mustard
• 2 ½ tsp Honey
• 2 TBS White Balsamic Vinegar2 tablespoons brown sugar
• ½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• ¼ tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
• ½ tsp each: Sea Salt and Cracked Black Pepper, or more to taste

Instructions

• Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the bacon. Cook to desired crispiness and transfer to a paper towel lined plate, reserving 3 tablespoons of the bacon drippings in the pan.  Set the bacon aside.
• Turn heat up to medium high. Add the shallots to the skillet with the bacon drippings. Fry until golden in color, stirring constantly, about 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate. Set aside.
• Reduce heat to medium. Add garlic olive oil to skillet. Add the kale to the pan and sauté until kale is warm and deep green in color, about 2-3 minutes. 
• Make the vinaigrette: whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl or place them in a container with a tight fitting lid and shake until well incorporated. Taste and adjust for seasoning.
• Assemble: Transfer the warm kale salad to serving plates or a salad serving bowl. Top with walnuts, bacon, crispy shallots and parmesan cheese. Serve with Honey-Dijon Vinaigrette.

Day 17: Warm Kale Honey Salad