Raw Kale Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette

Recipe from www.justataste.com

Kale is one of those vegetables I feel like I should eat more often, but let's be honest, raw kale is tough and not fun to eat. This recipe however has given me a whole new appreciation for kale. The secret is that the dressing is added to the salad while it's still hot. This softens up the kale and makes it a surprising delight to eat! I loved this salad so much, I made it three times last week! I've mixed it up using different ingredients, but the dressing has stayed the same...it's your key to raw kale eating success.

What you'll need

2 lbs kale, washed and thoroughly dried

1/3 cup toasted nuts (such as walnuts or pecans)

6 slices bacon

1 shallot, minced

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

2 tsp packed light brown sugar

1 tsp dijon mustard

(I made this salad once adding dried cranberries and feta, and another time with cherry tomatoes and feta...both delicious)

How to

1.  Strip the leaves from the stems of the kale, and then roll up the leaves and chiffonade them into strips. Place the kale in a large bowl and top with the toasted nuts (and whatever other ingredients you would like to add).

2.  Cook the bacon in a large saute pan over medium heat, reserving all the drippings and leaving all the crunchy bits in the pan. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate.

3.  Return the saute pan over medium heat and add 3 tbsp of the reserved bacon drippings back to the pan. (If you don't have 3 tbsp of drippings, use what you have plus some olive oil.) Add the shallots and saute for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Whisk in the vinegar, mustard and brown sugar, scraping up any brown its on the bottom of the pan. Remove the vinaigrette from the heat and season with salt and pepper. 

4.  Chop up the reserved bacon and add it to the bowl with the kale and nuts. Toss the kale with the warm dressing and serve immediately.