1bunch of kale, washed, trimmed of stem and chopped or one 10-12 oz bag of kale chopped
1fresh lemon
1 12ozbag of spinach, cleaned
2pears, sliced or chopped, cored, skin on
2apples, Honeycrisp or Fiji, cored, chopped, skin on
2large chicken breast halves, cooked, cooled and chopped
2cupsgrated sharp white cheese or Brie, sliced into 1/2 inch squares
Pumpkin seeds or sliced almonds, about 1 ½ cups
Dressing, enough for a double to triple batch of salad
⅓cupapple juice
⅓ cupwhite balsamic
½cupolive or canola oil
1teaspoongrated fresh ginger
1teaspoonlemon peel, optional
2-3tablespoonshoney or sugar to taste
salt and pepper about ¼ teaspoon each
Make dressing by combining all ingredients in a large jar or a blender and whisk until smooth. Store in refrigerator until ready to use. I like to use an immersion blender to mix salad dressing.
Place kale in a large bowl and massage with juice of one lemon until volume decreases by about half. This takes about 1-2 minutes.
Add one bag of fresh spinach to kale and toss lightly, do not drain lemon juice.
Slicepear and apples and set in small bowl. Toss with ½ cup of dressing, whisk dressing first to mix well to prevent from browning.
Combine fruit, greens, chicken in a serving bowl or platter. Just before serving, fold in cheese and pumpkin seeds , and drizzle with dressing.
I reserve a bit of the cheese, chicken, fruit and nuts for topping the salad for presentation. Pass dressing along side of salad.