Healthy kale salad kissed by bacon, blue cheese
Hot roasted potatoes in this healthy kale salad recipe wilt the kale just enough to make it tender. Bacon and blue cheese layer on smoky, salty flavors to stand up to the flavor of the kale. Serve this salad with steak or chicken.
KALE SALAD WITH BACON-BLUE-CHEESE VINAIGRETTE
Serves 6 Serving size: About 1 1/3 cups Active time: 30 minutes Total time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed, cut into 1-inch chunks 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided 6 cups kale, stems removed, torn into bite-size pieces 3 tablespoons cider vinegar 3 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese 2 tablespoons minced shallot 1 tablespoon honey mustard 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley 3 pieces center-cut bacon, cooked and crumbled 2 Belgian endives, cored and sliced 1/4 cup currants or sweetened dried cranberries
Directions:
Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss potatoes, 1 tablespoon oil, 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper in a large bowl. Spread out on a large baking sheet (reserve the bowl). Roast the potatoes, stirring once or twice, until tender and browned, 15 to 20 minutes.
Place kale in the large bowl, add the hot potatoes, and let stand for several minutes, tossing occasionally, until the potatoes are warm but not hot.
Meanwhile, whisk the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, vinegar, blue cheese, shallot, mustard, parsley and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper in a small bowl. Drizzle the dressing over the warm salad. Add bacon, endive and currants (or cranberries); toss to combine. Serve immediately. Recipe nutrition per
serving: 218 calories; 11 grams fat (2 grams saturated, 7 grams monounsaturated); 8 milligrams cholesterol; 26 grams carbohydrate; 1 gram added sugars; 6 grams total sugars; 8 grams protein; 4 grams fiber; 390 milligrams sodium; and 886 milligrams potassium.
Nutrition bonus: Vitamin C, 151 percent daily value; vitamin A, 150 percent DV; potassium, 25 percent DV; folate, 21 percent DV; calcium, 16 percent DV; and magnesium, 15 percent DV. Exchanges: 1 starch, 1/2 fruit, 1 1/2 vegetable and 1 fat.