Kale salad with apples and cheddar

Fresh, crunchy salad a taste treat!

If you are a regular visitor to Constantly Cooking, you may have guessed that I am more than a little infatuated with kale. Not only is it a nutritional powerhouse, it adds great colour, texture and flavour to any meal. The natural pairing of apples and cheese makes this salad super tasty; the apple cider vinaigrette provides a nice, balanced dressing for the salad. If you’d like to add nuts to this bowl, lightly-toasted pecans would be delicious. If you’re a fan of kale (as I am), you might also enjoy my shredded kale salad with dried cranberries, walnuts and parmesan, or my warm kale salad with figs or my kale salad with pomegranate and grapefruit.

Ingredients

• 1 bunch fresh kale, stems removed
• 1 1/2 tablespoons (22.5 mL) apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 mL) each salt and pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 mL) Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon (5 mL) maple syrup
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) olive oil
• 2 red-skinned apples*
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) grated extra-old cheddar

*I like to use Gala – also called Royal Gala – apples as they are far less prone to browning after being cut.

Method

• Wash kale leaves and spin or pat dry. With a sharp knife, shred the kale into small bite-sized pieces.
• Put approximately 6 cups (1.5 litres) of the shredded kale in a serving bowl and reserve the rest for another use.
• To make the vinaigrette, combine cider vinegar, salt, pepper, Dijon and maple syrup in a jar with a tight lid. Cover and shake well to combine.
• Add the olive oil; replace the lid and shake vigorously until well blended.
• Cut the apples into 1/4 inch (6 mm) dice. The easiest way to do this is to cut around the core and dice the sections.
• Drizzle the dressing over the shredded kale and with your clean hands, massage the dressing into the kale. This helps soften it and ensures that the dressing is evenly distributed.
• Add the apples and cheese to the kale and toss quickly to combine.

Serves 4.