Kale and Strawberry Salad with Fruity Balsamic Dressing

My mother-in-law and father-in-law gave us a big bag of kale (if you guys are reading this, thank you!!) so I've decided to give massaged kale salads a try! I've added kale to salads before but never wanted to eat a salad where kale is the only green...until I found out about massaged kale. Lightly oiling your hands and giving the kale a good rub-down will make it tender, but it won't lose its texture. I've created a slightly sweet and tangy, fruity maple balsamic vinaigrette for the dressing using fig orange balsamic vinegar. If you can't find fig orange balsamic vinegar, feel free to substitute another fruit balsamic vinegar or even plain balsamic. Same goes for the strawberries — if they're not in season, substitute another fruit, such as pear or apple. Wanna go wild? Throw in some chopped candied pecans, cashews or almonds instead of the slivered almonds. After all, eating your greens should be fun!

Kale and Strawberry Salad
Serves 2 as a side salad or 1 for a bigger salad

Ingredients:
a few drops of extra virgin olive oil for massaging kale
3-4 medium-sized leaves of curly kale, washed
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fig orange balsamic vinegar, or other fruity balsamic vinegar
1-2 teaspoons maple syrup (start with 1 teaspoon and add more if you want a sweeter dressing)
1/8 teaspoon dijon mustard
a few cracks of freshly ground black pepper and sea salt, or to taste
4 strawberries, hulled and cut into quarters
1 tablespoon slivered almonds

Directions:
Tear kale into bite-sized pieces or chop into smaller pieces if desired and place in a medium-sized bowl. Next, oil your hands and massage the kale for 30 seconds to a minute, until kale turns bright green and feels tender. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, maple syrup, mustard, pepper and salt. Drizzle dressing over kale and toss until evenly coated. Divide kale into two servings if using as a side salad or put it in a big bowl for a single serving. Top each salad with strawberries and slivered almonds.

Kale and Strawberry Salad with Fruity Balsamic Dressing