I love having salads at lunch but sometimes I need to mix things up a little bit to keep from getting bored.

Salads are great but can get a little stale after a while.

Since I love greens and they have been plentiful at the farmer’s market lately, I decided to use some kale to make a simple salad for lunch.

I don’t have exact measurements for the dressing because the amount is dependent on how much kale you have and how much dressing you prefer.

We lean more towards “lightly dressed” salads verses heavier dressed salads so the amount I used for this dressing wasn’t much.  The amounts listed below are guesstimations.

Andrea’s Kale Salad with Walnuts and Parmesan 

• 1 Big Bunch of Kale, stemmed and ripped into bite-sized peices
• Walnuts
• Grated Parmesan

For the Dressing:

• 1/4 C Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 TBSP Whole Grain Mustard
• 1 TBSP Maple Syrup
• 1 TBSP Olive Oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

In a large deep bowl add the kale.  Mix the dressing ingredients together and pour over the kale.  Toss to coat, cover, and place in fridge for at least an hour.

Portion out into bowls, sprinkle with crushed walnuts and grated parmesan.  Serve and enjoy!

It’s best to let the kale sit in the dressing for a good bit of time.  The vinegar helps break down the kale (which can be quite chewy when raw) and remove some of the bitterness from the leaves.

I tend to put this salad together early in the morning and then when lunchtime rolls around all I have to do is portion it out!  It’s ready to go when we are ready to eat.

It’s even better as leftovers!

You certainly can up the protein by adding in some salmon, an egg, or even leftovers from a previous meal.  The kale provides a nice base for whatever you would like to add to it.  A favorite addition here is salmon and white beans.

Remember meals don’t have to be complicated or time consuming in order to be satisfying!