Apple Crunch Kale Salad

Remember when kale went from edible arrangement decor to the most popular girl at school? What a time that was. I was never able to get on board with kale no matter how hard I tried, mostly because I was simply just unaware of how to actually prepare it. You have to treat the kale like a you are Phoebe Buffay and it is your best client. Massaging the kale with oil and salt will help to soften it and make it MUCH MORE DELICIOUS. Plus you need to chop it super fine and not keep it in large chunks!

what you need:

• 1 bunch of kale, rinsed and chopped fine
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
• 1 apple, sliced or chopped I used a Honeycrisp Apple
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 1 lemon
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper

what you need to do:

• Make sure the kale is chopped very finely, I use this Herb Chopper that is in my holy grail of products. YOU NEED IT!! It makes everything so much easier, and is a god send for chopping herbs, onions, and garlic. ANYWAYS…
• Put the kale into a large bowl and add the 1 tablespoon olive oil and the salt. Using your fingers, massage the oil into the kale. Do this for about 2 – 3 minutes. This will help soften it and make it easier to chew and not give you that gross raw kale texture and taste. Set it aside.
• In a separate bowl, add dijon mustard, lemon juice, 4 tablespoons olive oil, and cracked pepper. Use a whisk and combine to form the dressing, make sure to whisk it really well so that the oil emulsifies into the other ingredients.
• Heat a nonstick skillet on medium and add your pecans. Toast them for about 2 minutes on each side, being VERY CAREFUL to not burn them by mixing them every 10 seconds or so. Set aside to cool.
• When ready to serve, assemble by adding the pecans, cheese, garbanzos, cranberries, and apples to the and toss to combine. Drizzle in the dressing and toss again until well combined. Crack some fresh ground pepper on top and serve!