Nourishing Winter Greens Salad

We normally think of salads as a summertime treat, but winter vegetables make for equally delicious—and healthy—combinations

BY JONNY BOWDEN, PHD, CNS, AND JEANNETTE BESSINGER, CHHC

The challenge with kale is making it taste good. Look, everybody knows kale is super healthy, but if you don’t prepare it in just the right way, it can be bitter and unpalatable to the average eater. Fortunately, there are ways to prepare it that cut the bitterness, leaving you with a delicious vegetable that can’t be topped when it comes to nutritional power. So, if you haven’t enjoyed kale up until now, get ready for a surprise.

When I talked with Chef Jeannette about this salad recipe, she told me that most home chefs find making raw kale challenging. One way to conquer the “kale objection” is with a really amazing salad dressing. And this salad has the best dressing you’ve ever had on kale. No kidding. Also, pay attention to this month’s “Notes from the Clean Food Coach,” because she tells you the game-changing trick to defeating the bitterness problem when preparing raw kale.

If you’re like me, by the time February rolls around you just might be feeling a little … blah. After all, we’ve just come off the holiday season, we’ve spent most of the winter eating heavier, warmer foods, and in most parts of the country it’s still bitterly cold. These are not ideal conditions for lighter, greener fare. But the dense chewy nature of the kale—and the tasty fats of the avocado and the dressing— are satisfyingly fresh without making you feel cold inside. Enjoy!