Baby Kale Salad with Roasted Garlic Dijon Dressing

A while ago I posted a recipe for raw kale salad with a balsamic vinaigrette. I make kale a lot, but I find that especially the curly kale (which is what I used for the salad in that post) can be tough and a little chewy to eat raw. It's best served sauteed or baked. However, tuscan/lacinto/dinosaur kale, which is much softer, is way better for the purpose of eating it kale. The nutrients are unlike any other green, & I personally love the taste. So my newest discovery, baby kale, made me obviously verrrry happy. My mom & I split a Costco bag of Earthbound Farm Mixed Baby Kale which is a combo of different kinds of baby kales. Obviously I can't buy this huge bag everyday, so I was pleased to find a new product at Trader Joe's this week- 8 oz. package of organic mixed baby kale, baby spinach, & baby arugula. (Needless to say, baby kale is much easier to clean than it's curlier, more grown counterpart). I find the best way to utilize this product is to make a salad with it, because it'll wither and wilt away in 2 seconds if it's sauteed. So I came up with this salad using the mixed baby kale. The additions to the salad are the same as my last post, but the dressing can't be beat. The dressing and idea of the salad can obviously be used on any lettuce or green.

-Mixed Baby Kale
-1/2 diced mango
-1/4 cup pecans (toasted, optional)

-4 cloves roasted garlic (I happened to have had already roasted garlic, but the alternative is easy- just saute finely minced garlic in a little olive oil until golden brown. Add the garlic to oil while the pan is still cold & saute over medium high heat with a little sprinkle of salt- adding the garlic to a hot pan will make it more likely that the garlic will burn quicker.)
-2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
-1/4-1/2 cup olive oil (depends how strong you like the dressing)
-1/2 tsp. sugar
-salt and pepper

-In the bottom of a large salad bowl, add the dijon, garlic, salt, pepper, sugar, and whisk well. Stream in the olive oil while whisking to make an emulsion. Season to taste.
-Put the washed kale straight into the dressing, and toss well. Add the mango and pecans.

Skip the romaine or iceberg & try something different for your salad!

E