Kale Salad

Red Russian Kale straight from the farmer’s market is ideal for this recipe. Combined with local “Easter egg radishes, you will have a gorgeous salad! In our local market (www.augustalocallygrown.org) I did not find Easter egg radishes, but I did find beautiful watermelon radishes that added a beautiful color and flavor contrast to this salad.

Salad
1 bunch Georgia Kale (preferably Red Russian)
½ cup caramelized Georgia pecan pieces
4 ounces goat cheese
½ medium red onion, thinly sliced into rings
4-6 radishes, washed, dried, and thinly sliced into discs
¼ cup organic dried cranberries

Allow kale to soak in some water diluted with vinegar for about 10 minutes to remove dirt and bugs. Rinse through a couple of times. Beak off the leafy parts for the salad (The stems can be used for soups or combined with other greens for cooking). Dry the leaves using a salad spinner. Place in large salad bowl. Add the onion rings and radishes to the kale. Sprinkle the caramelized pecans and cranberries over the salad.

Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette

¼ cup Balsamic vinegar
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons Georgia honey
1 small garlic clove finely crushed
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper (or to taste)

Combine balsamic vinegar, oil, honey, salt and pepper and whisk together. Add the garlic and mix. Let stand for 5 minutes. Whisk one more time before drizzling over salad and gently toss the salad to spread the dressing. Break the goat cheese into bite-size pieces and sprinkle over salad to serve.

Recipe used with permission from Georgia Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics cookbook: Seasonal Eats: A recipe collection of Georgia Products. For more information or to order please see: www.eatrightgeorgia.org. To order the cookbook type “cookbook” in the search window.

Yield: 4 Servings
Nutrition Breakdown: Calories 330, Fat 24g (4g saturated fat), Cholesterol 10mg, Sodium 260mg, Carbohydrate 25g, Fiber 4g, Protein 7g.
Percent Daily Value: 4% Vitamin A, 15% Calcium, 10% Iron, 170% Vitamin C
Carbohydrate choices: Carbohydrate 1 ½ Carbohydrates
Diabetes Exchanges: 2 vegetables, ½ fruit, ½ other carbohydrate, ½ high fat meat, 4 fats.