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It’s hard to eat healthy at potlucks because salads just don’t transport that well. You can make a beautiful bowl of greens and fresh vegetables, but once you toss the dressing in, it only lasts a short while before it wilts.
How have salad lovers adapted? They’ll bring a bottle of dressing and wait for just the right moment to toss. Too soon, and no one is going to rave over your soggy salad. Too late, and the line is moving and you’ve become an obstacle on the way to the meat.
Another option has been to let people dress their own salads, but then you get the picky ones in the crowd who shout, “Where’s the ranch?”
The solution for years has been to bring a bowl of coleslaw, but it’s just not sexy. Coleslaw has its purpose, but being a stunning side is not one of them.
This chopped mango kale salad is your side salad solution. Like cabbage, kale is a tough green. It’s not wimpy like spinach or romaine. It can hold up to dressing for days, and in fact, like cabbage, it gets better as it marinates.
The vibrant green of kale can be contrasted with beautiful fruits and vegetables. For this salad, I used fresh mango and red onions. You could also use berries, yellow squash or tomatoes.
I like to add nuts and seeds for an extra crunch. You can toast them or candy coat them for added flavor.
Finally, I toss the salad in a red wine honey vinaigrette made with extra virgin olive oil. Again, making this much healthier than mayonnaise based coleslaw.
Let it set in the fridge for a couple of hours or even a couple of days, and you’ll have the show-stopping healthy side that people have been yearning for.
Chopped Mango Kale Salad
Ingredients
- 8 cups chopped kale
- 2 mangoes, chopped
- ¼ cup diced red onion
- 2 green onions, sliced
- 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts or shelled sunflower seeds
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- ½ tsp. kosher salt
- ¼ tsp. course ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the kale, mango, onions, and nuts or seeds.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, honey, vinegar, salt and pepper.
- Pour over the kale and toss. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Can be made up to two days in advance.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
