Kale Salad with Buttermilk Green Goddess Dressing

Last Updated on April 15, 2022 by Karen

As much as I wanted to give you a St. Patrick’s Day inspired dish today, I didn’t get to do much cooking last week.  Leaving work when t is still bright just makes me want to stay outside and make the most use out of the daylight hours, which isn’t the best when cooking and blogging require me to stay in and buckle down.  Last week, we had an unseasonably beautiful day in the high 50’s, so James and I went running after work along the Hudson River.  More like James coaxed me into going for a run with the promise that we would have sushi and ice cold beer afterwards.  Clearly that did the trick.  The rest of the week involved drinks at the LES, oysters and more oysters, and a lovely Italian meal at Apizz (highly recommend their wild boar lasagna and meatballs).  Needless to say, there was not a whole lot of productivity in the kitchen.

Over the weekend, I felt supercharged and went for another run, cleaned the apartment, did some packing for my upcoming trip, tried a new cinnamon roll/pecan sticky buns recipe, and even made something healthy for lunch: this hearty Kale Salad with Buttermilk Green Goddess Dressing.

I haven’t experimented much with kale, besides adding it in soups and sautéing it with olive oil and garlic.  Knowing that kale is a superfood packed with nutrients and fiber, I wanted to find another way to enjoy it.  I know I’m late to the party with the massaged kale salad trend, and perhaps you already know the trick; massaging the raw kale leaves with lemon juice and a pinch of salt helps to tenderize the leaves.

I use curly kale for this salad and I make sure to remove the center rib of the kale, which can be quite fibrous and chewy.  Just hold the stalk and strip off the leaves.

Discard this and chop up the leaves.

Dressed in a bright, tangy dressing, this salad is a refreshing way to enjoy kale in its raw form.  The buttermilk adds a tangy component to the dressing, and the avocado helps to give it some creaminess and thickness.  This salad can be a simple meal all on its own (I added sliced avocado and mushrooms) perhaps with some quinoa, dried cranberries and feta cheese if you’re going the meatless route, or grilled flank steak, chicken, or pork chops if you want to add some meat.  Whether you’re making corned beef and cabbage, Guinness beef brisket, shepherd’s pie or something else entirely to celebrate St Patrick’s Day, this salad would be the perfect side dish to break up the heavy dishes.  Enjoy!