Avocado Massaged Kale Salad

Our avocado massaged kale salad is so good! Tired of tough kale leaves in salads? Try massaging avocado in the leaves to make them tender and delicious!

Avocado Massaged Kale Salad Recipe

It might sound odd, this avocado massaged kale salad recipe. But wait and trust us. This quick and easy healthy salad recipe has super tender kale leaves. Tired of kale salads that are tough? Well, when you massage the mashed avocado into the kale leaves the results are tender and flavorful kale that won’t tire our your jaw. That’s always been one of our challenges when we want to eat kale salad several times a week. Chewing the tough kale leaves can be tiresome, but the avocado makes the leaves softer and absolutely more delicious.

Video: Soft and Tender Massaged Kale Salad

How to Make Kale Salad Leaves Soft & Tender

You can massage kale leaves without anything on them to make them softer. But there’s awesome ingredients to use to not only make them softer but more flavorful.

• Use ripe avocado. The riper the avocado, the more soft and oily it is. This gives great flavor to the kale leaves and helps soften them more.
• You can massage olive oil into the leaves too! Olive oil is another great way to soften the tough leaves. Use about 2-3 Tablespoons for a medium bunch of kale.
• Massage a bit of dressing (vinegar/oil based) into the leaves. Salad dressings work too, but try to use plastic gloves when massaging. This will keep your hands from smelling like dressing.
• All these will also help remove some of the bitterness that comes with kale.
• Read or print out the complete recipe below.

Avocado Massaged Kale Salad

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 15 mins

Total Time: 15 mins

Really work the avocado into the salad. Massage all that avocado goodness into the leaves and you have a spectacular soft and tender kale salad that's loaded with nutrients. Eat within an hour or so of making the salad. The avocado will start going brown as it oxidizes.

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Ingredients

• 2 avocados
• 1 large bunch kale , (about 1/2 lb. - 227g) ribs and tough stems removed
• Zest 1 lemon
• 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice , plus more to taste if desired
• 2 teaspoons Sea Salt , or to personal taste
• Freshly cracked pepper , to personal taste
• 1 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese (or eliminate to make it vegan)

Optional

• 1/4 cup toasted nuts (sliced almonds, cashews, pistachios, chopped pecans, etc.)
• 1/4 cup raisins (or dried fruit of choice - dried cherries, chopped apricots, etc.)

Instructions 

• Cut the kale leaves into thin strips and place in a large bowl.
  
• Cut the avocados into 1/4's and remove the seeds. Chop one of the avocados into bite sized pieces and set aside (it will be stirred in just before serving).

  Add the other avocado in chunks to the kale and gently “massage” the avocado into the kale leaves until they become soft and tender.
  
• Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Taste for seasonings and add additional lemon juice, salt , and/or pepper, to personal taste.
  
• Just before serving, gently stir in the parmesan cheese, chopped avocado, and the optional nuts and dried fruit.
  

Notes

For Toasting Raw Nuts:
You can gently toast on a dry skillet over medium heat, shaking and stirring frequently until the nuts reach your desired toasty level.
OR
Bake at 375°F/190°C for about 10 minutes or until your liking.

Video

Nutrition Information

Calories: 198kcal, Carbohydrates: 10g, Protein: 9g, Fat: 15g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 15mg, Sodium: 1049mg, Potassium: 531mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 4018IU, Vitamin C: 53mg, Calcium: 250mg, Iron: 1mg

Course: Salad, Vegetables

Cuisine: American

Calories: 198

Hope you enjoy our recipe and comment below if you enjoy it! Check out more of our vegetable recipes here, our chicken avocado spring rolls and these low carb roasted broccoli salad.  And here’s an interesting sautéed kale recipe for you that’s different.