Happy Saturday! I had a full day of working in the garden yesterday, and things are starting to come up! You can see some rows starting to appear!
I also planted these beauties – so pretty!
I love this part of the planting season, when you are anxiously awaiting to see what comes up from day to day … but I also love the part where you can just go out to the garden and pick veggies for a salad!
For the last couple of months, I have not been able to find the flat leaf dino kale in any of the stores around me. No one has it from the health food stores to the regular grocery stores! So I might have went a little overboard in my garden planting like 5 rows of it … but someday I am going to have a boatload of kale and no one else will so there!
I do love kale salads, and always seem to buy kale at the store, but then I never get around to making the salad! This week I was determined to make a kale salad! I’m glad I did – this salad was so good!
Smoked Salmon and Asparagus Kale Salad
Adapted from About.com
Print this recipe!
Serves 4
Salad:
1 bunch kale, washed, leaves stripped from stems, finely chopped (I used red kale)
1 lb asparagus, ends cut off, cut into 2 inch pieces
1/2 lb smoked salmon, shredded
1/4 cup dried cherries
black sesame seeds
Dressing:
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp cherry mustard (or dijon mustard)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt/pepper to taste
Fill a medium sized pot with 2 inches of water, and bring to a boil.
Meanwhile, cut the kale. Remove the leaves from the stems, and discard the stems. (Compost!) Shred the leaves into small pieces – the smaller, the better! Place in a bowl. Add a dash of salt, and massage the leaves for one minute. While cutting the kale in such small pieces takes time, it makes the salad so much easier to chew! The salt will tenderize the leaves.
Cut off the ends of the asparagus (I cut off about 2-3 inches), and cut the remainder into 2 inch pieces. When the water comes to a boil, add a generous pinch of salt. Add the asparagus, and boil for just one minute. Remove from the heat and drain into a strainer. Immediately, rinse with cold water. Set aside.
Prepare the dressing – combine all ingredients in a bowl (or measuring cup – less dirty dishes!), and whisk well to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste.
In a large bowl, combine the kale leaves, asparagus, salmon, and dried cherries. Mix well. Pour in the dressing – be generous – I used about 1/2 of the prepared dressing.
Let the salad sit in the dressing about 15 –30 minutes before serving. Spoon into a bowl, and garnish with black sesame seeds.
Tje rest of the dressing can be saved in a covered container in the fridge – just use for salad dressing!
Note: If you do have to eat gluten free, make sure your salmon is gluten free. This is salmon I got –
I can’t wait until my kale starts growing bigger so I can make many more kale salads!
This is linked to Summer Salad Sundays and Mix it Up Monday.
You can never have too much kale, it is so versatile. I hope it all comes up and you are swimming in it. Does Sammy bother the garden at all? My dogs dug up everything I planted
Rhonda recently posted..Cabbage and Leek Gratin
Really? Sammy has started to wander in the garden a little bit, so I think we are going to put up a little fence. Luckily, since he is just a little guy, it doesn’t have to be anything major
Kale is my favorite. I don’t even enjoy salads with lettuce anymore. I’m excited for you to enjoy a bundle of kale from your garden. Everyone tells me it is fairly easy to grow and it is very plentiful.
I love the sweet/salty combination of the salad. I always throw a little bit of fruit in my salads. Looks delicious!
Aimee recently posted..Friend Makin’ Mondays: One or the Other
Thank you! 2 years ago I had soooo much kale and lettuce .. last year, not so much. So I am hoping this year it does well! I love having fruit in my salad too .. I usually have at least some dried cranberries .. makes the salad so much more interesting to me!
I love watching our garden grow—so satisfying to see thing start to sprout up!
The salad looks awesome. We have so much kale planted this year—I think I’ll be eating it for every meal pretty soon
Lisa recently posted..Yoga and {fake} Rest Days
Awesome!! I hope you do too
Hi Jane! This is Weiya from Enjoyer of Grace. Thanks so much for liking my shaved ice post! It’s SUPER delicious and I hope it turns out just as yummy for you!
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Thank you! And thanks for stopping by!
How exciting! I love when everything starts popping up through the dirt! But then there’s the awkward in between exciting growing and harvesting time…which is where my plants are right now! But soooon…
Allie recently posted..Get It Together: Fighting Natural Instincts
haha, yeah that is the slow part of the process. But I love watching everything get bigger too!
Ohh–I also want to know (related to gardening): how are your potatoes in a garbage can doing? I’m so curious about how that is going to turn out/work!
Allie recently posted..Get It Together: Fighting Natural Instincts
Well, so far nothing is coming up out of the dirt, so I’m not sure!! I just hope them are growing under the soil! It has only been 1 1/2 weeks so I am trying to (patiently) wait!
Haha, I’M impatient about these potatoes, so I can only imagine your situation
Allie recently posted..Chicken Run
Oh my gosh! I SO want this!!
Brittany (Delights and Delectables) recently posted..Siesta Sunday
Oh my goodness Jane! This salad was made for ME! I love it!!!!!! Definitely making it
Meg recently posted..Life is Marvelous
Thanks! I hope you like it! It was soooo good!
I love smoked salmon! And kale….and asparagus…..yes, I think I love this salad! Thanks for sharing this with Summer Salad Sundays, look forward to seeing you again soon!
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