Kale apple salad with lime dressing

When shopping with my daughter the other day, she spotted a beautiful bunch of kale and asked if we could get it.  What kid asks for kale?  Normally, we eat more kale in the winter in soup, but I love a good kale salad.  I think many people don't like it is because of the texture.  Kale can be a bit unruly and bitter, but if you massage it in a Zip lock bag before using it, it softens the texture and sweetens it a bit.I came up with this recipe like I do many others- I looked around my kitchen to see what was available.  In this case, it was kale, apples, dates, limes and nuts.  What came out was really simple, but totally delicious.  I think it tastes better on day 2 when the ingredients have a little more time to mingle.

Ingredients:

1 large bunch of kale, cleaned and torn1 Pink Lady or Honey Crisp apple, cleaned, sliced and cut into 1" pieces1/2 cup fresh lime juice (or juice from 1 lime)1/4 cup olive oil1/4 cup chopped cashews1/4 cup chopped dates

Directions:

Place the cleaned kale in a Zip lock bag (gallon sized) and add 1 tsp. olive oil.  Massage the kale for 2-3 minutes to soften the texture.Place the kale in a large bowl.  Add the chopped apple, dates and cashews.Whisk lime juice and olive oil together, then drizzle over the kale mixture.Makes 8-10 servings of salad.  Nutrition facts per serving:  142 calories, 9 grams fat, 4 grams protein, 14 grams carbohydrate, 2 grams fiber, 0 mg cholesterol, 39 mg sodium