Are you sick of seeing kale on this blog yet? I hate to break it to you, but kale isn't going anywhere for me. In fact, when I posted a picture of this salad on Instagram I captioned it "Kale is so 2013...unless you're me!", and that couldn't be more true. I buy bunches in multiples each week at the store and it's not unlikely that I'll make a special trip to the store just to ensure we stay well-stocked.
It's not just the health benefits of kale, although there are many reasons to eat the stuff regularly, but I genuinely love the taste and flavor of it. It beats out spinach in my book, if for no other reason than I like the variety of ways it can be prepared and the stronger flavor associated with it.
I was spurred to make this particular salad when I stumbled upon the recipe on Williams-Sonoma's site because it reminded me a lot of the kale caesar that I always order as a starter at Pastaria, one of my favorite restaurants in St. Louis (read my review of our first visit there...pre-kale salad discovery!). Although this salad's name says creamy lemon dressing, it really tastes like a lemony caesar dressing...especially with the anchovy paste in the dressing. I know a lot of people are iffy about anchovies, so you could easily omit this from the dressing and still have a fantastic result!
Homemade croutons are my new favorite thing (kale is my old favorite thing ;)) and I'm starting to top many of our salads with them. They're worth the extra (minimal) effort and in this case, they totally make the salad. We devoured this for a few weekend lunches, and it could easily be made into a more substantial meal with the addition of some chicken!

One Year Ago: White Bean Flatbreads with Prosciutto and Cheese and Peppermint Meringue Brownie Cake
Two Years Ago: Mini Cheesecakes and Ham, Cheddar, and Red Onion Bread Pudding
Three Years Ago: Latin Nacho Bowls and Homemade Dog Treats
Four Years Ago: Almond M&M Easter Nests 


Kale Salad with Creamy Lemon Dressing
from Williams-Sonoma

Ingredients:
-2 cups torn country-style bread, torn into 1/2-inch pieces
-olive oil, as needed
-kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
-1/2 cup mayonnaise
-2 tbsp water
-juice from 1 lemon
-2 garlic cloves, minced
-1 tsp anchovy paste
-1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
-1/4 tsp lemon zest
-1 lb kale, thick stems removed and leaves cut into small pieces
-1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
-shaved parmesan, for garnish

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Toss bread cubes with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet lined with foil or parchment paper and bake for 20 minutes, until crispy.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, water, lemon juice, garlic, anchovy paste, mustard, and lemon zest, until smooth.
3. In a large bowl, toss kale with dressing until coated. If desired, allow dressing to soak into kale for at least one hour in the fridge. To serve, top salad with croutons, tomatoes, and cheese.