Marinated Kale Salad

This Marinated Kale Salad is delicious for holiday entertaining, and delicious with pomegrante seeds for a festive flare.

Hey friends, do you have guests coming over this week for dinner? Maybe it’s a last-minute gathering (fun!), or you have a day to prepare. Either way, I love this Marinated Kale Salad, because you can make it up before the guests arrive, and pull it out of the fridge when it’s time to serve!

These easy ingredients. (I always keep garbanzo beans, Dijon mustard, and sunflower seeds on hand!)

Kale is delicious, healthy, and when it’s been allowed to absorb the dressing, the leaves are still crunchy, but also flavorful and softer. Add the sunflower seeds? Scrumptious!

3 holiday tips

Here are my top 3 tips for how to host a last-minute holiday party, without stressing myself or the family out:

1. Have the food and drink with all of the accessories ready to go, so we’re not scrambling and trying to pull it all together while the guests are here. Lay out as much as we can ahead of time– snacks on the counter, a fully stocked bar, keep a hutch or area ready with napkins so guests can help themselves. Keep plenty of glassware on hand, essential serving pieces, trays, etc. To create the right atmosphere, don’t go overboard with holiday decorations (know what I mean? ever walked in a house where everything from the past 25 years is set out?), consider what guests are smelling, have music playing (easy to pull up holiday music on Pandora or a pre-made playlist).

2. For last minute– serve foods that can be easily heated up, like chili. For drinks, I love doing Hot Buttered Rum (easy to make up and store in the fridge) in the winter, or even a pear martini. Keep bottles of water stored in the fridge. Water is a MUST for a holiday party, probably the most important beverage served.

3. Dim the room lights, let the Christmas lights shine, and have lots of candles. We love mix-matching various candles from the past year (using them up), by placing them on a large tray, with ornaments mixed in. The smell is lovely, and the warmth they give off is divine!

Marinated Kale Salad

More about the salad …

Massage the hearty kale with olive oil and a little salt, and then let it stand for up to an hour to soften and make it tender, yet crisp.

I made a similar salad last year, Pomegranate Kale Salad.

ENJOY and Happy Thursday, Friends!

What are your last minute tips that make your entertaining nice and cozy?

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Marinated Kale Salad

This Marinated Kale Salad is delicious for holiday entertaining, and delicious with pomegrante seeds for a festive flare.

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 1 hour hr

Total Time: 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Yield: 4 -6

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Ingredients

 

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• 1 pound Tuscan or curly kale, stemmed and coarsely chopped
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
• Ground pepper
• Lemon zest
• Dash of paprika
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 14-ounce can Bush’s Garbanzo Beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds

Instructions

 

• 1. Massage kale with olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl, coating all surfaces, about 2 minutes. Let stand at room temperature at least 15 minutes and up to 1 hour.
• 2. Rinse onion in a sieve under warm water for 2 minutes. Drain well. Combine onion, lemon zest, pepper, and paprika in a bowl. Combine juice, mustard, and garlic in a small bowl.
• 3. Add juice mixture and chickpeas to softened kale; toss well. Stir in remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Top with onion mixture. Sprinkle with sunflower seeds.

Author: Sandy / Reluctant Entertainer

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