Enjoy this delicious Strawberry Avocado Kale Salad with Bacon recipe today for brunch, lunch, or dinner! The secret is how to massage kale, to make the leaves softened, before adding the soft boiled eggs, bacon, avocado, onions, and fresh strawberries. Serve with your favorite bread!

Strawberry Avocado Kale Salad with Bacon

In the spirit of simple and beautiful, I think of two things: Seasonal food, like this Strawberry Avocado Kale Salad with Bacon recipe, and our lovely daughter, Abby, who’s headed to college in a few short months.

Today I want to not only share with you a story about our daughter–the joys and benefits of planning, shopping, cooking, and consuming fresh, delicious food together–but also why we’ve made the kitchen the most important room in the house.

Strawberry Avocado Kale Salad with Bacon #ReclaimtheKitchen

Kale salad

First of all, let’s start with good food. Buying and preparing fresh food can make even the simplest meal absolutely delicious. Some of you may know that we have a garden, and grow much of our produce in early spring and summer months. My husband is more the gardener than I am; I love to cook with the bounty. What delights us as parents is to see our kids head to the garden and chop off an entire head of lettuce from the stock, or gently pull kale leaves from the plant.

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Strawberry Avocado Kale Salad with Bacon Recipe

How to massage kale

For a few minutes, with your hands, start to tear the leaves apart and begin massaging the kale (similar to kneading bread dough). Continue this process for about 2-5 minutes or until the leaves are softened. The leaves will turn a bright green color.

Strawberry Avocado Kale Salad with Bacon #ReclaimtheKitchen

But not everything comes from the garden. One of my favorite delights, as a mama this past year, has been that my daughter has volunteered to do much of my grocery shopping. It not only helps me out, but I feel it has really helped her learn the cost of groceries, how to find the best deal, how to shop for the freshest, and how it all comes back around as we put the ingredients into recipes!

I know, it’s made a few of my friends jealous, but it’s just something that Abby enjoys, and I take her up on it! She’s a fabulous cook, at age 18, and I love how healthy she is (saying no-no to processed foods).

Strawberry Avocado Kale Salad with Bacon #ReclaimtheKitchen

Cook together.

As I mentioned, the kitchen in our home is the most important room in the house, as our life largely revolves around food. We’re like any normal family, eating three meals a day, plus snacks! Sometimes we cook together, depending on our schedules, and sometimes we don’t. We’re pretty good about setting aside our phones and technology, and getting the job done, with the final result a meal together as a family. Ahhhh … it’s what this mama loves!

Strawberry Avocado Kale Salad with Bacon #ReclaimtheKitchen

Part of teaching our kids about healthy eating has been to put our kitchen to use! A few years back, when we did our kitchen remodel, we decided we would entertain a lot, and cook every meal possible in this great space, which we feel so fortunate to have. It’s not a gigantic kitchen, but it’s a functioning kitchen and easy for our entire family to enjoy! It’s where we focus on planning our meals, and eventually stand next to each other prepping ingredients for dishes to be used throughout the week.

Strawberry Avocado Kale Salad with Bacon

Prep work takes the pressure off in the immediate lead up to dinner, eventually helping to get a quick, healthy evening meal on the table. Like getting the kale ready for this yummy Strawberry Avocado Kale Salad with Bacon recipe!

Easy Strawberry Avocado Kale Salad with Bacon

So, back to seasonal cooking. We’ve learned to enjoy our kitchen, using it to its fullest capacity. Abby recently whipped up this kale salad recipe, which I’m sharing today.

Remember that cooking doesn’t have to be fancy and gourmet; just keep it simple, fun, healthy, and remember it never has to be perfect.

Now that my kids are older, I look back on times when I was stressed in the kitchen, and no one remembers. The good memories stay, and I know for our family, we have a lot of them–so many around food!

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Strawberry Avocado Kale Salad with Bacon

You can use a bottled dressing, or this recipe makes enough for several salads (1 1/2 cups). Use your favorite preserve in the dressing! Bacon is optional! To hard cook eggs, with a spoon, gently place each egg in a medium pot of boiling water. Bring to a boil for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, pour out hot water and fill the pan with a mixture of cold water, and ice cubes; let stand until the eggs are completely cooled. Always peel under cold running water!
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
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Ingredients
 

  • Lacinado Kale separated from the stem, washed and torn for salad
  • Hard cooked eggs
  • Fresh strawberries, sliced
  • Avocado, sliced
  • Red onion, finely chopped
  • Cook bacon, crumbled
  • 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1 shallot, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup preserves, I used peach, but strawberry or raspberry is delicious, too
  • 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1 cup canola or olive oil
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions
 

  • In a small saucepan, bring the balsamic vinegar, shallots, and sugar to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer uncovered, stirring frequently, until liquid is reduced by half, about 8 minutes. Add the preserves and cook 1 more minute.
  • Transfer the mixture to a blender; add the oil and red wine vinegar and puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Chill.
  • Meanwhile, cook the eggs and bacon. Cool.
  • Prepare the kale and toss well with dressing, refrigerating for 30 minutes to develop the flavor and to tenderize the greens.
  • In a large salad bowl, place the softened kale and add the sliced hard cooked eggs, sliced strawberries and avocado, chopped red onion, and crumbled bacon. Toss and serve. If desired, drizzle the salad with more dressing. You can also plate the salad and then drizzle the dressing on to individiual servings.
Did you make this recipe?Tag @reluctantentertainer on Instagram and hashtag it #reluctantentertainer!

More kale recipes: Chicken Kale Salad Recipe [RE], Greek Yogurt Spinach Kale Dip [RE], Baked Kale Chips Recipe [A Spicy Perspective], and Kale and Feta Breakfast Casserole [Kalyn’s Kitchen].

Best Strawberry Avocado Kale Salad with Bacon Recipe