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Raw Kale Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette

Skip the salad bar and DIY your way to my all-time favorite recipe for Kale Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette.
4.95 from 17 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients  

  • 1 1/2 lbs kale, washed and thoroughly dried
  • 1/3 cup toasted nuts (such as walnuts, pecans or almonds)
  • 1/3 cup crispy chickpeas
  • 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 6 slices bacon
  • 2 Tablespoons minced shallots
  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Instructions 

  • Strip the leaves from the stems of the kale, and then roll up the leaves and chiffonade them into thin strips. Place the kale in a large bowl then add the toasted nuts, crispy chickpeas and Parmesan.
  • Cook the bacon in a large sauté pan over medium heat, reserving all drippings and leaving all crunchy bits in the pan. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate.
  • Return the sauté pan over medium heat and add 3 tablespoons of the reserved bacon drippings back to the pan. (If you don't have 3 tablespoons of drippings, use what you have plus some olive oil.) Add the shallots and sauté 1 minute, stirring constantly. Whisk in the vinegar, mustard and brown sugar, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Remove the vinaigrette from the heat and season with salt and pepper.
  • Chop up the reserved bacon and add it to the bowl with the kale and nuts. Toss the kale with the warm dressing and serve immediately.
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