Winter Salad {Kale + Clementines}

It's winter in Ohio: cold and varying shades of gray outside. Winter dishes usually consist of meat and something beige so it's time to bring a burst of color to the dinner plate. Most people don't think of winter as salad time but I'm a year 'round salad lover. Salads are such an easy way to get your daily portion of veggies into your diet and to help you stick to that new year's healthy eating resolution. 

Hardy, crunchy kale paired with sweet, juicy clementines and some nuts come together to make a fulfilling lunch salad or a cheery side to dinner. It's good, it's healthy (what a way to load up on all kinds of vitamins!) and it's easy. Dress with a little olive oil and vinegar and boom, you're done.

Kale and Clementine Salad

6-8 leaves of Lacinato kale
2 clementines
¼ cup pistachios**
extra virgin olive oil
balsamic vinegar
salt, pepper

INSTRUCTIONS
Holding one end of the stem of the leaf of kale, use your hand to strip off the leaves.
Rinse and dry the leaves then cut into ¼ inch strips and put in serving bowl.
Sprinkle with salt and massage into the kale.
Peel the clementine and cut each segment in half. Add to greens.
Roughly chop the almonds and add to salad.
Dress with oil and vinegar and season with pepper. Add more salt to taste, if needed.

**I have made this salad quite a few times and have used toasted almonds, pistachios, sweet chili pistachios, and toasted pine nuts. They're all good!