This salad has quickly become one of our fan favourites. I mean, a kale salad with bacon and brussels sprouts and parmesan? It’s basically a full meal and is incredibly satisfying and delicious.
One of the best features of this salad is the fact the base is made from cruciferous vegetables (kale, brussels sprouts and cabbage) which are high in fibre, super filling, have a ton of anti-cancer properties and loads of vitamins. But perhaps the best part of the cruciferous base is that it lasts for a few days without getting wilted, so it’s a major win from a food prep perspective.
The dressing for the big crunch salad is fresh and simple, just olive oil, lemon juice and a drizzle of balsamic reduction. You don’t need to go heavy on the dressing because the bacon and parmesan give a ton of flavour too. I like to add a bit of rock salt and fresh ground black pepper on the top too. And a little nutrition tidbit for you: when you drizzle fresh lemon juice on your greens (like you will when you follow the recipe below) let it sit for a few minutes and the vitamin C from the lemon juice will help to absorb more of the non-heme iron from the kale.
Let me know how you do!
Ingredients
- 4 leaves kale
- 12 brussels sprouts
- 1/2 small purple cabbage
- 8 sundried tomatoes in oil
- 1 carrot
- 1/4 white onion
- 6 slices bacon cooked
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated
- 1/2 lemon freshly juiced
- balsamic redution
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- salt + pepper
Instructions
- Cook bacon in a frying pan, blot with a paper towel and let cool.
- Shred kale, brussels sprouts and cabbage into small pieces using a mandolin or by chopping finely with a sharp knife and place in a large bowl.
- Chop sundried tomatoes into small pieces and mix into bowl with fingers to coat salad mix with leftover oil. Add 2 tbsp olive oil into the greens and massage the kale, cabbage and brussels.
- Grate the carrot, and finely chop the onion and bacon, add to bowl. Toss in parmesan cheese.
- Drizzle lemon juice and balsamic reduction over top of salad and mix. Add rock salt and fresh ground black pepper if desired.
