Recipe for kale salad with mushrooms and mustard vinaigrette

Perhaps I should start a feature called I don't love (fill in the blank), but I'm trying it again. I've pledged to eat more dark leafy greens this year, and that doesn't come naturally to me. Spinach is about the darkest I go; the rest I find too bitter, unless they are cooked beyond recognition or boiled to death in soup. Kale is everywhere these days, and though I might well be the last person to try kale chips, I am jumping on the raw kale bandwagon with glee, thanks to this kale salad with mushrooms and mustard vinaigrette. This version adds the smoky saltiness of bacon; I made a vegetarian version (no bacon, more olive oil) for the recent holidays, and it was equally irresistible. I'm crossing kale off my I don't love list. I now, officially, love raw kale.

Kale salad with mushrooms and mustard vinaigrette

From the pantry, you'll need: eggs, bacon, extra virgin olive oil, onion, sherry vinegar, whole grain Dijon mustard.

Slightly adapted from Eating Well magazine, this salad serves 4.

Ingredients

2 eggs
3 slices center-cut bacon
6 cups very thinly sliced kale (remove the stems)
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup finely diced red onion
1 cup sliced portobello mushrooms (2 large caps, stems removed, sliced)
2 Tbsp sherry vinegar
2 tsp whole grain (or Dijon) mustard
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
Kosher salt, to taste (I didn't need any)

Directions

Place the eggs in a small saucepan and cover with cold water by one inch. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Immediately cover the pan, remove the pan from heat, and let sit for 12 minutes. (Set a timer!) After 12 minutes, drain the eggs, rinse under cool water, and allow the eggs to cool for 15 minutes. Peel and set aside.

In a large nonstick frying pan, cook the bacon until it's as crisp as you like it. Remove the bacon strips to a plate covered with paper towel, and let it drain; leave the bacon drippings in the pan.

Place the kale in a large mixing bowl, and set aside.

In the frying pan, add olive oil to the bacon fat already in the pan. Over low-medium heat, sauté the onion and mushrooms until the onions are translucent and the mushrooms have lost their rawness. Stir in the vinegar and mustard. Season with black pepper. Taste, and add salt if needed.

Pour the warm dressing from the pan over the kale, and toss gently to combine. Place in a serving bowl.

Crumble the bacon over the kale. Slice the eggs into quarters, lengthwise, and arrange here and there over the top of the salad. Sprinkle with a bit of black pepper.

Serve warm.

[Printer-friendly recipe.]

More recipes in The Perfect Pantry:
Spinach, golden raisin and parmesan tart
Saag aloo/potatoes with spiced spinach
Baked egg with bacon, spinach and mushrooms
Deconstructed spinach salad on a crunchy whole wheat rice cracker
Farfalle or rotini pasta with spinach and sausage

Other recipes that use these pantry ingredients:
Roasted kale chips with sea salt and vinegar, from Kalyn's Kitchen
Warm quinoa, corn and arugula salad, from Food Blogga
Tuscan kale salad with honey mustard vinaigrette and pomegranate, from Not Eating Out in New York
Collard greens with bacon, from Simply Recipes
Kale and ricotta frittata, from Jane Spice Recipes

Need more ideas for how to create salads with pizzazz? Get Dress Up Your Salad, my e-book packed with easy mix-and-match recipes, full-color photos and a few fun videos. Exciting salad recipes from everyday ingredients can be just one click away, on any computer, tablet or smart phone, with the FREE Kindle Reading app. Click here to learn more.

Kale salad with mushrooms and mustard vinaigrette

From the pantry, you'll need: eggs, bacon, extra virgin olive oil, onion, sherry vinegar, whole grain Dijon mustard.

Slightly adapted from Eating Well magazine, this salad serves 4.

Ingredients

2 eggs
3 slices center-cut bacon
6 cups very thinly sliced kale (remove the stems)
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup finely diced red onion
1 cup sliced portobello mushrooms (2 large caps, stems removed, sliced)
2 Tbsp sherry vinegar
2 tsp whole grain (or Dijon) mustard
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
Kosher salt, to taste (I didn't need any)

Directions

Place the eggs in a small saucepan and cover with cold water by one inch. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Immediately cover the pan, remove the pan from heat, and let sit for 12 minutes. (Set a timer!) After 12 minutes, drain the eggs, rinse under cool water, and allow the eggs to cool for 15 minutes. Peel and set aside.

In a large nonstick frying pan, cook the bacon until it's as crisp as you like it. Remove the bacon strips to a plate covered with paper towel, and let it drain; leave the bacon drippings in the pan.

Place the kale in a large mixing bowl, and set aside.

In the frying pan, add olive oil to the bacon fat already in the pan. Over low-medium heat, sauté the onion and mushrooms until the onions are translucent and the mushrooms have lost their rawness. Stir in the vinegar and mustard. Season with black pepper. Taste, and add salt if needed.

Pour the warm dressing from the pan over the kale, and toss gently to combine. Place in a serving bowl.

Crumble the bacon over the kale. Slice the eggs into quarters, lengthwise, and arrange here and there over the top of the salad. Sprinkle with a bit of black pepper.

Serve warm.

[Printer-friendly recipe.]

More recipes in The Perfect Pantry:
Spinach, golden raisin and parmesan tart
Saag aloo/potatoes with spiced spinach
Baked egg with bacon, spinach and mushrooms
Deconstructed spinach salad on a crunchy whole wheat rice cracker
Farfalle or rotini pasta with spinach and sausage

Other recipes that use these pantry ingredients:
Roasted kale chips with sea salt and vinegar, from Kalyn's Kitchen
Warm quinoa, corn and arugula salad, from Food Blogga
Tuscan kale salad with honey mustard vinaigrette and pomegranate, from Not Eating Out in New York
Collard greens with bacon, from Simply Recipes
Kale and ricotta frittata, from Jane Spice Recipes

Need more ideas for how to create salads with pizzazz? Get Dress Up Your Salad, my e-book packed with easy mix-and-match recipes, full-color photos and a few fun videos. Exciting salad recipes from everyday ingredients can be just one click away, on any computer, tablet or smart phone, with the FREE Kindle Reading app. Click here to learn more.

Comments

I'm going to try this -- I have recently learned to like undercooked, still-bright kale.

Sounds like a terrific salad, I love the bacon and the mushrooms here.

Just a thought - what DOESN'T taste delicious with the addition of bacon? :) This salad looks divine. Of course, I already love kale, but I could really enjoy this.

Sounds absolutely fantastic to me. I'm glad you are starting to enjoy kale.

Mary, I think I like it raw more than I like it cooked, and I'm planning to explore more salad possibilities.

5 Star Foodie, the bacon really is delicious here, but I also liked the vegetarian version, kicked up with a bit more mustard to add bite.

Alta, yes, bacon makes it better. And adding a little bit has helped me get over the raw kale aversion. I'm a true believer now.

Kalyn, I feel very grown up about this! I made a soup with the leftover kale, too, and I quite like it. Upward and onward with kale!

What a delicious looking meal for the new year! I love the portobello mushrooms mixed in! Yummy! :)

Yum, yum, yum. I was raised on dark green leafy veg (whether we liked it or not!) and so luckily I'm an easy sell. The mushrooms and bacon with that classic vinaigrette sound out of this world. I'd love it even without the bacon :)

I love everything about this salad!

Kale is so good for you, so I'm glad you came up with a way to enjoy it. I will definitely have to try your kale salad recipe. I usually eat it sauteed with leeks and a dash of umeboshi vinegar that adds some saltiness.

Christina, the mushrooms really give this salad some substance, if you want to serve it as a main dish.

Kelly, I was the kid always making grimacing faces at the table when the (overcooked and waterlogged) spinach was served. Glad I learned to cook my own -- so much better.

Maria, me, too!

Jeanette, would you believe I don't have umeboshi vinegar in my pantry? Must rectify that; I'm sure it would be delicious with kale.

I usually eat my kale lightly sauteed but your salad sounds really delicious. Will save the recipe for when my garden is producing kale again later this year.

Oh this is just the type of salad I would DEVOUR. No really. YUM!

I first tried a raw kale salad this past year and was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Everything about this salad is appealing, from the bacon and mushrooms to the fresh kale.

Now I, on the other hand, LOVE kale already - so this recipe looks like heaven to me! Love the addition of bacon - we need these substantial salads in January to make the dietary resolutions seem less daunting ;) All the best for 2012!

Norma, the warm vinaigrette in this recipe doesn't sauté the kale, but it does wilt it slightly. It will be so delicious with your own garden-fresh kale.

France, yes you will!

Cookin' Canuck, there are a few vegetables I like raw but not cooked, like carrots, and I think kale might become one of them. I'd never tasted it in salad before, and I've since made this three times in one week.

Jeanne, you are way ahead of me! The first time I ever ate kale was in a Dutch dish of kale and mashed potatoes, and I didn't love it. Now, though, I'm going back and making that dish again. I think I'm changing my mind about kale.

Hmm... I like the sound of this.

I never met a veggie I didn't like.. except Okra..not a big fan of hairy veggies!
Love this recipe for Kale!