Kale Salad with Honey-Lemon Dressing

I've been making this salad a lot lately.  I'm not exactly sure where it originally came from.  I got the recipe from my mom a while back, so if anyone knows who originally made it, please let me know.  I'd love to give credit to whoever created this amazingly delicious and healthy salad!  Let me not forget to mention that it's super quick to throw together!

Doesn't that look delicious?!

Now, I'm not exactly a kale type of person.  The thought of  boiled kale makes me want to gag.  But you don't have to boil it and you don't have to put it in a smoothie to hide the taste!! 

First, wash and chop or shred your kale.  Make sure you remove the large stems as they tend to be a little bitter.  Put your chopped kale in your salad bowl and drizzle with olive oil.  I'm no chef (my toddler will attest to that) but from what I understand this also helps with the bitterness.  I could be completely off on that, so don't quote me on it.  Rub the olive oil into the kale for a minute or so.  It should glisten take on a nice green color instead of it's normal chalky appearance.  It'll look something like this...

Now you'll add the fixings!  This is where you can get a little creative.  I usually add a couple different types of fruits and then some candied nuts.  In the photo above I chopped apples and Bosc pears and then *candied some slivered almonds, but I've also used blueberries, raspberries, mango, strawberries, candied pecans and candied walnuts.  (I love the sweetness of the candied nuts, so for me those are a must!) 

For the dressing all you need is honey and lemon juice.  I use real lemons when I have them on hand, but I have to be honest, that isn't often.  My husband and I both think it tastes fine with the lemon juice in a bottle.  Mix together equal parts of lemon juice and honey.  You may have to adjust for your tastes.  My husband likes it a little sweeter, so I end up using less lemon juice.

And the great thing about this salad is that it stores really well, even with the dressing on!  Let me know what you think and if you come up with any other great combinations!!  Enjoy!