As a blogger there is nothing better than getting a pitch from a brand/product you absolutely adore and use regularly. Here's an except from an email I reviewed a few weeks ago …

"… [I] am looking for a partnership for a paid sponsored post for our Kale Up campaign. Kale Up is about encouraging people to eat more kale…

I was like … umm… hello … I'm your GIRL! Have you seen my kale ideas?

As a greens convert (I did not grow up eating things like collards, chard or kale) I've made it my mission to inspire people to eat more things like kale. When I took the leap a few years ago I found it absolutely intimidating, but the more I used kale the more I've grown to love it.

Friday I received my free bag of kale and was ecstatic.

Notice the husband is not as enthused. I'm not sure I'll ever sell him on a kale salad (although you never know) but he eats it all the time in chip form and when I add it to dishes.

Anyway, I knew when they sent the bag I'd get inspired with whatever else I had on hand. I happened to pick up the farm share the day before and it was loaded with fresh apples.

Hmmm apples and kale? Why not!

I decided on walnuts as my third main ingredient for a little crunch and then the dressing idea hit. Why not blend some into a dressing? Nuts contain a lot of oil, right?

Well the result was awesome! Earthy kale, sweet apple and a wonderfully flavorful dressing to bring it all together.

Here's what I did…

Ingredients

2 ½ cups of raw kale (85g)
1oz (28g) walnuts, halved
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon stone-ground Dijon mustard
Pinch of kosher salt
1 medium apple

Instructions

Usually I just take a handful or 2 of kale when I make a salad but I was curious what 2 and ½ cups looked like so I weighed it out.

Then I chopped it into fine ribbons and started on the dressing.

Using the smoothie attachment (A Magic Bullet would work) I added half the walnuts, lemon juice, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, and a pinch of salt.

Blend until smooth.

Slice the apples thin.

Put everything into a large zip-lock bag and massage.

Seal and massage.

Note: You could do this with your hands, too. It just gets messy.

Dump it on a plate and enjoy or save for later!

I left mine in the bag for about an hour until I was ready to eat. The apples didn't brown thanks to the dressing. 🙂

Full Disclosure: This post was sponsored by WPRawl and the Kale Up Campaign. All opinions expressed are my own.

📖 Recipe