Caramelized Onion Mushroom Kale Salad
I don’t drink kale smoothies. And I’m aware of the bad rep that kale has by some. But honestly. I genuinely LOVE kale salad. For real yo.
I mean, fine. I wouldn’t like a kale salad that was just a bunch of kale ripped up and tossed with olive oil and lemon juice and salt. Nah. That would not do it for me in the slightest. No salad like that would, with any typa greens, for that matter.
But a kale salad with caramelized onion strings and sautéed mushroom slices and creamy avocado chunks and crunchy pepitas and a punchy vinaigrette dressing full of rich olive oil and tangy balsamic vinegar and sharp onion and fresh garlic and sweet maple syrup and salt and pepper? YES, THAT IS A KALE SALAD I CAN GET BEHIND, FOLKS.
I’m on a bit of a caramelized onion kick, I’ve just realized. Because the last savory recipe I posted, this lemon dill rice, was also chock-full of paper thin onions, sautéed up until browned and sweet and caramelized.
Luckily for you, this time the onions don’t require as long a cooking time. The onions for this warm kale salad take about 25 minutes total, mushrooms included. Workable? I hope so.
And. While the onions and mushrooms are getting all succulent and browned in that skillet, you can prep the rest of the components for this onion mushroom kale salad.
So. As those onions and mushrooms are sizzling. You chop (or rip, if you’re like me and pretend to be a savage) up the kale into pieces of desired size. You massage your kale, if you’re feeling generous (or you can just let the kale sit in the dressing for a while to soften up). You cube a large, creamy avocado. You measure out your pumpkin seeds.
And you blend together the balsamic vinaigrette. Which takes like a minute, cuz you just blend together all the dressing ingredients until they’re smooth.
Let’s recap on some things: the dressing for this mushroom kale salad gets a whole onion — yes, sharp onion flavor, coming in strong. Blended right along with a big garlic clove and the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Add then salt and black pepper are added, to taste. And, to balance all that tangy, sharp flavor out, here comes a little sweetener — your choice of honey or maple syrup. Or a combination of both. Or white sugar, for that matter, if that’s all you got in your pantry.
You’ll likely have some extra dressing left over after you toss this kale salad together. Which is fine, no? Use it for pretty much any other salad you plan on making the whole week.
This caramelized onion mushroom kale salad is packed with flavor. It’s wholesome and nutrient-dense. It’s cozy and comforting, especially if served right away, while those tasty onions and mushrooms are still warm. And it’s easy and fairly quick too.
Caramelized onion mushroom kale salad — the things you do to me.
Caramelized Onion Mushroom Kale Salad
Yield: about 6 servings
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 large container mushrooms, sliced
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 cups chopped kale
1 large avocado, cubed
1/2 cup pepitas
Dressing:
1 small onion
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
1 large clove garlic
3/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon pepper, or to taste
1. In a large skillet, heat the tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the sliced onions and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are deeply golden, about 15 minutes. Add in the mushrooms and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook another 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Meanwhile, prepare dressing.
2. Blend together (with a food processor, immersion blender, or stand blender) all the dressing ingredients until smooth, adjusting salt and pepper to taste. Toss (you may not need to use all the dressing) with the kale (massage if desired, or let sit in the dressing for a while), cubed avocado, pepitas, and warm onions and mushrooms and serve.
