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If you enjoy Houston’s Kale Salad, this copycat recipe will not disappoint. This salad is loaded with fresh herbs, has a homemade dressing, and is gluten-free and vegetarian-friendly, making it the ideal crowd-pleaser. It’s a fantastic base for steak, rotisserie chicken, shrimp, or beans.
Crunchy Emerald Kale Salad
If you’ve never been to Houston’s, let me tell you, “You’re missing out.” Houston’s is one of my favorite restaurants, known for their house-made burgers and delectable salads. Houston’s, like most good things in life, isn’t cheap, and their Emerald Kale Salad is no exception.
This is one of the reasons I decided to make my own version of Houston’s that I could do in the comfort of my own home. And, guess what? It tasted just like the real deal!
Houston’s Kale Salad
Kale is one of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet, with so many benefits that we should incorporate it into our diet on a regular basis.
This salad combines crunchy kale, herbaceous aromatics, salty parmesan cheese, and a tangy homemade dressing to create a flavor explosion. I promise you won’t regret making this salad.
The salad’s other healthy ingredients complement the almost Asian-inspired salad dressing in an unexpected way.
The flavors blend so well that it’s difficult to pinpoint specific ingredients. This kale salad is ideal as an entrée salad, but it also goes well with grilled or smoked meats.
And if you happen to be a kale lover, like me, you must try my other kale salad recipes: Fantastic Kale Dijon Salad, Kale Salad with Caramelized Onions, and Citrus Vinaigrette Strawberry Mango Kale Salad.
Feel Good Kale Salad
Why You Should Add Kale to Your Diet
Kale, is now more popular than ever. Though kale has been on dinner plates since Roman times, it has now become, this superfood is now more popular than ever.
Kale, which contains even more nutrients than spinach, promotes healthy hair, skin, and bones while also lowering the risk of diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure, and asthma.
Do You Need to Massage Kale?
The reason why massaging kale is so important is simple: When compared to other greens such as romaine lettuce or spinach, kale is quite tough and fibrous, making it difficult to chew.
It becomes more tender by massaging it for as little as 2–3 minutes with a little oil and/or lemon juice, making it easier to chew and digest.
Other reasons are to reduce the vegetable’s bitterness and to infuse more flavor into the kale before adding the dressing.
Fresh, Delicious, and Packed with Flavor
Curly or Tuscan?
In most of our kale salads, we use curly kale. It is more common and less expensive than Tuscan kale. However, you can use whatever kale you want in your kale salad.
In general, baby kale does not require massage because it is already tender enough.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
Kale, like all vegetables, loses nutrients when cooked, so it is best eaten raw.
Kale and spinach are both nutrient-dense vegetables with numerous health benefits. It’s impossible to choose between the two because some nutrients are more abundant in spinach while others are more abundant in kale.
Enjoy the different flavors and textures of spinach and kale in your diet.
Though kale is one of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet, and is amazing resource of essential vitamins, it’s not recommended to eat it every day. So, instead of eating kale every day, mix it up with other greens to ensure you’re getting a more rounded selection of nutrients.
Simply Divine
Top Tips
- Before drizzling the dressing over your salad, taste it. Adjust as desired; if you prefer a sweeter dressing, add another tablespoon of honey. Add another tablespoon of rice vinegar if you prefer a more acidic dressing.
- It’s better to massage the kale before adding it to the salad. Massaging it makes it tender and reduces its bitterness.
- Store leftover dressing in a small jar in the fridge for up to two weeks.
- You can add some fresh mint, green cabbage, and green onions to your salad if you like. You can also add some chopped peanuts for a more crunchy taste.
- Use fresh kale to make this salad. Make sure the leaves are not wilted and have a bright green color.
Houston’s Kale Salad Ingredients
Dressing
- olive oil
- rice vinegar
- lemon juice
- honey
- black pepper
- mustard powder
- Worcestershire sauce
- soy sauce
- garlic powder
Salad
- curly kale, removed off of the stem
- romaine lettuce, chopped
- shaved carrots
- cilantro leaves, off the stem
- fresh grated parmesan cheese, for garnish (optional)
- Tortilla strips, for garnish
Steps to Prep Houston’s Kale Salad
First, in a jar, add all of the dressing ingredients and shake or mix very well using a spoon. You can choose to blend all the ingredients in a blender.
Next, wash and remove the kale from the stems. Roughly chop them, or using your hands, you can twist and cut them that way. Then massage the kale using your hands and palms by squeezing and rubbing it.
After that, place in a large bowl, then add the chopped romaine lettuce, shaved carrots, and cilantro.
Finally, pour the dressing over the salad greens and mix. I love the dressing to soak into the salad for about 10 minutes so flavors infuse and kale softens.
When ready to enjoy, top with parmesan cheese and tortilla strips.
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More Salads You Must Try:
- Kale Salad with Caramelized Onions
- Fantastic Kale Dijon Salad
- Citrus Vinaigrette Strawberry Mango Kale Salad
- Egg Salad with Mustard Dressing
- Roasted Eggplant with Burrata Salad Recipe
- Greek Salad with Marinated and Grilled Chicken Recipe
- Refreshing Cucumber Salad
- TikTok’s Viral Green Goddess Salad
- BEST Fattoush Salad with Dressing
- Lebanese Tabouli Salad Recipe (Tabbouleh)
Houston’s Copycat Kale Salad
Ingredients
Dressing
- ¾ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 1 tablespoon mustard powder
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
Salad
- 5-6 stems curly kale, (remove the stem)
- 1½ cups romaine lettuce, chopped
- ½ cup shaved carrots
- ½ cup cilantro leaves, off the stem
- ¼ cup fresh grated parmesan cheese, for garnish (optional)
- Tortilla chips, for garnish
Instructions
- In a jar add all of the dressing ingredients and shake or mix very well using a spoon. You can choose to blend all the ingredients in a blender.
- Wash and remove the kale off the stems. Roughly chop or using your hangs you can twist and cut them that way. Then massage the kale using hands and palm by squeezing and rubbing them.
- Place in a large bowl the add the chopped romaine lettuce, shaved carrots, and cilantro.
- Pour the dressing over the salad greens and mix. I love the dressing to soak into the salad for about 10 minutes so flavors infuse and kale softens.
- When ready to enjoy top with parmesan cheese and tortilla strips.
Notes
- Before drizzling the dressing over your salad, taste it. Adjust as desired; if you prefer a sweeter dressing, add another tablespoon of honey. Add another tablespoon of rice vinegar if you prefer a more acidic dressing.
- It’s better to massage the kale before adding it to the salad. Massaging it makes it tender and reduces its bitterness.
- Store leftover dressing in a small jar in the fridge for up to two weeks.
- You can add some fresh mint, green cabbage, and green onions to your salad if you like. You can also add some chopped peanuts for a more crunchy taste.
- Use fresh kale to make this salad. Make sure the leaves are not wilted and have a bright green color.
