Resolution Recipe: Miso Kale Salad

January is all about New Year's resolutions (Clean eating! Learning how to cook!) and this wholesome recipe satisfies both. You don’t need to know much about cooking to make this dish; in fact, it requires no actual cooking or heat source at all. Just mix together your dressing, pour it over the kale, apples, and walnuts, then toss and enjoy.

Miso is an incredibly versatile ingredient, and if you don't have it in your fridge right now then it's certainly worth picking up a container. This dressing is one of my favorite ways to use miso, and it’s even vegan if you substitute the honey for agave. Miso also adds an umami-rich flavor to soups, marinades, or any number of your favorite dishes. Picky eaters can be easily tricked, too — my husband is not a big fan of kale, but he ate his entire plate of salad and even went as far as to tell me that it was, and I quote, “delicious.”

Miso Kale Salad with Apples and Walnuts

Prep Time: 20 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

For the Miso Dressing:

3 tablespoons light mayonnaise

2 tablespoons dijon mustard

2 tablespoons miso paste

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

juice of 1 lemon

For the Kale Salad:

1 bunch kale, cleaned and trimmed

1 apple

½ cup walnuts

Instructions:

For the Miso Dressing:

1. Whisk together all of your dressing ingredients, either in a bowl or by shaking them all together in a mason jar. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary, or add more lemon juice or vinegar if the mixture is too thick. Set aside or place in the fridge to use for up to 1 week.

For the Kale Salad:

1. Clean and dry the kale well, then place it in a large bowl.

2. Pour about half of the dressing over the kale, and use your hands to squeeze the dressing into the leaves. Kale is incredibly sturdy, so really get in there and work the dressing into the greens. Taste and add more dressing, if you like.

3. Dice your apples and roughly chop your walnuts. Sprinkle these over the salad and toss to combine.

This salad will keep well, dressed, in the fridge for up to two days (I’ll be honest, I ate this for three days in a row, and the leaves wilt a bit more than you’d like by the third day, but it was still tasty)!