This is a really, really easy salad. It’s just a ‘throw-everything-together’ kind of a recipe. Just a bit of chopping and massaging… Yes massaging. To be honest though, most nights during the week I tend to eat really easy dishes like this as it’s hard to find time to cook something complicated from scratch after a long day at work.

I bought most of the ingredients at the Temple Bar Farmer’s Market last weekend. The beautiful black kale and fresh beetroot are from McNally’s organic farm, the delicious apple balsamic vinegar is from Llewellyns Orchard,  the Irish buffalo mozzarella is from Toonsbridge Dairy (if you follow this blog you’ll see I use it ALL the time, that’s because it is the ambrosia of the Gods). I also got some macadamia nut oil from my local health food shop, The Hopsack (which is a real gem by the way), to massage the kale. Kale has a gorgeous texture and there’s no need to cook it if you massage it with a little oil. This softens it a little and you’ll visibly notice the colour become more vivid , I think it vastly improves the texture and flavour. You can use whatever oil you like but macadamia is packed with healthy fats and had a beautiful, subtle, nutty taste that’s perfect for salad dressings.

All in all this is a very easy, healthy and delicious salad, so get to it and whip it up!

Ingredients:

1 bunch kale

1 large raw beetroot (okay I suppose you can use the cooked prepackaged ones if you must)

1 ball of fresh mozzarella

Balsamic vinegar

Macadamia oil (or other mild tasting oil like rapeseed)

Pistachios

1. Rinse the kale. Remove the stalks/ribs of the kale (you can’t eat these, or at least without difficulty) and slice the kale into fine ribbons. In a bowl massage a tablespoon of oil into the kale leaves for about a minute.
2. Wash the beetroot well and remove the roots. Slice finely on a mandolin and mix into your bowl of kale.
3. Tear up your mozzarella and scatter on top. Drizzle with balsamic oil.
4. Roughly chop your pistachios and scatter on top of the salad.
5. Enjoy!