Kale, Roasted Sweet Potato and Apple Salad with Dijon Dressing

This salad was super easy to whip up on a weekday night for a healthy dinner with a lot of variety, and I enjoyed the leftovers for lunch the next day.  I could also see myself tossing a double batch of this together to take to a family gathering at my Mom's.  Over the years, I've had some trouble finding raw kale salads that I've truly enjoyed.  This is definitely one of them.  I've always enjoyed steamed kale as a side but thought raw kale was too tough in a salad.  One of the major ways I've turned this around for myself is slicing the kale into really skinny strips.  Something about doing that really changes the game for me and kale salads.

Kale is nice and sturdy so it will last a few days in the fridge even with the dressing.  Having some acid from the lemon juice in the dressing on the apples helps to keep them from browning as well, so I'd say overall this is one of the better salads I've made to be able to fully prepare ahead of time.

The combination of flavors and textures here also feels more substantial than just your average salad.  The hubs even gave it two thumbs up (literally)!

Kale, Roasted Sweet Potato and Apple Salad with Dijon Dressing

Adapted from Real Simple Magazine - September 2013

• 1 sweet potato - cut into 1" cubes
• 6 Tbsp olive oil
• Salt and black pepper (I prefer sea salt)
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 3 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 bunch kale (I used a flat leaf variety)
• 1 Gala or Fuji apple
• 1/4 C sliced almonds
• 4 oz shaved cheese (I used Swiss - next time I will probably try Gruyere)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Toss 2 Tbsp olive oil with the cubed sweet potato and season with salt and pepper on a rimmed baking sheet.  Roast for about 20 minutes, stirring halfway through, until slightly browned and a fork easily pierces the sweet potato.

While the sweet potato is roasting, whisk together the remaining oil, salt and pepper to your liking, lemon juice and Dijon mustard.

Chop the kale by folding in half, cutting out the large stem and then slicing into thin strips.  Slice up the apple and toss in a large bowl with the kale and the sweet potato once it has cooled slightly.  Top with the almonds, cheese, dressing and lightly toss once more.  Enjoy!