I will now deliver my secret formula for green salads.

GREENS + FRUIT + NUT + DRESSING = SALAD

The equation becomes tastier still with the addition of cured meat (and/or cheese), but I didn't have either of those at the time.

For some strange reason, I've never made many kale salads before this, even though I order them whenever they are on the menu. At the grocery store, I always think, "Oh, a kale salad will be good. I'll get this kale." And then days later it's looking kind of unlikely and I turn it into kale chips instead.

Anyway, trying to break that kale cycle with a copycat recipe of the kale salad at Kowalski's. I learned that it's way overpriced last week when I bought some at the deli to bring to a friend's place for dinner. However, it was good enough that I was craving it again and decided to recreate it at home.

This salad is no-frills, even though that's impossible (Get it? Because kale is always frilly. Unless it's not the frilly kind.).

No-Frills Kale Salad 

paleo, gluten-free, whole30, raw, vegetarian, vegan

• Kale, washed, chopped and massaged
• Pine nuts (or other nuts)
• Dried fruit (I used a medley from TJ's that has cranberries, golden raisins and regular raisins)

Dressing (this is how I dress almost all my green salads, actually)

• Drizzle of olive oil
• Squeeze of lemon
• Sea salt
• Cracked pepper