My sister actually created this kale salad during one of her food experiments in my kitchen. Her cooking style is unique, she just grabs whatever is on hand and figures out how to make it work. Using her resourcefulness and a special kind of magic-she created this amazing salad. We turn to this all the time, especially lately, as Sawyer has been really big on making sure he eats healthy. He became a vegetarian in March of this year (while we were on a cruise) and has stuck to it whole-heartedly. It is really quite cool to see his passion for healthy eating and protection of animals. Since he is surfing a lot more and doing Crossfit three times a week, I want to make sure he is getting enough calories and protein. This kale salad does the trick.

This salad is full of power foods: kale, walnuts, quinoa, apples, cranberries, olive oil, honey. You can actually feel yourself getting healthier with each bite. And, you want to keep eating it because it tastes great. Its the perfect combination of sweet and savory, crunchy and tender.

You can serve this as a side or just eat a big bowl of it for a meal. It is also perfect to make a batch on Sunday and take it for lunches during the week. I like it topped with crumbled goat cheese to add one more level of flavor.

Yum!