Rachael Zarda

We are smack in the middle of the holiday season, and while there are so many amazing, joyous aspects to this time of year, the one thing I struggle with the most is finding balance with my health.

There are parties scheduled, happy hours with friends in town, and excuse after excuse to indulge in all the sugar. After a few missed workouts and multiple nights in a row of eating out, it’s nice to have a few recipes up my sleeve that I can easily whip up at home to get those greens in and keep me feeling like myself.

This salad is packed full of deliciously healthy ingredients and is super easy to put together. Make it for a quick lunch or pair it with a chicken breast or grilled salmon for dinner. The perfect salad for me has a variety of textures, flavors, and color – this one even has a bit of a holiday vibe, which was the happiest of accidents. Hope you enjoy!

ORANGE, PISTACHIO, POMEGRANATE, AND KALE SALAD

Serves 2

Ingredients
2 cups kale
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 Tbsp organic maple syrup
2 oranges
1/4 cup pistachios
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions
In a small mixing bowl, add the olive oil and whisk in the apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, and juice of one orange to create a vinaigrette.

Add kale to a large mixing bowl and drizzle with vinaigrette. Use your fingers to massage the kale until tender.

With a sharp knife, cut remaining orange into slices about a 1/4 inch thick and remove the peel from around each slice.

Place the orange slices onto the kale mixture and sprinkle with pistachios, pomegranates, and a little salt and pepper if desired.