eating your superfoods is easy – with this vibrant kale + golden beet salad

People tend to either love or loathe kale salads — me? I’m firmly in the ‘love’ camp – so long as it’s prepared properly. The trick to making a killer kale salad is to marinate it. As kale can be a tough, fibrous green it requires acid + salt to properly tenderize.

Also adding to kale salad’s virtues is that they couldn’t be easier. They’re pretty fool proof – and it’s a true ‘one bowl’ meal. No need to prepare a separate dressing, you just add the acid, oil, and seasonings directly to the greens.

I also love that they can not only be made ahead of time – but they get better the longer they sit. It’s perfect to make ahead of time to work for a convenient lunch or to keep in your fridge for a grab and go meal.

I call this version a ‘superfood’ salad as it’s packed with nutrient dense ingredients like goji berries, hemp seeds, and microgreens. Goji berries are packed with antioxidants and add a little sweetness to offset the kale. I like that they will plump up as the dressing marinates. The hemp seeds also add a hefty protein dose that transforms this from a side salad to a complete meal. As a side note – adding hemp seeds to salads, bowls, and vegetables is a great way to up protein intake for those eating a largely plant-based diet.

Using a hand slicer to thinly slice the beets makes this a super simple and fast. Don’t have one? Try grating them with a box grater instead.