This kale salad with mustard vinaigrette, roasted Marcona almonds, sweet dried apricots and Parmesan cheese is one of my absolute favorites. It’s based on a popular kale salad from a nearby pizza place, Marye’s Pizza.

In general, I’m not a big fan of kale salads (or kale anything), so I was wary the first time I tried the one at Marye’s. I ordered the full-size kale salad, thinking I could split it with John, along with our pizzas. But once I had a bite, I pulled that salad plate a little closer 😉 The strong mustard vinaigrette balanced the bitter, fibrous kale in a way I hadn’t tasted before. And I loved it!

So for the past few years I’ve been working on a salad that’s as good as Marye’s. Finally, this is it. Hope you enjoy! This kale salad with mustard vinaigrette is delicious alongside our crab cakes (or salmon cakes), meatballs marinara, one-pot pasta, marinated grilled chicken, or roasted trout. Keep in mind that the recipe is flexible — you can use kale and shaved Brussels or all kale, roasted Marcona almond or another nut, apricots or another fruit!