The kale craze hit us a couple years ago, and this veg has continued to trend- and rightfully so.  It’s incredibly healthy but also delicious.  It’s packed with iron, calcium, vitamin K, A, and C, and full of antioxidants, making it an everyday superfood.  I always have a few heads of kale in my fridge ready to be made into kale chips, added to smoothies, eaten raw in salads, and steamed for veggie bowls.

Nearly everyone has a kale salad on their menu in NYC, and I’ve definitely ordered my fair share.  In honor of National Kale Day, I’ve rounded up a few of my favorites from great spots in NYC. They come from Hu Kitchen, Angelica’s Kitchen, The Butcher’s Daughter, and sweetgreen.

PRIMAL KALE SALAD – Hu Kitchen

Hu Kitchen’s salad is perfectly massaged and dressed in a super flavorful dressing (organic apple cider vinegar, unfiltered raw honey, shallot, garlic + mustard powder).  The organic goji berries and sesame seeds add the perfect sweetness, crunch, and an extra antioxidant punch.

KALE – Angelica  Kitchen

Angelica’s is a really simple kale salad with miso marinated tofu feta, walnuts, sun dried tomatoes, olive oil, lemon and garlic.  They turned me on to slicing my kale paper thin – here’s my version of their perfect kale salad.

 

SPICY KALE CAESAR SALAD – The Butcher’s Daughter

I was skeptical of tempeh until I tried it here. It’s seriously just as good as bacon.  The large pieces of kale are dressed in a slightly spicy vegan dressing and it’s topped with vegan parmesan, crunchy almonds and crispy shallots (hold the croutons if you’re gluten free like me!).

 

THE SPICY SABZI – sweetgreen

Before sweetgreen opened in NYC, I used to make sure my trips home to DC included at least 2 stops at sweetgreen for the sabzi.  The carrot ginger dressing is amazing, and it’s just as healthy as the salads I make at home. Add avocado to this salad and you are good to go.