Three-Color Roasted Vegetable Salad

Kale is everywhere this summer. It's almost as prevalent as bacon jam!

If you're going to participate in a foodie-fad, I recommend the kale. It's super good for you. Cheap. Easy to cook. And it doesn't taste awful if you cook it right. Actually, that's a lie. It also tastes excellent dressed in garlic sauce on the Whole Foods salad bar!

If you don't live near a Whole Foods, you're in luck! This amped-up kale salad is an adequate and work-safe (garlic sauce-less) substitution. The red cabbage is a great source of vitamin C. The red onion is strongly anti-inflammatory. The sweet potato is chock-full of vitamins. And together they make a filling, delicious side for any piece of meat.

You'll notice that the recipe calls for (basically) every oil I have in my kitchen. Don't be alarmed. If you'd rather stick to olive oil, things will turn-out just fine. But if you're not opposed to a little lipid-diversity, I definitely recommend you perform this recipe as prescribed. The coconut oil enhances the sweetness of the sweet potato, and bacon grease is the perfect companion for red cabbage (just ask the Germans).

Once it's cooked, you can serve it warm or cold, which makes this salad the perfect take-along to a late-Summer BBQ. And it won't go soggy, so it's a great option to pep up your lunch box. It takes a little-bit of extra effort, but its beauty and diversity makes it all worth it.

Three-Color Roasted Vegetable Salad

How pretty is this? Take it to a party on a large platter and wow everyone with your skills!

Ingredients

20 oz kale leaves, ripped into pieces

4 medium sweet potatoes, shredded

1 head red cabbage, chopped

1 large red onion, sliced thin

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons coconut oil

1 tablespoon bacon grease

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon sage powder

Salt and pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a large baking sheet with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Spread kale into an even layer on baking sheet. Drizzle with remaining olive oil. Salt liberally and season with a garlic powder and a few shakes of pepper.* Roast at 400 degrees until kale starts to crisp. About 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool enough to touch.

In a medium baking dish, combine shredded sweet potato, coconut oil, and sage. Season with a small pinch of salt and a few shakes of pepper. Roast at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool enough to touch.

In a medium skillet, heat bacon grease over medium heat. Add onion and saute until the onion becomes translucent. Remove from heat. Add cabbage and stir to coat with oil. Pour into a medium baking dish and roast at 400 degrees until cabbage becomes tender (but still has a little crunch) about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and add red wine vinegar. Season with a small pinch of salt and a few shakes of pepper. Stir to combine.

To serve, layer the kale, cabbage and sweet potato (in that order). Makes 10 servings.


Note: You also could massage your Kale by mixing the leaves, oil, and seasoning in a bowl and rubbing it for a few minutes with your hands. The spread it on a baking sheet and roast.