Easy winter salad — no lettuce or tomato in sight

http://www.lawrence.com/users/shenning/photos/2012/jan/13/228188/

We had a great conversation yesterday about being meatless in the Midwest. Please, keep it up! I’d love to hear more suggestions on where to eat as a vegetarian in Lawrence.

And, while you’re munching on that, let’s talk briefly about eating meatless at home, shall we?

Salad is a staple in our house, and that’s no different in the winter. Though, I do know vegetarians and omnivores alike who have a hard time embracing salads when temperatures dip below freezing. Suddenly, lettuce seems a bit too, well, cold. And because tomatoes and many other basic salad ingredients aren’t in season, it can be hard to keep a healthy salad habit going.

So, I encourage you to branch out. A salad is really just a random conglomeration of things, and it doesn’t necessarily need to involve lettuce and tomato. It’s no secret I’m a huge kale salad fan, and I’ve even written an entire story on winter salads. There really are a ton of options, including one I came up with on a whim last night.

Said salad (above) really is the perfect definition of “a random conglomeration of things.” And it was soooo good.

I started with the last of my leftover squash and then took a look in the fridge to see what would go with it. I had a few wilty kale leaves, an about-to-turn avocado, a huge vat of kalamata olives from Costco and a jar of kimchi I’d bought this weekend in an effort to increase my intake of probiotics beyond just my (out-of-control) kombucha addiction.

The result was a healthy late-in-the-week dinner that I’m so glad I found.

Kimchi Squash Kale Salad

1/2 bunch green kale

1 to 2 cups chopped cooked squash (I used 1.5 roasted sweet dumpling squash)

1/2 cup kimchi (or more)

1/2 avocado, chopped

Kalamata olives

Tear the kale leaves into small pieces and discard the stems. Put the pieces in a bowl and top with avocado, massaging it gently into the kale pieces. Top with squash, kimchi and olives. Enjoy! Serves 1 as a dinner salad or 2 as a side salad.