Mexican Kale Salad with Spicy Avocado Dressing

It's #NationalKaleDay (and World Vegetarian Day) so what better way to celebrate than with a homemade Mexican Style Kale Salad with a Spicy Avocado Dressing? 

I love Kale.  In fact I prefer it in my salads over regular lettuce.  It just has a better chew to it than a super watery iceberg!  Not to mention how good it is for you! Kale is low in Saturated Fat, and very low in Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Dietary Fiber, Protein, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Folate, Iron, Magnesium and Phosphorus, and a very good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, Calcium, Potassium, Copper and Manganese. 

Talk about a super food! 

This salad came together really quickly... Like 30 min max... Take that Rachel Ray! Heads up, I'm not putting measurements for what went into the salad.  Make it your own.  If you love tomatoes, put lots of tomatoes! If you don't like cilantro, leave it out... My mom hates cilantro... I love telling her that she has a chemical imbalance! No, SERIOUSLY! People that hate the taste of cilantro... it's due to a chemical imbalance in the body!! Look it up!

I'm considering taking this with me tomorrow when I meet a guy for coffee... just so I can say, 

"TASTE THIS!"

For Salad:

Kale, washed, trimmed, torn into bite sized pieces, and massaged

Cherry Tomatoes

Black Beans

Orange Bell Pepper

Frozen Sweet Corn, thawed

Red Onion

Cilantro (Yay or Nay depending on your chemical make-up)

Lime

Avocado

S&P

Tortilla Chips, crushed (makes for a good crouton sub)

For Dressing:

1 1/2 avocados

1 1/2 limes, juiced

1/2 jalapeño, seeded

2 cups water

1/4 cup olive oil

2 cloves garlic

Cilantro to taste (Just in case you're one of those people...)

S&P to taste

Make the dressing by putting everything in the blender and blending till smooth.  (COME ON!! How easy is that?!)  

Build the salad: I chose to toss the kale with some of the dressing before topping with all of the yummy salad toppers! (If you've never had fresh herbs in your salad, you are missing out! Try cilantro here or basil in an Italian style salad.  YUMMMMM!)

 Toss again and serve. Garnish with a lime wedge and some crushed tortilla chips for some added crunch.