Life Changes with a side of Kale and Apple Salad with Cilantro-Lime Dressing

Sorry I’ve been gone for a while. Simply put, I’ve been a little distracted…intentionally distracted, that is.

As Anita pointed out, we have spent the last 5 months (in truth, the last 2 years) working toward and desperately awaiting the day when we find out where we’ll actually begin our careers as physicians – me in general surgery, and anita in orthopedic surgery…that’s right we’re gonna be two BA surgeons (you can interpret BA however you choose). The problem with all this waiting is that I tend to ruminate on the “worst case scenario”. I try to prepare myself for the worst so in the event that happens, I’m at least a little bit ready to face it (I know that sounds bad, but that’s just how my brain works).

In an attempt to distract myself from my overly anxious mind, my S.O. (that’s interview speak for “significant other”) and I decided to embark on a 4 week road trip. And it was during those four weeks that we managed to:

1. Cover over 7000 miles in my Honda Fit (and only get stuck once)

2. Visit 7 national parks (plus a few state parks)

3. Survive camping out in 15 degree weather

5. Stay in a Yurt

5. Spend over a week with my best friend (and meet my new best friend – Charlie Brown)

6. Make out with a giraffe

7. Oh right…and I got engaged

All in all, it was a very effective distraction tactic. So effective, in fact, that I barely had time to unpack my bags and gather my negative thoughts before match day arrived. And with that, I’m happy to announce that Anita and I will be taking out talents to…

Anita – Ortho @ Wash U                                                    Ari (& fiance)- Gen Surg @ Michigan

Okay. Now that I’ve made my excuses for not posting in a while, and finally had to opportunity to tell all of you about the big changes in our lives, I guess I can go ahead and present you with my new favorite recipe – kale and apple salad with cilantro-lime dressing.

Ingredients:

  • 1 bundle of raw kale, deveined and chopped
  • 3-4 medium sized apples (Pink Ladies are great in this salad), chopped
  • 3 medium sized limes, juiced (about 1/3-1/2 cup fresh lime juice)
  • 1/3 cup oil (a combination of olive oil and coconut oil is my favorite)
  • 1 bunch of cilantro, roughly chopped
  • 1-2 cloves garlic, minced (be careful not too add too much because raw garlic is pretty powerful)
  • 1 tbs honey
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  1. Add the lime juice, oil, cilantro, garlic, honey, salt and pepper to a blender and blend until the cilantro is pretty much pulverized. 
  2. In a large bowl mix together the chopped kale and apples.
  3. Pour dressing over salad and toss.
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13 Responses to Life Changes with a side of Kale and Apple Salad with Cilantro-Lime Dressing

  1. Jasmin says:

    Congratulations to you both! And an extra one for Ari\’s engagement! 🙂

  2. Stephanie says:

    Congratulations so much to both of you for your matches! And Congrats to the engagement! :D! (p.s. that arches photo is breathtaking. <3.) Wedding cake post in the future???

    • Ari says:

      Thanks Stephanie!! We were lucky enough to run into a photography class at the Mesa Arch and someone lent us their really nice wide-angle lens. As for the wedding cake, we’d love suggestions!

  3. Kale has been my obsession for the past year and I\’m always on the hunt for new dressings to pour over it. This one sounds amazing!

    • Ari says:

      Yeah. The popularity of kale definitely seems to be growing. I’ll admit that I usually cook it, but I’m quickly discovering the wonderful taste that is raw kale.

      Hope you like the dressing!

  4. Lillian says:

    I made this last night. It was so delicious!

  5. Kristine says:

    I just made this and it’s soooo lovely! Thank you 🙂

  6. Joycee says:

    So I internet searched apple, kale, and cilantro recipe this morning. I am looking forward to trying this for dinner tonight. Yay and thanks!

  7. Laura says:

    Yum! What a delicious, light lunch! I forgot to add garlic to my dressing 🙁 , but it was still tasty. I also added unsalted sunflower seeds to my salad, it was a good addition.

  8. Liz says:

    can you make the dressing ahead? how long will it last?

  9. Mira says:

    You have a great blog! I love kale salad, and this dressing will be perfect for it. I am planning to use it as a topping for some steak, if made a little thicker.

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