Kale Waldorf Salad -- Will This Be My New Favorite?

I am here to tell you that there is not much in this world that I enjoy more than Chicken Waldorf Salad. I mean, I could eat it every. single. day. Seriously. At every meal even.

Well, those days are over. I'm no longer eating chicken. Or mayonnaise. And I have to admit, Chicken Waldorf Salad was one of those foods I figured I'd be missing until the day I die. Now I'm thinking, whoa! Slow down girl! Not so fast.

As I was searching for recipes that featured this week's star veggie - kale - I came across THIS recipe from Whole Foods.

It's given me new hope that I might not have to say goodbye to my beloved waldorf salad after all. Sure it's different. And I know it won't taste the same as what I'm used to. But I think it's worth a try and who knows? Maybe it will become my new favorite ...

Kale Waldorf Salad

Serves 6
Note: This variation on the classic Waldorf salad uses kale instead of lettuce and adds apple and walnuts to the dressing for a creamy consistency without using the typical mayonnaise base.

4 cups packed finely chopped raw kale, preferably dinosaur kale
1 large red apple, such as Fuji or Honeycrisp
1 cup thinly sliced celery
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped, divided
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons raisins, divided
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons water, more if needed
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/8 teaspoon sea salt

Place kale in a large bowl. Chop half the apple and add to kale along with celery, 1/4 cup walnuts and 1/4 cup raisins. Chop remaining half of apple and put in a blender along with remaining 1/4 cup walnuts, remaining 2 tablespoons raisins, mustard, water, vinegar and salt. Purée until well combined and slightly thick, adding water if needed to thin. Pour dressing over kale salad and toss to combine.

Nutrition Per serving (about 5oz/131g-wt.): 140 calories (60 from fat), 7g total fat, 0.5g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 135mg sodium, 20g total carbohydrate (3g dietary fiber, 10g sugar), 3g protein

Suggestions: I'm already thinking I'll probably omit the Dijon mustard (not a huge fan) and that I'll add a little more apple to the salad. Maybe include some spinach and romaine in there just for kicks? And dried cranberries too. Possibly even add some roughly chopped white mushrooms to take the place of the chicken? I can already imagine how good it will taste!