High Fructose Corn Syrup Free Cilantro-Lime Kale and Avocado Salad

Total time25 min

Prep time20 min

Cook time0 min

4.9

(10)

High Fructose Corn Syrup Free Cilantro-Lime Kale and Avocado Salad

Bright, zesty, and loaded with texture, this salad is the kind of bowl that makes you genuinely excited about eating your greens. Massaging the kale with a little salt is the secret move here — it breaks down the tough fibers so the leaves turn silky and soak up every bit of that cilantro-lime dressing. Speaking of the dressing, it comes together with just olive oil, fresh lime juice, garlic, honey, and a pinch of cumin, meaning you know exactly what's in it and there's no mystery syrup hiding anywhere. That matters more than people realize, since bottled dressings and store-bought salad kits are some of the sneakiest places processed sweeteners show up. Here, the only sweetener is a single teaspoon of honey, and it's there to balance the citrus, not to overwhelm. Creamy avocado, crisp cucumber, juicy cherry tomatoes, and toasted pepitas round everything out with color and crunch. It's fresh, satisfying, and comes together with nothing but whole, real ingredients.

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Ingredients

4 servings

For the salad

1 large bunch curly or lacinato kale (about 8 oz), stems removed, leaves torn into bite-sized pieces
¼ tsp fine sea salt
2 ripe avocados, pitted, peeled, and diced
1 english cucumber, halved lengthwise and sliced into half-moons
½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved
¼ cup red onion, thinly sliced
⅓ cup raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

For the dressing

3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
3 tbsp fresh lime juice (from about 2 limes)
½ cup fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 tsp honey
¼ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp fine sea salt
¼ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

Instructions

1
Place the torn kale leaves in a large mixing bowl and sprinkle with 1/4 tsp salt. Using clean hands, massage the kale firmly for 2–3 minutes until the leaves darken, soften noticeably, and reduce in volume by about half.
2
In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, cilantro, garlic, honey, cumin, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes, if using, until the dressing is well combined and slightly emulsified.

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