Kale Salad with Crispy Pork Belly

This post was sponsored by Eat Smart as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own. I received product samples to facilitate my review.

I’ll admit. I don’t make salads often at home.  It’s not that I don’t enjoy salads – I absolutely love them.  I eat them all the time when I’m out – but at home, not so much.  All the prep work for what I want as a quick meal turns me off.  That’s all about to change…

Eat Smart sent me five varieties of their Gourmet Vegetable Salad Kits and I loved everyone of them!  I really can’t pick a favorite!  Each unique salad kit has so much flavor, so much crunch – so much more than just lettuce and carrots.  Perfect for an appetizer, snack, lunch or dinner.  Seriously – it just got so much easier to eat a quick, nutritious and delicious meal at home.

I love greens and have been trying to work more kale into my meals.  I was excited to see the Eat Smart Sweet Kale Vegetable Salad Kit.  Loaded with superfoods this salad contains kale, green cabbage, broccoli, brussel sprouts, chicory, roasted pumpkin seeds & dried cranberries – completed with a delicious poppy seed dressing.

I’ve heard many people say that kale is too tough for everyday salads – but there’s a simple trick to remedy that.  Chop it up in small bite size pieces and toss it in dressing about ten minutes before serving.  The dressing softens the kale up just enough.  Luckily, the prep work here is already done 🙂

On such a green salad…I needed some fatty protein.  Sorry, but not sorry.

Pork Belly.  You heard me right – pork belly.  If you’re not familiar with pork belly – it’s the oh-so glorious cut of meat that bacon and pancetta are made of.  It’s beautiful, it’s rich, it’s indulgent – it’s a cut of meat made for a king or a queen.  Being such a rich & fatty food – it’s best served in small pieces.  Like on top of my salad 😉

Thing is, you can’t just waltz into your local grocer and find pork belly in the meat department.  It’s definitely a specialty cut of meat.  I live in a farm town so it was pretty easy for me to hunt down a piece of pork belly.  I found my 12 pound fresh pork belly at a local butcher shop.  Visit a farmers market or a specialty butcher shop – they usually sell it sliced in 1-2 pound pieces or whole.

As a last resort, you can order online.  There’s absolutely no shame in that – it’s just gonna cost you.  A 10 pound hunk will run you $70 – $100 plus shipping.  Yikes.  I bought a 12 pound hunk for about $30.  Always look local first.

Pork belly isn’t hard to make.  Roast it on high heat for a few minutes and then on low heat for an additional hour or two.  Cool it, and then slice it as needed and pan fry.  Oh my goodness – it’s delicious.  Heavenly.

I know you’re ready to try Eat Smart Gourmet Vegetable Salad Kits!  Find them at a store nearby you!

Oh…and last, but not least.  Eat Smart is having a giveaway!  Enter for a chance to win one of Ten (10) AMEX Gift Cards at $50 each and samples of all five Eat Smart Gourmet Vegetable Salad Kits (for a total of five salads).  Scroll down to enter for a chance to win!

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Here’s to healthier habits made easier!

-Amanda-

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Eat Smart Gourmet Vegetable Salad Kit Giveaway

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Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Kale Salad with Roasted Pork Belly

Pork Belly Recipe Adapted from Momofuku. Seriously - why mess with perfection? This needs to be made the day ahead & chilled so plan ahead.

Prep Time12 hrs

Cook Time2 hrs

Total Time14 hrs

Course: Pork, Salad

Servings: 1 -3 pounds

Author: Amanda

Ingredients

• For Pork Belly:
• piece of fresh pork belly skin removed, 1-3 pound piece
• 1 tablespoon salt per pound
• 1 tablespoon sugar per pound
• pepper
• For Salad:
• Eat Smart Sweet Kale Vegetable Salad Kit
• apple sliced or diced
• handful of crushed pecans or walnuts

Instructions

• For Pork Belly:
• Season the belly with the salt, sugar and a sprinkle of pepper. Cover and let sit about 8 hours or overnight in the fridge.
• Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil.
• Cook at 450° for half an hour. Lower heat to 275° and cook for an additional hour or two. It should be tender but not mushy.
• Remove from oven and let cool to room temp. Tightly wrap roasted pork belly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled through. At least a few hours and up to a couple days.
• When needed, slice into pieces of desired thickness and panfry in a drizzle of oil until brown.
• For Salad:
• About 10 minutes before serving, toss dressing with salad.
• Sprinkle cranberry, pumpkin seeds, apple & walnuts over top.
• Top with desired amount of pork belly and serve.