Reverse Engineering the Grocery Store: My Sweet and Tangy Kale Salad Using What I Have on Hand

We all agree that using what you have on hand is about the most budget-friendly way to feed yourself. Well, here's a salad that is refreshing, flavorful, and uses only ingredients I already have at home or buy on a regular basis.

Kale is known to have a bitter taste in summer, but sweetens after the first frost. My family has a favorite way to eat it in the heat of summer while bypassing bitter taste -- Sweet and Tangy Kale Salad.

Easy Sweet and Tangy Kale Salad

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients (per serving):

2 to 3 large kale leaves per serving

1 tablespoon nuts or seeds per serving

1 1/2 tablespoons dried fruit, such as Craisins or raisins, per serving

1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons jam per serving

1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons oil per serving

1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons vinegar per serving

dash salt and black pepper

pinch orange zest (optional)

I start with several leaves of kale from the garden. Once they're washed and patted dry, I shred them into 1/4-inch widths. No worry about toughness or need to massage the kale.

The delectable dressing uses 1 part jam, 1 part, oil, and about 1 1/2 parts vinegar (I've used chive blossom vinegar here, but any vinegar will work), and a dash each of salt and pepper.

I mix the dressing directly in the bowl before adding the greens and add-ins.

In addition to the kale, I toss in about 1 tablespoon nuts or seeds (sliced almonds, roasted sunflower seeds, or pepita seeds) per serving, and about 1 1/2 tablespoons dried fruit (dried cranberries are prettiest, but I also use raisins if that's all I have, like today). If I feel like a little citrus twist, I toss in a little orange zest.

Mix together, and that's it! A colorful, nutritious, and delicious salad.

The sweet and tangy dressing is delicious on spinach salads, any dark green-fruit-nut salad, and red cabbage slaws in the fall.

For the orange zest — I buy a couple of organic oranges in winter. I shave the zest off with a vegetable peeler, then finely mince. Stored in the freezer, I have orange zest to use all year.

Shopping for Inspiration, Not Products

Sweet Kale Chopped Salad Kit at Fred Meyer

I was first inspired to make this salad at home by a salad kit I saw in the store (Fred Meyer). Browsing the salad kits, produce trays, and deli sections at the store is an excellent strategy for finding new ways to use ingredients you already have at home. You could say that these sections of the grocery store are a free look-book for inspiration.

When I see an appealing salad kit or tasty-looking deli salad, I don’t pull out my wallet. Instead I read the ingredient list on the back of the package. I study the flavor combinations, look at the textures, and then head right back home to my own kitchen and garden to recreate it using what I already have on hand.

My home-prepared kale salad cost about 70 cents to make 2 servings (35 cents/serving), including the cost of growing my own kale, all of the dressing ingredients, and the add-ins of raisins and almonds. If I were to buy a kale salad kit, my cost would be $4.99 for 3.5 servings at Fred Meyer ($1.42/serving). My version isn’t an exact dupe, but still saved me over $1 per serving for something very similar.

Salad kits are very convenient, and definitely have a place. I use them when we're having guests, and I want to have an easy kitchen job for a guest to handle. A salad kit is self-explanatory and busies my guest while I'm putting the finishing touches on everything.

The true luxury of a salad like this isn't just the fresh, crisp crunch; it’s the financial victory. By bypassing the plastic bag salad kits and the deli counter, and instead using our backyard harvest and basic pantry staples, a giant bowl of gourmet greens costs us next to nothing. It teaches us to look at the grocery store with a critic's eye—turning their expensive convenience ideas into our own thrifty, everyday masterpieces.

Your Turn: I would love to hear how you find inspiration for your daily meals! Have you ever tried to recreate a favorite restaurant dish, a grocery store deli salad, or a frozen meal at home from scratch? Do you ever reverse-engineer a convenience food item to try and match a store-bought flavor at home? Please share your tips in the comments!