This is a great salad, y’all!

I’ve been meaning to share it for awhile but haven’t gotten around to it.

My haven’t-got-around-to-it list is epically long. What about yours?

Anyway, about this salad. I call it a very southern salad because it uses the extras from cornbread to craft a salad with buttermilk dressing. And y’all know how southerners are about their cornbread….(though, I must admit that this southern gal has not one, but two sons who will not eat cornbread. This baffles me.)

This is an excellent make ahead salad since you marinate the kale in the dressing beforehand. This salad is also great news for the lazy among us (I count myself in this number) because you can make the dressing, marinate the kale, and serve the salad all in the same bowl.

For the salad you will need:

1/3 cup buttermilk

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon White wine or apple cider vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt

About 6 cups of kale, ribs removed and cut crosswise into 1-inch-thick pieces. Or, use baby kale.

Chopped smokey ham or diced, cooked bacon – maybe a third of a cup

1/3 cup finely grated extra sharp white cheddar cheese

2 cups of three-quarter inch cubed pieces of cornbread, lightly toasted

In a large bowl, combine the buttermilk, olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, and salt and whisk to blend. Add the kale and toss to combine well. Let the kale salad marinate until the leaves become tender, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. (at this point, the salad can be covered and refrigerated for about two hours) Mix the ham or bacon and cheese into the kale salad. Then very gently fold the cornbread into the salad. Season with cracked black pepper and serve.