#HailToTheKale is a wildly popular Twitter hashtag. KALE t-shirts are popular (see Beyoncé). In general, if you heard someone talking about healthy eating in the past few years, they've probably referenced kale, which is seriously nutritious and delicious. It is a cruciferous veggie (like broccoli) which means it is hearty and thick. To love kale even more, try this tasty dressing. And the best dressing is Kim's Classic Dressing, created by Kimberly Snyder, which I'm recreating to help you too #HailToTheKALE!

As a pretty lost, overworked, definitely "not glowing," professional a few years ago, I sought out ways to improve myself, my life, and my feelings about it. I started a regular yoga practice, and I yearned to extend the feelings of peace and hopefulness, that I felt in yoga, beyond my practice. Fortunately, I discovered nutritionist, Kimberly Snyder's book, The Beauty Detox Solution, her blog, kimberysynder.com, and diet staple the Glowing Green Smoothie (GGS). Don't misinterpret the word beauty as that tied to the superficial world of overwhelming commercial beauty products. Kim's beauty is beautiful, the word we use to describe the things in life that are complete, simple, and stunning. Kim's work focuses on foods, a lifestyle, and a mindset that seek to unveil your best self so that you can be, discover, and create beauty in the world.

I was inspired by Kim's information to start the plant-based diet that I follow today. Following her plan and drinking the GGS radically changed the foods that I craved, my hair and skin, body, energy, and feelings about myself and food. I am now on the other side of that time where I felt so desperate for change, and things are much brighter.

I am currently reading Kim's third book, The Beauty Detox Power, which explores our emotional relationship to food and much more. Just today, I read a section early on in the book that challenges us to let go of limitations that we believe to be true. For our readers specifically, you might think it is true that you could not eat a plant-based diet and feel good, or that you could never do it and have the same relationship with your family and friends, that you would never be able to change the way you currently cook, badly miss the food you currently eat, or that you are too this or too that to find success. Let me tell you with certainly, all of these "truths" are false. You are very powerful, change is possible, and you will only find real truth when you try.

I cannot thank Kim more for all of the inspiration, encouragement, and information that she offers to the world. Her books were life-changing for me, and I constantly turn to her resources. I decided to capture myself making Kim's Classic Dressing from her first book. This dressing is vegan, sugarless, gluten-free, and oil-free.

Ingredients:

Lemon juice from a fresh lemon (I used a regular lemon, or you could use a Meyer lemon.)
1/4 cup of nutritional yeast
Handful of fresh basil
A splash of Bragg's Liquid Aminos
A little cayenne pepper

Instructions:

Wash and cut the fresh lemon and use a hand-held lemon juicer to squeeze the juice into a food processor. Wash the fresh basil and add to the food processor. Add in all other ingredients and pulse until creamy. I added a little fresh water, which you can play with to get different consistencies.

Add to your kale salad and let sit overnight or until lunch time (if you are packing for the office). Kale is tough and does not get soggy.

Gather Fresh Ingredients

Source organic fresh foods for your dressing. Unlike commercial dressings, all of these items are foods that can be easily identified and pronounced!

Read for More Inspiration

Purchase Kimberly Snyder's The Beauty Detox Solution for more information, ideas, and recipes.

Make it Smooth

While you can also just combine ingredients, I used a food processor to help chop basil and make my dressing creamy.

#HailToTheKale

Now it's time to make a wonderful salad with some fresh kale. Enjoy!

Please comment below on your thoughts about this article and continue the conversation on Twitter and Instagram @forkfuloflove. I encourage you to pick up a copy of one of Kim's books. We are running a sweepstakes for a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card by subscribing to our weekly e-newsletter. Join us and throw your name in the hat. If you win, any of Kim's books on Amazon could be on us!

Also, save $10 off your order of $30 or more on Vitacost (where you can buy the nutritional yeast and amino acid sauce featured in this post).