This kale salad with cranberry vinaigrette and walnuts is one of my favorite ways to use fresh kale, and it’s a great side dish for the holidays!
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To me, a festive holiday table requires a beautiful salad. Whether you’re celebrating Thanksgiving, a dinner party, or Christmas dinner, a bit of bright green and red adds a fresh touch to the plate.
I turn to kale salad because it assembles quickly and the leaves are more hearty than your standard mixed greens. This allows the salad to sit on the table or buffet for a couple of hours without wilting. I chose Lacinato kale for this salad due to its hearty leaf and curvy texture. You can change up this salad by using other fruits, nuts or seeds.
PrintKale Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette and Walnuts
Adapted from Fine Cooking. If you prefer to eat cooked kale to avoid excess goitrogens, then you can sauté the kale in some olive oil until slightly wilted, cool to room temp and then toss with the dressing and other ingredients.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
- 1/2 cup cranberries
- 2 oranges, divided
- 1 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 2 teaspoons raw honey
- 3/4 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 bunches Lacinato Kale, thick end stems removed and thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Place red onion in a bowl and cover with cold water. Set aside. Place cranberries in the bowl of a food processor and pulse 12-15 times until finely chopped.
- Using a sharp knife, place 1 orange on it’s end and carefully cut the skin off. Then turn orange on it’s side and thinly slice. Place orange slices in a salad bowl.
- Cut the other orange in half and using one half, squeeze out 1 tablespoon of juice into a measuring cup. Whisk in red wine vinegar, ginger, honey, sea salt and olive oil. Stir in cranberries. Cut remaining half of orange into thin slices and add to the salad bowl (or you can store it for later use).
- Place kale and walnuts in salad with sliced orange slices. Drain the onions and add to salad bowl. Pour vinaigrette over kale mixture and toss about 10 times until the leaves are glistening. Let salad sit at room temperature for 1 hour before serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: Serves 8
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