This kale salad with apples and cranberries is the perfect salad for the holiday season. It looks like a Christmas tree, tastes amazing and is surprisingly filling. The flavors go perfectly with your favorite holiday roast dinner. Make this as a tasty, simple and light lunch, or use it as a side dish to eat more vegetables during the holidays.
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This dish is not only beautiful to look at, or satisfying to eat; it's also surprisingly filling with added fats, fiber and a little extra protein. And who doesn't love that!
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Ingredients for kale salad with apples and cranberries
Kale: A very hearty, leafy vegetable. This has a much stronger grassy flavor than your typical lettuce. The flavor can take a while to get used to. We get a milder flavor by massaging it thoroughly. Can be substituted with lettuce for picky eaters.
Apples: Sweet, red apples are great in this dish. They bring a lovely color, texture and flavor that suits kale very well.
Dried cranberries: Sweet, lovely cranberries are perfect for any holiday meal. In this dish they definitely bring an extra level of texture, and that color is amazing paired with the green kale.
Walnuts: I love adding nuts to my salads to give it a bit of crunch and healthy fats. This definitely makes the salad more filling and satiating. Walnuts fit the dish well, but you can use pecans or almonds if you prefer.
Pumpkin seeds: Another source of nice texture, crunch and healthy fats. Can be omitted, but I love pumpkin seeds in this salad, particularly if you serve it as a main course.
Tahini dressing: Creamy, delicious tahini dressing is absolutely perfect for any kale salad. If you're not a fan, you can use a dressing of your choice.
How to make kale salad with tahini dressing
The great thing about this kale salad with apples is how quick it is to make. Start by making the tahini dressing. Combine olive oil, tahini, salt, pepper, water and lemon juice in a small bowl, and stir until thick and creamy.
To a salad bowl, add kale and the tahini dressing. Massage the kale with your hands to coat it completely with the tahini dressing. Make sure to use some muscle. Massaging it properly will break down the fibers in the kale and make it easier to digest. It also tastes much better. You definitely don't want to skip this step, as a proper massage completely changes the kale.
Remove the cores from the apples, and dice them in bite sized pieces. Add the to the salad, along with pumpkin seeds, walnuts and cranberries. Stir to combine, and serve!
Dishes to serve a kale salad with
I think kale salad with apples is great with hearty mains. This is definitely a seasonal autumn or winter salad, and what's better to pair it with than some autumn or holiday dinners. Try pork with apple cream sauce, chicken in red wine sauce, slow cooker pulled gammon or slow cooker gammon in coke.
Tips for a perfect salad
- Diced apples tend to brown fast. If you want to make this salad the day before serving, I suggest leaving out the apples. Add them just before serving to prevent them from browning.
- Leftovers should last 2-3 days in the fridge, but as mentioned, the apples can brown slightly. The salad is not suitable for freezing.
- This recipe makes a side dish for 6 people. As a main dish, it would be enough for 2-3 portions.
- Use cold water for the tahini dressing, as this will make the dressing more creamy.
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Recipe
Kale salad with apples and cranberries + tahini dressing
Ingredients
Salad
- 3 large handfuls chopped kale, stems removed
- 2 red apples
- 3 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
- 4 tablespoon walnuts
- 4 tablespoon cranberries
Tahini dressing
- 2 tablespoon tahini
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon cold water
- salt, pepper
Instructions
Tahini dressing
- Add the tahini to a small bowl. Add the remaining ingredients one by one, stirring to combine thoroughly between each one.
Assemble the salad
- Add the kale to a bowl with the tahini dressing. Use your hands to massage the kale thoroughly. This will help coat the kale with the dressing, and also breaks down the fibers in the kale, making it easier to eat and digest.
- Remove the cores from the apples, dice them and add to the salad.
- Add the rest of the ingredients, stir to combine and serve.
Notes
- Diced apples tend to brown fast. If you want to make this salad the day before serving, I suggest leaving out the apples. Add them just before serving to prevent them from browning.
- Leftovers should last 2-3 days in the fridge, but as mentioned, the apples can brown slightly. The salad is not suitable for freezing.
- This recipe makes a side dish for 6 people. As a main dish, it would be enough for 2-3 portions.
- Use cold water for the tahini dressing, as this will make the dressing more creamy.
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