Simple Kale Salad

This Kale Salad is crisp, colourful, and filled with recent veggies and plenty of crunch. Topped with a easy home made lemon dressing, it’s excellent to serve alongside baked chicken breasts or garlic grilled shrimp.

bowl of Easy Kale Salad with Fresh Lemon Dressing

Holly’s Recipe Highlights: Kale Salad

Taste: A tangy lemon dressing balances this hearty kale salad made with crunchy broccoli, candy cranberries, and salty cheese.

Why Make It: Leftover kale salad (even with dressing) will be saved within the fridge with out getting soggy, making it excellent for meal prep!

Method: For the most effective outcomes, therapeutic massage the kale with oil and salt to make sure it’s tender as a substitute of robust.

Whole Time: 20 Minutes Servings: 4

Ingredient Notes for Kale Salad

almonds , cranberries , broccoli , carrot , kale , onion with labels to make Easy Kale Salad with Fresh Lemon Dressing

Kale: Chop or tear into bite-sized items and take away any robust stems. Then, therapeutic massage it with just a little olive oil and salt till the leaves darken and soften for the most effective texture.
Broccoli: Chop the broccoli into small items so it blends into the salad. Swap it for broccoli slaw or bagged broccoli florets to avoid wasting prep time.
Carrots: Shredded carrots add sweetness, shade, and crunch. Use bagged shredded carrots to avoid wasting time.
Cranberries: Dried cranberries convey chewy sweetness that balances the earthy flavors. Exchange with raisins, dried cherries, or chopped dried apricots.
Almonds: Sliced almonds add crunch and nutty taste. Swap with pecans, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, or sunflower seeds for a nut-free possibility.
Onions: Use a small quantity of purple onion for chunk and shade. Thinly cube or soak in chilly water earlier than including to the salad to scale back the chunk.
Cheese: I exploit cheddar chees, however feta cheese, parmesan, or goat cheese would work nicely too.
Dressing: Recent lemon juice, Dijon, honey, garlic, and olive oil make this tangy-sweet dressing that balances the kale’s earthy taste and ties all of the elements collectively. Swap maple syrup or sugar for honey, use avocado oil as a substitute of olive oil, or attempt entire grain mustard for just a little texture.

Favourite Variations

Make it a Meal: High this salad with grilled chicken, steak, grilled shrimp, or baked salmon.
Skip the Meat: Sprinkle this salad together with your favourite grain, like quinoa, or add in chickpeas to make it a full meal.

Easy methods to Make Kale Salad with Cranberries

Wash and therapeutic massage the kale (full recipe under).
Prep the remaining elements and add them to a big bowl.
Place the dressing in a jar and provides it a shake (or whisk in a bowl). Toss with the salad.

Kale holds up like a champ within the fridge, and it stays recent with out wilting! When able to serve, therapeutic massage the kale for the most effective texture. Massaging it releases a few of its bitterness and helps tenderize it for salads.

To Wash the Kale:

Rinse the kale leaves in chilly water.
Take away the thick stem by pulling off the leaves.
Spin dry in a salad spinner or shake dry and dab with a kitchen towel.

When Able to Use:

Tear or chop into bite-sized items, then sprinkle with a pinch of salt.
Drizzle olive oil in your palms and therapeutic massage the kale leaves till they darken in shade and develop into tender.

I swear {that a} massaged kale salad tastes one million occasions higher, I wouldn’t prep kale every other method! Should you favor to therapeutic massage your kale with out oil, attempt just a little fresh-squeezed lemon juice as a substitute!

Storing Leftovers

Retailer leftover kale salad in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 3 days. This hearty salad holds up nicely within the fridge, however some toppings are greatest added recent when able to serve.

This salad doesn’t freeze nicely.

Extra Kale Recipes

Leftover kale will be stirred into pasta, blended into pesto, and even baked into crispy kale chips if the craving strikes! The probabilities are limitless. I even love just a little kale on my pizza when I’ve it useful.

Did you make this straightforward Kale Salad? Depart us a ranking and a remark under!

image of Everyday Comfort cookbook by Holly Nilsson of Spend With Pennies plus text

Prep Time 20 minutes

Prepare dinner Time 0 minutes

Whole Time 20 minutes

To make the dressing, mix olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, Dijon, honey, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper in a lidded mason jar and shake nicely to emulsify.
Therapeutic massage the chopped kale with olive oil and a pinch of salt. Rub together with your fingers till leaves start to darken and tenderize.
In a big bowl, mix the kale, broccoli, almonds, cheese, carrots, onion, sunflower seeds, and cranberries.
Shake the dressing as soon as extra and pour ⅓ of the dressing over the salad. Toss to coat and add additional dressing, to style.

Optionally available: I like so as to add poppy seeds to my salad dressing from time to time to offer it a lemon poppyseed vibe.
Dietary info doesn’t embrace cheese and different non-compulsory elements

Diet info supplied is an estimate and can differ based mostly on cooking strategies and types of elements used.

Course Salad

Delicacies American

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