This kale salad with apples, cranberries and walnuts provides a fresh and colorful addition to your dinner. It’s dressed with a maple Dijon vinaigrette that partners perfectly with apples and cranberries.
I used kale from my garden for this delicious salad. The secret to using kale in a salad is to massage it, softening the leaves.
I used this vinaigrette recipe, opting for a little more olive oil in my version.
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients that you need to make the kale salad and maple Dijon vinaigrette.
Maple Dijon Vinaigrette Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- Fresh ground pepper to taste
Kale Salad Ingredients
- 1/4 cup walnut pieces
- 6 cups kale, stems removed and torn into bite-size pieces
- 1 large apple
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 2 ounces blue cheese
Directions
Heat the oven to 325 degrees and toast the walnut pieces on a baking sheet for 5 to 10 minutes. Keep an eye on them to ensure that they don’t burn. Remove from the oven and cool them.
Make the vinaigrette. In a small bowl, whisk the maple syrup, mustard and apple cider until blended. Drizzle in the olive oil while whisking. Add salt and pepper.
Assemble the salad. Add the kale to a salad bowl with about a 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Use your fingers to massage the salt into the leaves. Slice and core the apple (keeping the skin on). Cut the slices into bite-size pieces and add to the bowl. Sprinkle the cranberries and walnuts over the salad. Crumble the blue cheese on top.
When ready to serve, add half of the vinaigrette and toss the salad. Taste and add more vinaigrette as desired.
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This sounds amazing! Can always use a new salad.
I hope that you are able to give it a try and that you enjoy it.
Thanks for this salad, Dottie. I want to make it, as well as your other Kale Salad with Apples, Cranberries and Walnuts. The only issue is that I can’t seem to warm up to kale. Can you recommend a substitute? Maybe a Spring Mix? My daughter Stephanie does love kale, so I may try kale again, knowing this time that I need to massage it.
Hi Sue. I think that spring mix, arugula or baby spinach would work really well. You don’t need to massage those greens to make them tender as they are already tender. I hope that you enjoy it! Let me know how it turns out.
Oops, meant to post this on the Butternut Squash Apple Panzanella recipe. Sorry for the confusion!
Well, you can substitute other greens in this salad as well. Not everyone loves kale!