Kale Salad with Cranberries Recipe

Fresh kale salad with cranberries can be enjoyed during the festive time or as a healthy salad all year round.

The salad is marinated in a simple dressing.

Jump to:

• What is Kale?
• Ingredients and what else to add
• How to make Kale Salad?
• Storing
• Serving Ideas
• FAQs
• 📖 Recipe

What is Kale?

Kale is sometimes called a super green. It's a tough and hardy green leaf cabbage variety.

It grows as loose leaves around a hard stem and they turn dark green in color.

The plant is actually a winter leafy vegetable, as it can take up to 5° Fahrenheit or -15° Celsius.

Last year, we planted a curly deep green kale variety in September and it survived the mountain temperatures and a layer of snow.

In spring it was good to be picked, and we enjoyed it, but we kept the plant alive and it has been giving us fresh kale leaves up to now. Those were used in the pictures.

Ingredients and what else to add

It's a simple, easy and straightforward kale recipe.

The basic ingredients are...

• kale - I use fresh curly kale if possible young softer and tender baby leaves.
• cranberries I like them fresh and tangy but you can use dried cranberries too.
• walnuts - cut or chopped to desired size
• olive oil - if possible extra virgin olive oil
• lemon juice - fresh
• seasoning - salt and black pepper (we keep it simple)

You can also add other ingredients such as avocado, soft chickpeas, diced apples, goat cheese feta, cooked quinoa, cooked chicken (like leftover rotisserie chicken), smoked salmon, roasted butternut squash, and crunchy croutons.

How to make Kale Salad?

Kale can be tough and fibrous but there is a way to make soft kale salad.

The dressing is massaged into the fresh kale leaves, and that way they soften.

Also, I try to use mostly young leaves and the leaves get to marinate with the simple dressing.

Step 1

Pick deep green fresh and young kale leaves, trim off wilted parts. Rinse and pat dry.

Cut the softer leave parts from the hard stem pieces. Discard the stems.

Cut or chop your kale to your liking. I like them not all too large.

Step 2

Combine lemon juice, salt, and black pepper in a smaller bowl or dressing shaker. Mix it up.

Now add the olive oil to the dressing and combine again.

Pour dressing over the kale and massage it in with your clean hands.

Step 3

Marinate the kale for a day in an airtight container in your fridge. The kale will get softer and will taste better.

Step 4

Prepare your fresh cranberries, rinse the fruits.

Cut your cranberries into two or quarter them if you want them smaller.

Cut or chop walnuts to desired size.

Step 5

Combine massaged kale with cranberries and walnuts.

Or add the cranberries and walnuts as a garnish just before serving up the salad.

Storing

Allow the salad to take in the dressing ingredients.

That way the leaves will get softer and tender.

I recommend that you place the salad, tossed in the simple lemon vinaigrette, in a Tupperware or fridge friendly container with a lid.

Keep it there for a day and the leaves will be perfect!

The salad can be stored in your fridge for up to 4 days.

Serving Ideas

The salad with all the base ingredients makes a lovely winter side dish.

I serve it during the holidays for Christmas because the colors and fresh kale with cranberries complement most meat roasts well.

It works well as a side with most hearty soups or casserole dishes.

The lemon and cranberries will give you a healthy dose of vitamin C, making it a great salad to get over the cold and dark winter months.

Serve it with a detox lentil soup, a shepherd's pie or add it to your Christmas menu with the mini beef wellingtons.

You can also switch up the dressing by enriching it with a mustard vinaigrette or a honey mustard dressing.

FAQs

Please feel free to share your thoughts and ideas with us in the comment section further below!

📖 Recipe