Kale Salad With Apples and Toasted Almonds Recipe
A vibrant and nutritious kale salad featuring fresh apples, dried cherries, toasted almonds, and crumbled feta cheese, all brought together with a zesty orange and red wine vinegar dressing. This salad is perfect for a light lunch or as a refreshing side dish.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
Dressing
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- 2 tablespoons minced shallot
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Salad
- 2 large bunches of kale, ribs removed and roughly chopped
- 1 apple, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup dried cherries
- 1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds
- 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
- Prepare the dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, freshly squeezed orange juice, and minced shallot. Season the dressing with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, mixing thoroughly to combine all the flavors.
- Toss the salad ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the roughly chopped kale, thinly sliced apple, dried cherries, and toasted sliced almonds. Mix these ingredients gently to evenly distribute the components throughout the bowl.
- Combine salad and dressing: Pour the dressing over the kale mixture and toss thoroughly to ensure the salad is evenly coated. Just before serving, sprinkle the crumbled feta cheese on top to add a creamy, tangy finish.
Notes
- To soften kale and reduce bitterness, massage the kale gently with a pinch of salt before adding the other ingredients.
- Feel free to swap feta with goat cheese for a different flavor profile.
- For added protein, grilled chicken or chickpeas can be added.
- Use fresh seasonal apples for best flavor; Granny Smith or Honeycrisp work well.
- Toast almonds in a dry pan over medium heat for 3-5 minutes until golden and fragrant to enhance their flavor.
Keywords: kale salad, apple salad, toasted almonds, feta cheese, healthy salad, no-cook salad, vegetarian salad, dried cherries
