Apple and Kale Salad

This Apple and Kale salad is a delicious and healthy dish perfect for the Fall season. This salad combines the freshness of kale with the sweetness of apples, creating a refreshing and nutritious dish. The vinaigrette brings all the flavors together and adds a tangy, sweet (with a hint or warm spice) flavor to the salad. You can also customize the salad to your liking by adding other ingredients or using different types of apples and cheese. We love the classic apple cheddar combo that this salad has but of course you can use any variety of either!

Apple Kale Salad Recipe Ingredients (Full amounts in recipe card below)

• KALE: There are several types of kale. I like to use lacinato kale (raw kale) for this recipe or Dinosaur kale/Tuscan kale but curly green kale works great here too or even baby kale which is a tender kale. Wash well, and use a salad spinner to ensure it is dry, remove the stem from leaves and chop.
• APPLES: I love using a sweet red apple variety like gala, red delicious, fuji or honey crisp but you can go tart too with some Granny Smith. Feel free to use any type of apples you like or have on hand. I like my apple thinly sliced but feel free to chop them into chunks – whatever your personal preference is
• CHEESE: For this recipe I did a classic apple and cheddar cheese combo. I love a good sharp white cheddar cheese. Of course if you prefer Parmesan cheese, feta cheese or even a good blue cheese or goat cheese, feel free to to use those.
• SHALLOT: I think it’s a must to add to the salad but you can substitute with red onion.
• LEMON JUICE: I like to toss the apples with a little lemon juice to help keep them from browning too quickly but that is optional
• CELERY: Sliced celery adds a tasty crunch to each bite - if you are not a fan you can use cucumber instead.
• DRIED CRANBERRIES: Dried cranberries are always welcome in a fall salad but you can substitute with other dried fruit like dried cherries or even raisins or craisins.
• PECANS & PUMPKIN SEEDS: Pecans and Pumpkin seeds add the perfect crunch to the salad - but can be substituted with sunflower seeds, sliced almonds or walnuts. I like to use toasted pepitas or pumpkin seeds but that is optional. You can toast your pecans as well or even use candied pecans store-bought or homemade candied pecans
  
  

For The Salad Dressing

• OLIVE OIL: I use extra virgin olive oil for my salad dressing.
• APPLE CIDER VINEGAR: Apple cider vinegar is great for this salad but you can use lemon juice, or balsamic vinegar if you prefer.
• APPLE PIE SPICE: This might be a bit controversial in a salad dressing but trust me it adds just a hint of warm spice to the dressing perfect for a fall winter apple salad. Don’t have apple pie spice - no problem - you can simply use cinnamon.
• MUSTARD: I like to use grainy mustard or Dijon mustard but any will work here
• MAPLE SYRUP: Adds just a hint of sweetness to offset the tangy vinegar. Feel free to use honey instead if you prefer or leave it out if you don’t like to add a little sweetness to your dressing/vinaigrette.
• GARLIC: A little garlic adds great flavor to the dressing. I like to finely mince 1 small clove of garlic or grate it. You could also use granulated garlic if you prefer.
  
  

Kale Apple Salad Recipe Add Ins / Variations

• Add in some roasted vegetables like roasted sweet potato or butternut squash
• Add a grain like quinoa, farro or rice
• Add some beans like lentils, chick peas or white beans
• Add some protein by adding in diced cooked chicken breast
• Add more flavor by adding cooked crumbled Bacon or candied bacon
  
  

How To Make Kale Apple Salad

1. Prepare Dressing: Whisk together the dressing ingredients in a small bowl or shake the ingredients together in a mason jar.
2. Prepare Apples: Toss the apple slices with the lemon juice. This helps prevent the apples from browning. (optional)
3. Dress & Massage Kale: This is optional but you can massage the kale and the shallots with a little bit of the dressing to make is softer or more tender. Kale can be tough, so massaging it with your hands or tossing it well with a bit of the dressing for a minute helps break down the fibers, making it more tender and easier to eat.
4. Assemble Salad: In a large bowl combine the kale and shallots with the apples, celery, cranberries, pecans, pumpkin seeds, cheese and the dressing. Toss well.
5. Enjoy: Enjoy as a side to any meat or add in some tuna or grilled chopped chicken or shredded rotisserie chicken for a complete meal.
   
   

Apple & Kale Salad Meal Prep

You really don’t need to do anything different to meal prep this salad. No need to store the dressing separate at all. Kale holds up when dressed, so this salad will hold up in your fridge for 1-2 days. The only thing I would mention is that some of the other components in the salad might soften a bit - for example the apples or if you decide to add tomatoes or avocado. If you do adds these veggies I would leave them out until ready to serve. The rest of the salad can be made and dressed and stored in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to serve.

More Salad Recipes You Will Love

• Mandarin Orange Salad
• Kale and Lentil Salad
• Lemony Roasted Broccoli Salad With White Beans and Kale
• Pear Salad
• Beet Salad
• Harvest Salad