Kale and Apple Salad
A few years back I went food blogger lock. I wanted to make something savory and healthy that speaks Nashville, and yet points to Spinach Tiger.
Food inspiration comes from many places. Often, for me, it’s from dining out. Recently I ate at a new restaurant in Nashville, called M, an upscale Southern restaurant. ( They served a similar kale salad, although they also added a blue cheese. Anna Kate brought Humboldt Fog and when we put the kale salad and the Humboldt Fog together it was a perfect marriage. So you have the choice of dairy free vegan salad or adding in a cheese which just adds to the already balanced blend of flavors and textures.
This is the perfect pot luck salad. It can be dressed with this cider maple vinaigrette and made ahead of time. Greens are royal produce and kale is king. I love it for it heartiness. It doesn’t wilt easily, making it nothing like spinach at all. It maintains a chew even when sautéed, and it stays very edible long after it’s dressed.
I added in a chopped sautèed sweet potato which was tossed with olive oil, maple syrup and cayenne pepper. You can leave this out if you want your salad to be lighter.
Some of the bloggers were a little hesitant about kale as a salad, (and I understand that because I used to be that way). I wrote about my conversion to kale lover when I tried the Tuscan kale salad at the Tavern and I made my version of that here.
Happily, at the end of the night, there was very little salad to bring back home. Don’t we all worry a little when taking food to a pot luck that no one will eat it. That little bit of kale salad was put in the refrigerator overnight, and believe it or not, it was still good.
Tell me, do you have a go to dish for carting to dinner parties or potlucks.
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Kale and Apple Salad with Raisins, Pecans, and a Cider Maple Vinaigrette Salad Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 bunch of lacinato or tuscan kale
- 1 apple in small slices with skin on
- 1/3 cup golden raisins
- 10 roasted walnuts or pecans
- 1 sweet potato
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper more or less to your liking
- 3 teaspoon maple syrup divided (one for sweet potato, one for nuts, one for dressing)
Maple Dressing
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon maple sryup
- 2 tablespoons olive oil Start with one tablespoon and add as you need it
Instructions
- Carefully cut out the ribs of the kale. Rinse and dry.
- Cut into bite size pieces. Some people like kale finely chopped. That's an option.
- slice apples thinly with skins on
- toss walnuts or pecans with 1 teaspoon of maple syrup
- Roast walnuts for 5 minutes at 375. Set aside.
- Toss kale with apples, raisins and nuts.
- Peal and cut sweet potato into cubes. Toss with olive oil, cayenne pepper, salt and a teaspoon of maple syrup. Bake on baking sheet at 350 until done about 15 minutes. You can also saute on top of the stove.
Maple Vinaigrette Dressing
- Place maple syrup, mustard and vinegar, olive oil in blender or magic bullet. (I used my Vitamix).
- Toss salad with dressing. You may not need all the dressing.
- Make ahead. I made salad and dressed it two hours before eating it. The left over salad went into the refrigerator and we ate it the next day. It was still good.
Please follow me on instagram. If you make this recipe, please tag me #spinachtiger.
If you love this recipe, please give it five stars. It means a lot. xoxo
I’m so glad you did a wrap-up of the food we ate! I loved your kale salad…my first taste of kale. I hope to make it soon.
I’m so glad you gave it a try. I used to hate kale until I figured it out and started playing around with it.
Yum! Looks like you were great under such pressure- this looks like an awesome salad!
Definitely can’t leave out the sweet potatoes! Those guys would be in there for sure. We’re big kale salad fans too. Massaging the greens to break them with the vinaigrette is a great aggression relief too!
Massaging the greens. I like the sound of that. And always yes on sweet potatoes.
I just love kale salads, and the sweetness you’ve added to this recipe sounds perfect.
Thanks Lynda, I just realized the sweetness matters with kale. It balances it.
Loving the kale lately. This salad looks great!
Kale is a good choice for a potluck because it holds up so well. GREG
A lovely salad and combination! Healthy and delicious.
Cheers,
Rosa
I absolutely love salads like this – so light, refreshing, but still so satisfying. It was fantastic to see you at the Blogger Potluck + i hope to see you again soon!
Me too. So good to see you looking so well. Wink wink.
I must admit that I have not had kale in anything other than soup. Blogging is all about leaving my comfort zone so its time I spread my wings.