Flipping through magazines, I came across a recipe for "Kale Salad with Oranges, Cranberries, and Maple Toasted Walnuts" in this month's O Magazine that sounds delicious and thought I'd give it a whirl. And then I forgot the walnuts. Instead, I substituted in chopped Honeycrisp apples. You could use any apple variety with a good crunch. After making the version below, I'm certain that maple-y chopped walnuts would be like freshly whipped cream on a pumpkin spice latte - not absolutely necessary, but totally worth having to clean the extra appliances and dishes.
Serves two
3 lacinto kale leaves, ribs removed
Juice from half an orange
The other half of the orange, sliced, rind removed
1/4 tsp orange zest
Juice from one lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
Sprinkling of dried cranberries
Quarter of an apple, chopped
Sprinkling of chopped walnuts (optional)
Dusting of cinnamon (optional, but helps bring out other flavors)
I first broke down the kale by chopping the leaves into bite size strips, and put them into a bowl. I used a knife to harvest about a 1/4 tsp of orange zest from the orange and sprinkled it over the kale leaves. Then, I drizzled them with the orange and lemon juice (I used a whole lemon because it didn't have that much juice, so maybe the juice of half a lemon would be all you typically need). You want to see the kale leaves get well coated in the lemon juice and wilt slightly. Finally, I added the orange slices, dried cranberries, chopped apple, and salt and pepper to taste.
This salad is so fresh, light, and delicious as-is, and the mapled walnuts would add another dimension. Pomegranate would be another seasonally appropriate welcome addition. I will be making it again!
What's your favorite kale salad?
This looks incredible! It's simple but has a variety of delicious flavors. I like to cook with kale & mix it with a variety of vegetables. :]
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