Winter Kale Chopped Salad Recipes

WINTER KALE CHOPPED SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Rinse, drain (or spin in salad spinner) the chopped kale. Place it in a large mixing bowl and set aside.
• To make the dressing - Whisk together the balsamic vinegar, honey, Dijon, and garlic. Slowly whisk in the olive oil and continue to whisk until slightly thickened and emulsified. Season to taste with pepper. The dressing can be quickly and easily made in a food processor. Just add all the ingredients and process for a minute or two until creamy.
• Pour the dressing over the kale and toss well to be sure all of the kale has been coated. Set aside so dressing can begin to break down and soften the kale while you work on remaining ingredients.
• Place pecans on a baking sheet and bake for 4 to 5 minutes or until nicely toasted. Transfer pecans to a cutting board and coarsely chop and set aside to cool completely.
• Add chopped apple, avocado, dates, and dried cranberries to the dressed kale and toss to combine. Sprinkle salad with toasted pecans and blue cheese and serve.

WINTER ITALIAN CHOPPED SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F. Whisk orange juice, vinegar, garlic, oregano, mustard, 1/4 cup oil, and 3/4 tsp. salt in a large bowl.
• Toss artichokes, pepperoni, chickpeas, and 2 Tbsp. oil on a rimmed baking sheet; season with remaining 1/2 tsp. salt. Roast, tossing halfway through, until chickpeas are deep golden brown and pepperoni is crisp, 18-20 minutes.
• Add iceberg lettuce, radicchio, celery, oranges, cheese, and olives to bowl with dressing and toss to combine. Add chickpea mixture to salad and toss again to combine. Drizzle with more oil.

WINTER KALE SALAD

Steps:

• Toss kale, pecans, green onion, and pear together in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle vinegar then oil over the top. Toss and serve with a sprinkling of cheese.

KALE SALAD WITH CRANBERRIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Place coarsely chopped pecans on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and roast in oven for 4-5 minutes, or until fragrant.*
• In a small food processor or high-speed blender combine all maple orange vinaigrette ingredients. Process for 1-2 minutes, or until completely smooth.**
• Before serving combine the kale and maple-orange vinaigrette. Toss to completely coat the kale with the salad dressing and let sit for 10-20 minutes to soften the kale.
• Just before serving top with toasted pecans, pumpkin seeds, cranberries, onions, and goat cheese (optional) in a large serving bowl and toss to combine. Get this recipe in Meal Plan #4.

WINTER KALE SUPER SALAD

Steps:

• Over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saute pan. Add finely sliced shallots and cook for at least 5 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat, set aside until you are ready to combine salad.
• Add garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes.
• Then add chopped cranberries, red wine vinegar, honey, remaining tablespoon of olive oil and lemon juice and zest, and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
• Remove from heat, set aside until you are ready to combine with the salad.
• In a large salad bowl add kale, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, pomegranate seeds, apples, pistachios, and bacon. Toss to combine. Add dressing and goat cheese if desired and toss to combine.
• Serve immediately or set in the refrigerator until ready to serve. This Winter Kale Super Salad can be made 2-3 hours in advance, I love the dressing "marinating" the kale and everything else.

HARVEST SALAD WITH MAPLE BALSAMIC DRESSING (VIDEO)

Steps:

• Roast the Squash: Preheat oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice kabocha squash into wedges or cubes and toss with oil, salt, and cinnamon. Place a lined baking sheet. Roast squash for roughly 20 minutes, or until fork tender. Remove and set aside.
• Make the Dressing: In a blender combine all dressing ingredients and blend until smooth. If too thick, add more oil, 1 tablespoon at a time, or a bit of water.
• Place pecans on a baking sheet and place in the oven for 5-7 minutes, tossing halfway through, watch to avoid burning.
• Massage kale with olive oil for 1-2 minutes.
• Assemble Your Harvest Salad: In a large bowl add kale, squash, pomegranate seeds, and toasted pecans. Top with dressing and toss to combine.

WINTER KALE SALAD

Steps:

• In a small bowl mix together the lemon zest, juice, rice vinegar, date or maple syrup, and ground cumin.
• Place the prepared kale in a large bowl and pour the dressing over. Massage for a few minutes, don't be shy! You want to break down the tough fibers.
• Add the diced cucumber, red onion drained and rinsed chickpeas, dried fruit, apple, pistachios, and avocado. Toss well.
• Sprinkle over the black pepper and red pepper flakes, toss again. Taste! Adjust the seasoning by adding more citrus, or date syrup/maple syrup as desired.
• Allow the salad to sit for 10 minutes then serve.

CHOPPED WINTER SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees with racks in upper and lower thirds. Halve squash; remove stem and seeds. Cut into 1-inch pieces. Arrange on a rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil, and season with salt and pepper; toss to coat. Arrange mushrooms on another rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil, and season with salt and pepper; toss to coat. Roast, flipping each once, until squash is caramelized and tender, 25 to 30 minutes; and mushrooms are golden and crisp, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool completely.
• Meanwhile, whisk together vinegar, mustard, and garlic. Slowly add remaining 1/2 cup oil, whisking until combined. Season with salt and pepper.
• Arrange escarole, radicchio, squash, mushrooms, parsley, pomegranate arils, and pepitas in a large bowl or platter. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with feta. Drizzle with 1/2 cup dressing; toss to coat. Serve with remaining dressing.

WINTER KALE AND QUINOA SALAD

Steps:

• To make the quinoa, add 1/2 cup of water to a small saucepan and add quinoa. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat and simmer for about 13 minutes. Remove from heat, keeping quinoa covered, and allow it to sit for about 5 minutes then fluff quinoa with a fork.
• In a large bowl, mix together the kale, quinoa, pomegranate seeds, dried cranberries and walnuts.
• To make the dressing, whisk together olive oil, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
• Pour dressing over the salad and toss together until evenly coated. Top with additional pomegranates, cranberries and walnuts as desired, serve and enjoy!

WINTER KALE & QUINOA SALAD WITH AVOCADO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Toss sweet potato and 1 tsp. oil on a large rimmed baking sheet. Roast, stirring once halfway through, until tender, about 25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine the remaining 1 1/2 tsp. oil, avocado, lime juice, garlic, cumin, salt, pepper, and 1 Tbsp. water in a blender or food processor; process until smooth. Add 1 Tbsp. water, if needed, to reach desired consistency.
• Combine the sweet potato, quinoa, black beans, and kale in a medium bowl. Drizzle with the avocado dressing and gently toss to coat. Top with pepitas and scallion.

CHOPPED WINTER SALAD WITH BUTTERNUT SQUASH, KALE AND LEMON HONEY DRESSING

Steps:

• Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl.
• Whisk together all salad dressing ingredients until well combined.
• Add dressing to salad and stir gently until well coated.
• Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving to allow dressing to soften kale leaves.

WINTER CHOPPED KALE SALAD

Steps:

• Combine all the ingredients except the water in a food processor.
• Process until finely chopped and combined.
• With the processor running, stream the water in until smooth. Scrape down the sides as necessary until it reaches a dressing-like consistency.
• Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and toss together.
• Transfer mixture to serving bowl and top with the dressing.