A kale salad even non-kale lovers will love! It's packed with pecans, tart green apples, dried cranberries and goat cheese for the best mix of textures and flavors... then tossed in the yummiest sweet & tangy Lemon Maple Dressing, making it the most satisfying salad! And it's naturally gluten-free!
This Kale Salad with pecans, cranberries and goat cheese is a kale salad even non-kale lovers will love!
It’s packed with the most delicious mix of flavor and textures and tossed in a sweet & tangy dressing that makes you want to eat more and more!
To be honest, I wasn’t always the biggest kale fan. It can be tough and a bit bitter.
But there are two things I’ve learned over the years that make me a kale lover now!
In-season kale, especially from our garden or the farmer’s market, is tender and has the best flavor.
The key to great tasting kale is to massage it, or gently rub it with your fingers with a touch of salt, olive oil or lemon depending on what the recipe calls for….
Massaged kale will get soft and turn bright green. And the kale will be super tender and tasty!
Not bitter at all!
pre-massaging kale
after massaging kale
And it kale season…
we have lots of kale in our garden and we are breaking out all our kale recipes!
Let’s talk Kale for a moment…. there are multiple varieties of kale (I think up to 10!)
We grow (and often purchase) two main types.
The above photo is Lacinato Kale, also known as Tuscan Kale and Dinosaur Kale. It’s tender and has great flavor.
The one below is Curly Kale.
This is what many people commonly think of when they think of kale. In my experience, it is the one commonly found in restaurants.
Curly kale also tends to get tougher as the season goes on in our garden, but tastes amazing when massaged!
We make this salad with both types of kale, and both taste great!
So let’s get back to the Kale Salad with cranberries, pecans and goat cheese!
This kale salad is one of my favorites all year round!
A quick backstory — it is based on one originally served at Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox!
Did you know that Fenway Park has its own 5,000 sq ft Organic rooftop garden?!
Working with Green City Growers, Fenway Park runs this garden and provides fresh, organically grown vegetables and fruit to Fenway’s restaurants and concessions as well as the local community.
I learned about this and got the original recipe for this salad in a June 2016 issue of Vegetarian TimesMagazine. The website no longer publishes the recipe but so sharing my adapted version here.
So let’s make it!
It’s made with simple, whole foods.
The salad is just 6 main ingredients —
curly kale ( or lacinato kale is that’s your preference), massaged with a touch of salt
green apples
fennel (skip if you want, but I don’t love fennel generally but LOVE it in this salad!)
pecans
dried cranberries
and goat cheese (skip if dairy-free)
And it’s all tossed with the and tossed in the yummiest sweet- savory Lemon Maple Dressing made of:
lemon juice
maple syrup
dijon mustard
shallots
fresh thyme
and olive oil.
And it literally is a quick and simple as it sounds…
Whisk together the dressing.
Toss all the ingredients together in a big bowl with dressing. That’s it!
The original recipe called for toasting the pecans which adds a nice flavor but I usually skip that part…
Fun side note for you baseball fans: I was raised a Yankee fan, my husband a die-hard Red Sox fan, and our eldest son was born during a Yankee-Red Sox Series! I first made this salad to eat for lunch while at my son’s baseball game.
Hope you love it as much as we do!
For our Harvest Salad with kale and delicata squash, click here.
Kale Salad with pecans, cranberries and goat cheese.
A kale salad even non-kale lovers will love! It's packed with pecans, tart green apples, dried cranberries and goat cheese for the best mix of textures and flavors... then tossed in the yummiest sweet & tangy Lemon Maple Dressing, making it the most satisfying salad! NOTE: This salad is adapted from one originally sold at Fenway Park and printed in Vegetarian Times Magazine
Prep Time15 minutesmins
Cook Time7 minutesmins
Total Time22 minutesmins
Course: Salads, Sides, Summerr
Cuisine: Gluten-Free, Vegetarian, Vegan optional
Servings: 4servings
Author: Healthy Gluten-free Family
Ingredients
Salad
1bunch kalestems removed, torn into bit size pieces or cut into strips
1/4cuppecans
1generous pinch of salt
2cupsfennelsliced thin (original recipe suggests submerging in ice water for approximately 15 minutes, then draining -- I do this when I have time, it's tastes great both ways)
1Granny Smith applesliced into thin strips
1/2cupdried cranberries
1/2cupcrumbled goat cheeseskip if dairy-free
Dressing
1/4cupmaple syrup
2tablespoonfresh lemon juice
1tablespoondijon mustard
1shallotchopped (approximately 1 tbsp)
2teaspoonfresh thymechopped
6tbspolive oil
Instructions
Toast pecans (optional, it adds a nice taste but I usually skip)
Spread on a baking sheet and cook in a preheated 350 degree oven for 7 minutes, or until lightly browned and fragrant. Cool and chop. Note: I've made this salad without toasting the pecans and it's still delicious.
Dressing
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until well combined. Add salt & pepper as desired
Salad
Place Kale in a medium bowl and massage with salt. Add remaining ingredients to bowl with kale.
2 thoughts on “Kale Salad with Cranberries, Pecans & Goat Cheese”
I grew up in the Hartford, Connecticut area. My father and brother were diehard Yankees fans and I was a Red Sox fan. Never the twain shall meet! Now, after 35 years in the Washington DC area, I am a diehard Nationals fan. Even living in Florida now, I watch every game and live and die by them. Yay, baseball!
Hi! My name is Karen, and I’m the mom in our Healthy Gluten-Free Family. My posts and pictures here and on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter are labors of love that allow me to share a very personal journey with you, one our family has taken together — learning, experimenting and sharing how to raise a healthy happy gluten-free family. Read more ...
I grew up in the Hartford, Connecticut area. My father and brother were diehard Yankees fans and I was a Red Sox fan. Never the twain shall meet! Now, after 35 years in the Washington DC area, I am a diehard Nationals fan. Even living in Florida now, I watch every game and live and die by them. Yay, baseball!
Love it! Baseball fans are the best! I’ve been to several Nationals games — love the stadium!