I've got another holiday recipe for you today! This kale and apple salad may be just for the adult table though, if I am being honest. The apples, walnuts, and blue cheese really round out this tasty salad.
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I don't know about your kids, but my girls have never been big blue cheese fans (they've dubbed it "stinky cheese" for obvious reasons), and no matter how hard I try, I can't really get them into raw kale lately either.
But just because they feel that way doesn't mean we have to miss out on this divine combination. So this is one of those rare occasions when our little ones might get something separate...albeit a different type of salad! :)
Kale and Apple Salad
I've got another holiday recipe for you today! This kale and apple salad may be just for the adult table though, if I am being honest. The apples, walnuts, and blue cheese really round out this tasty salad.
Print Recipe
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 6 cups kale (torn, and big ribs removed and discarded)
- ½ apple (cut into thin, 1" pieces (I went with Honey Crisp, but Gala would be good as well))
- ⅓ cup walnuts (chopped and lightly toasted)
- 3 tablespoons blue cheese (crumbled)
Instructions
- In a small jar, combine the olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, and salt. Secure the lid and shake vigorously to combine.
- Place the kale leaves into a large salad bowl and, using your hands, sort of massage the olive oil mixture into the leaves.
- Throw the apples, walnuts, and blue cheese on top of the kale and lightly toss to combine.
Notes
We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition Facts
Kale and Apple Salad
Amount Per Serving
Calories 206
Calories from Fat 144
% Daily Value*
Fat 16g25%
Saturated Fat 3g19%
Cholesterol 4mg1%
Sodium 185mg8%
Potassium 574mg16%
Carbohydrates 14g5%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 3g3%
Protein 7g14%
Vitamin A 10080IU202%
Vitamin C 122.1mg148%
Calcium 188mg19%
Iron 1.8mg10%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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Lucy says
Kale should never ever be eaten raw as it adds way too much oxalic acid to the body. Alway cook it first
Sue Buckles says
You can swap out the blue cheese with vegan/raw almond/nut cheeses. Or you could use an Avocado to make a dressing by just mushing it into the salad or adding a little lemon/olive oil/avocado or whatever and creating your own dressing.
Jennifer Ivey says
Just made this for lunch! Subbed feta and almonds because it was what I had on hand. Delicious! Thanks for posting!
Kelly says
Sounds wonderful! I wonder what would be a good vegan substitute for the blue cheese?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Kelly. I have always heard that miso can lend that type of flavor. However, none of our team is vegan, so this is based on heresay. ;) ~Amy
Kathy says
Do you have the nutritional info on this salad? I am logging my meals into MY Fitness Pal and need the info if you have it.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi there Kathy. We do not provide nutrition information. We want people to focus on cutting out the processed stuff, consuming a wide variety of nutritious whole foods and less on numbers. ~Amy
Kimberly says
I am curious about eMeals! I have heard of them, but struggle to let go of some hard earned grocery cash to let someone else do my meal planning. Also, my meal planning style is - buy fresh ingredients for 4 or 5 meals in one week and always have good ole standby ingredients in the freezer/pantry for those other meals throughout the week or when I just don't have time to get to the grocery store. We also travel a lot and I am just concerned that I would sign up and then not use it to it's maximum ability and feel I had wasted my money. I would love to hear specifics of how best to use this amazing service!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Kimberly. This will help: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/07/10/product-review-meal-plans/. ~Amy
Marla says
Made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious!!
Jimilyn says
This recipe looks wonderful. I love kale. I bought some kale yesterday just before finding this site. What a coincidence! :o)
Michele N says
I absolutely love the bitterness of kale but am intrigued about the massaging that decreases bitterness. I certainly will try it! Thank you Lisa for all that you have done for all of us fans!
Maya says
We made this last night. I just added grilled chicken and! a few drief cranberries. Delish!
Liz says
My two year old would eat this. She loves blue cheese AND kale, believe it or not!
Chrystal Gillespie says
Soooo excited to tell you that after posting the other day about how awful the kale was when my family and I tried it a while back! Back then, kale was new to me so I wasn't sure of how exactly I should prepare it, so I bought a pre-made organic bagged salad. Can't mess that up right? LOL I did not know to massage it or to add the dressing early and let it set. After reading your blog about kale, I now know that all 3 of us in our family LOVE kale! I tried it again using your method of mixing it with the dressing early and it was soooo good! I did forget to massage it though, but it still turned out great. We all 3 decided that we will be having it again VERY soon! Maybe even for Thanksgiving tomorrow! THANK YOU ALL WHO ADDED TO THIS BLOG THE OTHER DAY!!!
Hannah says
I use emeals every week! I love them. I highly recommend them. It's easy to use, customizable and fun to mix up your daily meals. There are many healthy options and they even give you your entire shopping list. Emeals has made my life much easier! Also, I’m going to try this Kale and Apple salad as a side dish at Thanksgiving! Thanks!
Deb Clem-Buckert says
This totally sounds yummy and I can't pin it because Pinterest is down. ARGH! Bookmarking for later. Have a great holiday!
Colleen Grossner says
Funny! I just made a broccoli salad I posted on Friday too! http://fresh-you.blogspot.com/2013/11/1-minute-roasted-almond-and-broccoli.html It was a copy of a delicious sample I tried at Trader Joe's months ago...though I didn't want to buy the bottle of sauce that went with the broccoli and almonds at the store. PS- this was not a hit with the only child I offered it to, though I ate it all weekend, yum!! Also, it was a big hit with everyone who tried it tonight when I had company over, actually for a wellness class :) Happy Thanksgiving!!
Tom says
If you massage the kale for about 4-5 min, it turns very dark and the bitterness disappears turning almost sweet. My kids wouldn't touch kale until I discovered this. now my 5 yr old requests it for his school lunches!
Cynthia says
Oh - I forgot - HONEY - drizzle some of that on as well !
Cynthia says
I make something similar that kids WILL like....omit the vinegar, lemon juice and stinky cheese. Instead - squeeze in some orange juice, add dried cranberries . If the kids will eat feta cheese - that's great in this, too. Also - mandarin oranges. Is VERY YUM and just sweet enough to appeal to a wider audience.
laramealor.com says
This looks so good I can not wait to try it .
Jessica @ Little Nesting Doll says
This looks interesting..although kale is not high on the list of favorites around here. With all these other well-liked ingredients though, it may be more acceptable!
I am using your cornbread recipe for our Thanksgiving dinner this year!
Amy says
My brother in law made something like this a couple weeks ago! He used some toasted almond slices and shredded parmesan though. It was amazing how the lemon juice balanced out the bitterness of the kale. I usually can't stand raw kale, but it was SO GOOD!
Martina says
Sto promuovendo una linea divertente per bambini (ma anche per adulti) che li possa far fare amicizia con la verdura :)
http://www.vegetablesoup.it/it/40_t-shirt/
Nancy says
If you grate the apple, there's more surface of fruit acid to break down the kale, so the salad is more integrated.
Cathy says
P.S. My kids do eat this, no problem!
Cathy says
Southern Living published one like this last year, but with smoked gouda for the cheese and no nuts. We like it with just kale and apples. We use lacinato kale - the dressing sticks better on the flatter leaves.
EVOO,fresh lemon juice and a bit of honey for the dressing.
The trick is to LET IT MARINATE OVERNIGHT! The texture of the kale will be much nicer. The lemon juice keeps the apples from getting brown. Great for make ahead for holiday parties. Leave the red apple skins on and it is pretty.
Adriane says
If you chop the kale up really small, that will also reduces bitterness. I like mine w seasoned rice vinegar, EVOO, red bell pepper, red onion, apple, avocado and goat cheese. Yum!!
Sarah says
We also do feta, red grapes and sunflower seeds. I often use balsamic vinegar instead of apple cider vinegar.
Angela Ryan says
My favorite kale salad is just kale, sheep's milk feta,chickpeas, olive oil and fresh ground black pepper, I toss it and eat it for breakfast nearly everyday!
Pat says
Sorry I should have proofread before I posted. Eaten raw and IT can apparently.
Jayne says
^meant to include the EVOO!
Pat says
I just read on another website that Kale has oxalic acid and should not be eated raw but lightly steamed instead. I can apparently do harm to your kidneys etc.
Do you know anything about that?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Pat. To my knowledge which is limited, kale is not one of the "leafys" that is highest in oxalates. One of the concerns with oxalic acid is that it can bind with calcium, hindering absorption or creating stones. Spinach and chard along with others are high. If you are worried about its levels, it wouldn't hurt to steam before eating. ~Amy
Jayne says
I make a similar salad, but massage 2 bunches of kale with 2 tbls of lemon juice, 1 tsp of chili powder, and a pinch of salt. The flavor of the chili powder is delicious with the apples and blue cheese! You can store the massaged kale in a gallon sized ziplock for about 5 days-quick and healthy lunch for an entire work week!
gretchen says
Kale salad is a staple in our house -- we grow lots of it and even our three-year-old loves it! We eat it pretty much daily during the season. The blue cheese is a hard sell though. :) We usually put sunflower seeds and date pieces (the little pieces rolled in flour) -- both affordable and healthy options to add that nutty/salty/sweet mix to a kale salad!
Tracy says
Will have to try this combo. I love kale salad and my almost 5 year old will eat it too. To make it appealing to her I just keep it simple: kale, homemade croutons (that she helped me make) and Ranch dressing. She's also a big fan of homemade kale chips.
Morgen says
This sounds so good. I think I will have to substitute Parmesan cheese to satisfy my father and my three year old though.
Pam says
Looks delicious! I will try this salad using baby kale and feta cheese or chopped parm cheese this weekend.
Alice Wootton says
Here's a similar salad that the kids might like called "Dinosaur Kale Salad." It also requires "massaging" but I think it will be more kid friendly because the kale is minced (food processor works fine) and because it has dried cranberries and Parmesan cheese, which isn't as "stinky" as blue cheese (which I adore.) Instead of walnuts, it has almonds. http://fromaliceskitchen.blogspot.com/2012/10/dinosaur-kale-salad.html
Laura says
Thank you for spreading the Kale Love! Truly a versatile food. :) Anyway, to make this less grown up (or without "stinky cheese"), a salad I love is almost like this - minus the cheese, plus avocado. Massage 1/2 the avocado into the leaves with the EVOO, the other 1/2 avocado you cut up and put on top. Oh, and no vinegar required. You will love it.
Jennifer says
this looks great - will put it on my Thanksgiving menu!
patricia says
Sounds good! But you're right about being a grownup dish - not just the stinky cheese but the kale. Something about kids and bitter. Happened to me too.