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Orchard Kale Salad
with apple, pear and cheddar & honey-mustard vinaigrette
A hearty, autumnal kale salad with apple, pear, mature cheddar, dried cranberries and walnuts, tossed in a light honey-mustard vinaigrette. Because kale is so sturdy, it stands up well to being pre-dressed; in fact, it benefits from it, which makes this salad great for meal prepping. It’s also a great dish to serve as part of your Thanksgiving/Christmas spread; it can be made in advance, allowing you to focus on other dishes.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Vegetarian, Salads, Sides
Ingredients
Scale
For the honey-mustard dressing:
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- ⅛ tsp freshly-ground black pepper
- 2 tbsps extra-virgin olive oil
For the salad:
- 200 g chopped kale
- ½ apple (pink lady or gala), sliced or chopped into 1 cm cubes
- ½ pear, sliced or chopped into 1 cm cubes
- 40 g mature cheddar, chopped into ½ to 1 cm cubes
- 10 g dried cranberries, roughly chopped
- 30 g walnuts, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Make the dressing: whisk the Dijon mustard, honey, white wine vinegar, sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper until well combined. Add the extra-virgin olive oil and whisk until emulsified. Set aside.
- Wash and drain the kale. If you have a salad spinner, use it; if not, drain well then pat dry with kitchen towel.
- Toss the drained kale with 3 tablespoons of the honey mustard dressing in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours and up to 6 hours: the acid in the dressing will break down and soften the kale; no need to massage it. If you want to serve the salad immediately, massage the dressing into the kale until it just starts to wilt, around 1 minute. Be sure not to over-massage it; the only thing worse than tough kale is mushy, watery kale.
- Assemble the salad: add the apple, pear, cheddar, dried cranberries and walnuts and gently toss to combine. Divide between bowls and serve.
