Kale Salad With Apples, Cranberries And Pecans

Kale Salad With Apples, Cranberries and Pecans is a healthy and delicious salad that combines the nutrient-rich kale with the sweetness of apples, tartness of cranberries and crunchiness of pecans. This salad is not only packed with flavors but is also a good source of vitamins, fiber, and antioxidants.

The salad is dressed with a simple, yet flavorful dressing made with olive oil, apple cider vinegar, and honey, which perfectly complements the other ingredients in the salad. This salad is a great option for a light lunch or dinner, and it can also be served as a side dish to complement any main course.

Overall, Kale Salad with Apples, Cranberries and Pecans is a tasty and healthy way to incorporate more greens and whole foods into your diet.

Ingredients
• ½ cup pecans
• 8 ounces of kale
• 4 to 5 medium radishes
• ½ cup dried cranberries (or dried cherries)
• 1 medium apple
• 2 ounces of soft goat cheese, chilled

Dressing
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 ½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar)
• 1 tablespoon smooth Dijon mustard
• 1 ½ teaspoons honey or maple syrup
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Preparation
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spread the pecans on a baking tray. Toast them until lightly golden and fragrant, about 5 to 10 minutes, tossing them once or twice to make sure they bake evenly. Remove the tray from the oven and set them aside to cool.

2. Pull the kale leaves off from the tough stems and discard the stems. Use a chef’s knife to chop the kale into small, bite-sized pieces. Transfer the kale to a big salad bowl. Sprinkle a small pinch of sea salt over the kale and massage the leaves with your hands by lightly scrunching big handfuls at a time, until the leaves are darker in color and fragrant.

3. Thinly slice the radishes (this is easier to do if you first chop off the root end so you can place the base of the radish flat against your cutting board). Add them to the bowl.

4. Coarsely chop the pecans and cranberries (or cherries) and add them to the bowl. Chop the apple into small, bite-sized pieces and add them to the bowl as well. Crumble the goat cheese over the top.

5. In a small bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients together and pour the dressing over the salad. Toss until the salad is evenly coated with dressing.

6. Serve immediately, or for even better flavor, let the salad marinate in the dressing for 10 to 20 minutes beforehand.