with Citrus Vinaigrette
To illustrate how cooking sometimes takes its own path, this salad started with a completely different recipe that a friend shared years ago for a farro (grain) salad, which had a unique dressing: Clementine vinaigrette. The salad was “okay,” but the star was the dressing. I decided to make my own version with this tasty Broccoli-Kale Salad.
With this recipe, I’m trying for something that resembles the sweet kale salad I sometimes get from Costco. My version has a little less sugar and a little more control over the quantity. Plus, I do have occasional negative experiences with those store-bought, pre-mixed salads. By making my own, I always know how fresh it is.
One of the great features of a kale salad is how well it keeps. Leftovers are really no problem! They’re still delicious the next day. I can’t speak to how well it keeps beyond that – the salad never lasts longer than 2 days in this house. Yes, only two people here, LOL.
In addition to kale, this salad features broccoli. But not florets. I use pre-shredded broccoli slaw for this.
I love that the mix includes a little carrot and purple cabbage for sweetness and color. It elevates this salad right into the superfood category!
To start, prepare the kale by stripping the leaves from the stems and rinsing well. Place in a large bowl and massage for 3 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and chop into very small pieces, then return the pieces to the bowl (Note: If preferred, you can also chop fine first and then massage).
Add one 12-ounce bag of broccoli slaw mix to the bowl and one cup of sweetened dried cranberries.
Quarter and remove the core from a small honeycrisp apple and dice (I do not remove the skin from the apple). Add diced apple to the bowl.
Make the dressing by mixing grapeseed oil, apple cider vinegar, honey tarragon and citrus juice. Use fresh-squeezed juice from one naval orange, or 3 Clementine oranges. This will yield about 1/3 cup of juice. Shake or whisk vigorously until well combined.
Add the dressing to the salad and mix, cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.
The final ingredient is a half-cup of pepitas. I buy them already roasted and salted. Hint: In order to preserve their crunch, add these right before serving.
This makes a big bowl of salad, with a sweet – but tangy – dressing that is warm weather friendly and potluck easy due to the omission of mayo.
But don’t wait ‘til summer! It’s great to enjoy year-round!
Broccoli-Kale Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- ½ bunch kale about 5 large leaves
- 12 oz broccoli slaw
- 1 cup dried cranberries sweetened
- 1 apple honeycrisp (small)
- ½ cup pepitas roasted and salted
Dressing
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup grapeseed oil
- 1/3 cup orange juice freshly squeezed, from one navel orange or 3 Clementines
- 1 TB honey
- ¼ tsp dried tarragon
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Remove kale leaves from stems and place in colander to rinse. Place in a large bowl with a splash of olive oil and massage for 3 minutes. Cut kale into very small pieces and return to the bowl.
- Add package of broccoli slaw to the kale along with the dried cranberries.
- Core and dice the apple and add to the bowl.
- Add all dressing ingredients to a jar with a tight fitting lid. Cover and shake vigorously until well blended, then pour over salad. Mix well.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour to allow the flavors to blend.
- Add pepitas and serve.
Oh my, this looks healthy AND filling! Yum! What a fun but simple salad. Thanks for sharing, Sula!
That’s exactly it – fun but simple!