Kale Salad with Toasted Almonds, Cranberries, and Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

Name: Kale Salad with Toasted Almonds, Cranberries, and Honey Mustard Vinaigrette
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4 serving(s)
Ingredients: Honey Mustard Vinaigrette:; 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard; 1 tablespoon honey; 1 tablespoon lemon juice; ¼ cup olive oil; 1 tablespoon water, or more to taste; salt and ground black pepper to taste; Kale Salad:; ½ cup almonds; 1 teaspoon olive oil, or to taste; 2 teaspoon sea salt flakes, (such as Maldon’s(R)); 1 bunch lacinato or curly kale, stems removed and leaves torn into bite-size pieces; ½ red onion, sliced; ¼ cup sweetened dried cranberries; 1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese, or more to taste; freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Dani McReynolds

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This quick and easy salad recipe features kale, toasted almonds, and dried cranberries in a quick homemade vinaigrette. By whipping up Dijon mustard, honey, lemon juice, and olive oil, you have a beautiful honey-mustard vinaigrette that will soon become a go-to favorite. For an extra flavor boost, try toasting the almonds before adding them to the recipe. In this salad, you will enjoy lots of flavor and texture. I'm guessing you will soon forget you're eating a healthy meal!

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Servings: 4

Ready in: 20min PT20M

Ingredients

Honey Mustard Vinaigrette:
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¼ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon water, or more to taste
salt and ground black pepper to taste
Kale Salad:
½ cup almonds
1 teaspoon olive oil, or to taste
2 teaspoon sea salt flakes, (such as Maldon’s(R))
1 bunch lacinato or curly kale, stems removed and leaves torn into bite-size pieces
½ red onion, sliced
¼ cup sweetened dried cranberries
1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese, or more to taste
freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Directions

Stir mustard, honey, and lemon juice together with a whisk in a bowl. Very slowly stream the olive oil into the mustard mixture, whisking energetically the entire time to emulsify. Thin dressing with 1 to 2 tablespoons water, as desired; season with salt and pepper.
Heat a small skillet over medium-high. Toast almonds in the skillet until fragrant and beginning to brown, 3 to 5 minutes; remove from heat, toss immediately with a drizzle of olive oil to coat, and season with sea salt.
Toss kale with about 2 tablespoons of the vinaigrette in a large bowl. Add more dressing as desired. Massage the dressing into the kale with your hands to soften.
Chop the almonds and add to the kale along with the onion and cranberries; toss together. Grate parmesan over each serving of salad and garnish with freshly cracked black pepper.

Mealthy tip:

With simple ingredients in a fresh recipe like this, it is worth it to invest in high quality sea salt. Maldon has been produced for over 135 years and has a distinctive flaky texture that lends perfect piquancy to any dish.

Tagged:

Dinner Salads Weeknight Quick And Easy Ready In 30 Lunch American Casual Party Picnic Almonds Sides Kale Parmesan Cheese Gluten-free Vegetarian Low-carb Cranberries No Meat

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5.0out of 5 Stars

(5 Reviews)

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What others are saying

Jeremy Hughes says:

This was a great tasting kale salad. Massaging the kale in your hands with the dressing is a step you cannot skip. It truly makes a huge difference in the overall taste and texture of the greens.

Sheila Long says:

I had to buy Maldon sea salt online for another recipe I was making. Never thought I'd use it again! It was super tasty in this salad, so glad I kept it in the pantry.

Jordan Clark says:

Great salad, but I made it with spinach and not kale. I also could not find sea salt flakes anywhere! I looked at multiple stores. The dressing is perfect.

Laura Griffin says:

This is the perfect obligatory kale salad. If you only ever eat one kale salad in your life, this is it! It's simple, pretty, and delicious. The honey mustard dressing is also a favorite!

Katie Hason says:

This salad is so delicious! The almonds and cranberries give it great flavor, and the homemade honey mustard vinaigrette is very flavorful. I am going to serve this salad again soon at my next party.