Kale is certainly a vegetable that divides us all. I am certainly in the pro kale camp but I am sure there are many of you out there who are already tuning out because you really do not like kale. I get that it’s leaves are sturdy and therefore take rather more chewing than, say, Savoy or white cabbage.
Kale, roasted cranberry & smoked almond salad
But let me persuade you that eating kale can be a pleasurable experience with my latest dish. How does a kale, roasted cranberry and smoked almond salad sound? These ingredients along with a few dried cranberries and a scattering of crunchy pomegranate seeds make this an absolute winner of a winter salad.
Roasted cranberries
My recipe came about from two things. ONE. I needed to use up last year’s store of frozen cranberries. I thought, why don’t I try and roast them and see what happens? I adapted THIS recipe and it was a revelation. You have to try roasted cranberries of you love sharp almost bittersweet flavours as I do. TWO. Smoked almonds that were sent to me along with a festive hamper from John Lewis. The rest of the hamper will be going to the school fair but I just had to have those almonds. They taste exactly like smokey bacon and provide a meaty note to the salad as well as crunch.
Kale, roasted cranberry & smoked almond salad
This would make a perfect accompaniment to any festive meal but I am largely thinking how well it would go with all the Christmas leftovers. So instead of making the regular leftover bagged salad plus under-ripe tomatoes and soggy cucumber, make this instead!
If you are in need of any further hamper inspiration for Christmas gifts this year, you might want to take a look HERE.
Here are a few more wintery salads from around the web:
Kale, brown rice & red quinoa salad with a miso dressing – Elizabeth’s kitchen diary
Kale, chard, watermelon & avocado salad – Fuss Free Flavours
Kale, wild rice & sweet potato salad – Amuse your bouche
Kale, watermelon & Feta salad – Hungry Healthy Happy
I am linking my salad to the following challenges:
Eat Your Greens – Allotment 2 Kitchen
Simple and in Season – Feeding Boys & Ren Behan
Extra Veg – Fuss Free Living & Utterly Scrummy
Credit Crunch Munch – My little Italian Kitchen, Fuss Free Flavours & Fab Food 4 All
No Croutons Required (veggie) – Lisa’s Kitchen & Tinned Tomatoes
Family Foodies (veggie) – Eat your Veg & Bangers & Mash
Thanks to John Lewis for providing me with a festive gift hamper. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Kale, roasted cranberry & smoked almond salad
Ingredients
- For the salad 🙂
- 1 bag Prepped & washed kale
- Seeds of half a pomegranate
- Handful of dried cranberries
- Handful of smoked almonds roughly sliced
- 150 g Fresh/frozen cranberries
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 tbsp Caster sugar.
- For the honey mustard dressing 🙂
- 1/2 tsp Maldon sea salt
- 1 tsp Runny honey
- 1 tsp Grainy mustard
- 2 tsp Sherry vinegar
- Squeeze of lemon juice
- 3 tbsp Olive oil
Instructions
- For the honey mustard dressing 🙂
Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and whisk together. Alternatively place them into a jam jar and shake well.
- For the salad 🙂
Toss the cranberries in the oil and sugar and add a little sea salt then place onto a baking tray and roast in a pre-heated oven (200 degrees) for 15 minutes then leave to cool,
Wash the kale in cold water then leave to drain for a few minutes in a colander or use a salad spinner to dry out the leaves,
Pour the dressing over the kale leaves and stir well. Leave the flavours to mingle for up to 30 minutes if you have the time or do this in advance and keep the kale refrigerated (same day use only) until you are ready to assemble the salad,
Place the kale leaves into two salad serving bowls and top with the roasted cranberries, dried cranberries, almonds and pomegranates.
This is a wonderful salad. You are right Kale has quite a tough leaf and you need to know how to prepare it. The addition of cranberries gives this salad a Christmassy touch. Beautiful.
Thank you for entering #CreditCrunchMunch
It is definitely a very festive salad Alida!
Love the textures and flavours here Laura – could happily have a bowl of this for lunch. Thank you for entering #CreditCrunchMunch:-)
It does make a great lunch Camilla!
Smoked almonds sound perfect and I bet they go really well with the cranberries.
Thanks for linking to my recipe 🙂
Thanks Danii, I like the sweet and salty tastes together 🙂
It all sounds so good Laura – and it must be pretty healthy too. The colours and the contrasting textures would make this a really interesting salad.
Absolutely stunning! Love the little red pearls, so beautiful and so festive!
Thanks Becca, I love test colours too. So festive but also tasty!
I haven’t tried roasting cranberries but I LOVE their slightly sharp flavour – and need no excuse to put them in a salad. Lovely recipe (kale fan).
Roasting cranberries is such a great discovery Sally, I will be using them loads this year!
I really like how the bittnerness of kale is set against the cranberries and those smoky almonds sound gorgeous! lovely combination x
Thanks Deena, I do love bittersweet flavours 🙂
Great recipe Laura! Looks so colorful and delicious! What restaurant have you had the best kale, cranberry and almond salad? Remember to add it to your Besty List! http://www.thebesty.com/laurascott
A beautifully festive looking salad Laura – thanks so much for joining us for Simple and in Season this month.
gorgeous recipe Laura – not thought of putting cranberries into a salad. so pretty . I am using Kale a lot at moment – nice that it lasts a little longer than salad leaves!
I adore kale and this is surely one festive way to dress it up. Thanks for sharing with NCR.
I’ve not seen anything like it before and your winter salad really excites me flavour wise and visually. Thank yo so much for sharing with EatYourGreens, its really appreciated.
Thanks Shaheen, it makes a welcome winter salad, pleased you like it!
This has to be the most festive looking salad I’ve seen yet! And sounds delicious, I adore smoked almonds and I can imagine they really do had a tasty punch to this salad. Plus I am a kale lover, just wish I could get my kids to appreciate it! Thanks so much for linking up to November’s Family Foodies Vegetarian event.
Mmm kale…can’t get enough of it! This salad looks amazing Laura 😀 x