Kale & Apple Salad with Goat Cheese & Pecans
This is the kind of salad that you’ll actually love making year ’round for its health benefits, freshness and perky flavor. Yes, I just described a salad as perky. I need another hobby. The perkiness comes from the apple and this amazingly delicious cinnamon-balsamic dressing which is to die for and really gives the salad punch!
The star ingredient is Kale, which among all the greens – is top of the heap when it comes to nutritional value. Kale one of the most nutrient dense plant foods on the planet – loaded with anti-oxidants, Vitamin C & K, fiber and minerals.
On a day like Thanksgiving, when a lot of traditional dishes can be pretty heavy and calorie laden – this is refreshing, healthy and will leave everyone feeling good! Give it a go and see what ‘cha think.
Kale & Apple Salad – Healthy!
Ingredients
- 4 cups kale, chopped into bite-sized pieces. I buy pre-washed & bagged.
- 1 Gala apple, diced into 1/4″ pieces
- ⅓ cup goat cheese, crumbled
- ½ cup pecans, toasted
- 2 tbsp sunflower seeds, toasted
Cinnamon Balsamic Dressing
- 2 tbsp good balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- ⅛ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp lemon juice, fresh squeezed
- ¾ tsp Dijon mustard
Instructions
For the nuts
- In a medium fry pan over low heat, place pecans in a single layer toasting them on both sides until fragrant. Remove and let cool.
- Do the same with the sunflower seeds unless you’ve purchased them already roasted and salted. Due to the difference in size of pecans & sunflower seeds, you’ll want to toast them separately otherwise the sunflowers will burn before the pecans are ready!
For the Dressing
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together vinegar, brown sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice and Dijon mustard until combined.
- Next, slowly add in the olive oil whisking quickly until it’s all incorporated.
To make the salad
- In a large salad bowl place the diced apple and kale.
- Drizzle the dressing over the mixture, toss and let sit for about 10 minutes. This allows the acidity in the dressing to to break down the kale fibers, making it softer.
- Finally, add in the goat cheese, pecans and sunflower seeds – toss and serve!
