Kale Salad with Warm Cranberry Vinaigrette
A vibrant salad featuring massaged kale with a warm cranberry vinaigrette, topped with crunchy almonds.
Equipment
- 1 Skillet Large
Ingredients
Main ingredients
- 3 Tbsp. olive oil divided—you need a bit for cooking and a bit for massaging the kale
- 1 shallot peeled and thinly sliced—adds a gentle, sweet bite when softened
- 3 cloves garlic coarsely chopped—garlic’s gotta shine in this vinaigrette
- 1 cup dried cranberries they swell and sweeten up nicely in the warm sauce
- 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar adds that tang you've gotta have to balance flavors
- 2 teaspoons honey because a touch of sweet makes everything better
- Juice and zest of half a lemon fresh and bright, they lift up the whole salad
- ⅛ tsp. salt & ⅛ tsp. black pepper—to season just right
- 1 bunch kale very thinly sliced—your salad base, massaged till soft and tasty
- ¼ cup sliced almonds for crunch (optional ¼ cup crumbled blue or goat cheese if you want more creaminess)
Instructions
Instructions
- Put 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet and heat over medium. You want the pan hot enough so the shallots will soften up without burning.
- Add the thinly sliced shallot and cook for about 3 minutes. You’ll see it get translucent and smell real nice.
- Toss in the chopped garlic and stir around for another minute so its flavor gets released but doesn’t brown too dark.
- Now add the dried cranberries, red wine vinegar, honey, lemon juice and zest, salt, and pepper to that skillet. Stir it all together and let it simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring every now and then. It’s gonna get thick and syrupy.
- While that’s working, slice your kale super thin. Put it in a large bowl and drizzle the remaining olive oil on. Then you gotta massage it with your hands like you mean it till it softens and kinda shrinks a bit.
- After the vinaigrette is ready and your kale is tender from the massage, pour the warm vinaigrette on top. Toss it all so everything is coated evenly. You catch how that warm sauce clings to the leaves.
- Serve immediately with the almonds sprinkled on, and cheese if you like. This dish is best enjoyed fresh, but you can make it a little ahead if you gotta.
Notes
Serve your fresh cranberry kale salad tossed with warm vinaigrette and crunchy almonds. Don't skip massaging the kale, it makes the bite way less bitter and kinda buttery.