Massaged Kale Salad with pomegranate arils, orange slices and toasted slivered almonds all coated in the best scrumptious orange ginger dressing.
Perfect Christmas Salad
If you have been looking for easy and affordable winter salad, this massaged kale salad with winter fruit is IT. It is a nutrition powerhouse loaded with cruciferous greens, pomegranate, citrus and toasted almonds.
And the dressing is light and fresh made with orange juice and lemony, peppery, spicy, slightly sweet but pungent fresh ginger root. Don’t try dried ginger, you won’t be even able to taste it. Has to be fresh or no ginger at all, which will do.
It is a perfect Christmas salad with all these colours. Just look at it.
Do I Have to Massage Kale?
Yes. It is absolute opposite to what I tell you to do in lemon kale salad – don’t waste your time massaging. It is because lemon juice, Parmesan cheese and olive oil do a good job at breaking down the fibers in that kale salad.
Kale pomegranate salad needs massaging. To massage kale, drizzle it with 1 tbsp olive oil and 1/4 tsp salt. Literally give it a massage using your hands for about 2-3 minutes.
Tip: Add remaining ingredients after. You don’t want to be massaging fruit as well. ?
How to Make Massaged Kale Salad
- Kale: For winter kale salad I prefer to use green curly kale as it is less bitter than Dinosaur kale. Also known as Lacinato kale, dinosaur kale has dark narrow leaves with bumps. Its leaves are quite soft, so if you use it, chances are no massage is required.
- Pomegranate: I find cleaning pomegranate is the most cumbersome part of this winter kale salad. You can buy pomegranate arils but be prepared to pay for someone’s time. Or I find using this method is not that bad.
- Citrus: I used mandarins and sliced them into rounds. You can also separate small mandarins into small segments. Any citrus fruit like oranges, clementines, cuties etc. will work. The key is to get them to small bite size pieces as close as possible.
- Almonds: Try toasting any nuts in a skillet and you will never eat them raw again. However, raw nuts are more nutritious, so roast them for a treat. I use slivered almonds but sliced or coarsely chopped whole work just as well. Hazelnuts, macadamia nuts or cashews will go well with kale.
- Orange ginger dressing: Just 1/4 cup orange juice, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp freshly grated ginger, salt and pepper whisked in a bowl make this the best kale salad for today. ?
How to Store and Make Ahead
Store: You can store salad leftovers for up to 36 hours without salad becoming soggy.
Make ahead: If you would like to make salad ahead, prepare kale leaves and store in a zip top bag for up to 7 days. I often prep kale like this for easy use throughout the week. If you buy chopped kale in bags, you might have to remove the ribs.
Then store toasted nuts in a dry place. Salad dressing can be made for up to 7 days in advance and refrigerated. Remove it from the fridge 30 minutes ahead of serving to allow olive oil to warm up.
What to Serve Kale Salad With?
This vegan kale salad is super crunchy and juicy from all that orange ginger dressing. It goes well with chicken, lamb, beef or meatballs. Serve with a meatloaf or a turkey breast roast.
You got massaged salt-ish kale, juicy pomegranates, sweet and fragrant citrus slices, toasted and crunchy almonds drowning in fresh orange juice based vinaigrette with a ginger kick. What not to like?!
I devoured 5 cups, like this whole bowl, by myself, in one day. I guess it’s one of those dishes that doesn’t need a calorie count. ?
More Kale Salad Recipes
- Mexican kale salad
- Lemon kale salad with garlic and Parmesan
- Sweet kale salad
- Baby kale salad
Massaged Kale Salad with Winter Fruit
Massaged Kale Salad with pomegranate arils, orange slices and toasted slivered almonds all coated in the best scrumptious orange ginger dressing. Course: SaladCuisine: North American Prep Time: 15 minutesCook Time: 5 minutes Servings: 6 servings Calories: 190kcal
Ingredients
For Salad:
- 8 cups green curly kale packed, stems removed and chopped
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 large pomegranate arils only
- 4 mandarins or 1 orange sliced
- 1/2 cup almonds slivered, sliced or coarsely chopped
For Orange Ginger Dressing:
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp fresh ginger grated
- 1/4 tsp salt
- Ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large salad bowl, add kale, olive oil and salt.
- Massage with your hands for 2-3 minutes until the amount of kale shrinks a bit.
- Add pomegranate and orange slices. Set aside.
- Toast nuts in a skillet on medium heat until fragrant, stirring often. Transfer to a bowl with salad.
- In a small bowl, add orange juice, olive oil, ginger, salt, pepper and whisk with a fork.
- Pour dressing over salad, toss gently and enjoy.
Store: You can store salad leftovers for up to 36 hours without salad becoming soggy.
Make Ahead: If you would like to make salad ahead, prepare kale leaves and store in a zip top bag for up to 7 days. I often prep kale like this for easy use throughout the week. If you buy chopped kale in bags, you might have to remove the ribs.
Then store toasted nuts in a dry place. Salad dressing can be made for up to 7 days in advance and refrigerated. Remove it from the fridge 30 minutes ahead of serving to allow olive oil to warm up.
Notes
- Don’t try dried ginger, you won’t be even able to taste it. Has to be fresh or no ginger at all, which will do.
- I prefer to use green curly kale as it is less bitter than Dinosaur kale. Also known as Lacinato kale, dinosaur kale has dark narrow leaves with bumps. Its leaves are quite soft, so if you use it, chances are no massage is required.
- You can buy pomegranate arils but be prepared to pay for someone’s time. Or I find using this method is not that bad.
- I used mandarins and sliced them into rounds. You can also separate small mandarins into small segments. Any citrus fruit like oranges, clementines, cuties etc. will work. The key is to get them to small bite size pieces as close as possible.
- I use slivered almonds but sliced or coarsely chopped whole work just as well. Hazelnuts, macadamia nuts or cashews will go well with kale.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 190kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 229mg | Potassium: 641mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 9345IU | Vitamin C: 128mg | Calcium: 187mg | Iron: 2mg
