Kale Apple Walnut Salad
Kale apple walnut salad strips kale leaves from their stems, tears them small, and massages them with part of a lemon-honey dressing to soften the tough fibers before adding thinly sliced apple, roughly chopped walnuts, and dried cranberries with the remaining dressing. Raw kale has a coarse, chewy texture that can feel rough on the palate, but massaging it with the acidic dressing breaks down the cell walls, reducing volume and turning the leaves tender. The lemon juice pulls double duty - it tempers the kale's bitterness and prevents the apple slices from browning. Olive oil and honey round out the acid with a smooth richness and gentle sweetness. Toasting the walnuts in a dry pan for just one minute brings their oils to the surface, roughly doubling the nutty aroma, while pockets of dried cranberries add tart-sweet bursts throughout.
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Instructions
- 1
Remove kale stems and tear leaves into small pieces.
- 2
Thinly slice apple and roughly chop walnuts.
- 3
Mix lemon juice, olive oil, and honey for dressing.
- 4
Massage kale with a little dressing first.
- 5
Add apple, walnuts, and cranberries, then toss with remaining dressing.
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