Kale Salad with Cashews and Cranberries

Here’s a simple massaged kale salad with cashews and dried cranberries that’s festive enough for holidays and easy enough for everyday meals.

This a a salad that can be enjoyed pretty much all year round. But I’ll always associate it with Thanksgiving, because the first time I encountered raw kale in a salad was at this holiday’s celebration at the home of good friends a number of years ago.

That’s when I first learned about massaging kale, an important step to take when using kale raw . I’m still perplexed when restaurants serve raw kale, un-massaged! To get the most enjoyment from raw kale, massaging it is a must.

How (and why) to massage kale

There’s not much to this process. Here are the basic steps:

1  Let’s assume you’re starting with clean kale. If you’ve rinsed it (which I recommend), make sure it’s dry before starting.

2  Tear the kale leaves away from the stems. You can very thinly slices the stems or use them (I prefer not to use them). Tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces.

3  Rub a small amount of olive oil (or another salad dressing, if using) onto your palms and massage the kale leaves for 30 to 60 seconds, until they turn bright green and soften. That’s it!

For more detail, see How to Massage Kale (and a Few Delicious Kale Salad Ideas). As for why to massage kale, it breaks down the fibers, softening the leaves and gives them a much-imroved mouth feel. Otherwise you might feel like you’re chewing lawn!

Lots of ways to vary this simple kale salad 

Even in its simple form, as presented here, it’s tasty and festive. I find it almost addictive; but I suppose that if one is going to be addicted to something, it may as well be kale! Here are some ideas of how to vary it.

• Toss in some slivered baby carrots
• Substitute another kind of nut
• Add a bit of thinly shredded red cabbage for extra color
• Asliced celery or bok choy for extra crunch.
• Use a different nut, a different fruit
• Try a different dressing (Sesame-Ginger is nice!)

Recipe adapted from Vegan Holiday Kitchen by Nava Atlas. Photos by Susan Voisin.

Explore more …

• Kale and Avocado Salad with Corn and Tomatoes
• Butternut Squash and Kale Salad
• Cool Cucumber and Kale Salad with Hot & Spicy Tofu
• Vegan Kale Caesar Salad with Spiced Chickpeas

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Yield: 6 to 8

Kale Salad with Cashews and Cranberries

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Here’s a simple massaged kale salad, embellished with cashews and dried cranberries that’s festive enough for holidays and easy enough for everyday meals.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 good sized bunch kale (8 to 10 ounces), curly green or lacinato, washed and dried
• Olive oil, as needed
• 2/3 cup dried cranberries (or see variations)
• 1/2 cup crushed toasted cashews (or see variations)
• 1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise (or see variations)
• 1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice, to taste
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Strip the kale leaves off the stems. Cut into ribbons and place in a large bowl. With a little olive oil rubbed into your palms, massage the kale for a minute or so, until it becomes bright green and softens a bit, 45 to 60 seconds.
2. Stir in the remaining ingredients and serve at room temperature.

Notes

Optional additions (use as much or as little as you'd like)

• Tiny orange sections (mandarin or clementine)
• Diced apple
• Diced pear
• Grated carrot
• Thinly sliced bok choy

Variations

• Use dried cherries or golden raisins in place of cranberries
• Toasted walnuts or  pecans in place of cashews
• Use toasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas) in place of cashews
• Use bottled raspberry vinaigrette instead of vegan mayonnaise

See lots more plant-forward salads & sides.