Kale Salad with Blueberries, Manchego and Pumpkin Seed Clusters

This Kale Salad with Blueberries, Manchego and Pumpkin Seed Clusters is the perfect blend of juicy fresh berries, salty cheese, spicy seed clusters all tossed with kale and a delicious lemon vinaigrette dressing. It is loaded with nutritious ingredients and makes the most of berry season!

Why You’ll Love This Blueberry Salad

Since I first shared this blueberry salad back in 2016, I have had numerous readers tell me that they make this recipe over and over again. I have to agree that this combination of sweet, savory and tart ingredients is particularly special. There is something so satisfying about the tart juicy blueberries combined with the bold sharp cheese and the unexpected spicy crunchy element that the seed clusters provide.

Here are just some of the many reasons you should make this yummy salad recipe:

• It’s Super Nutritious: Not only are blueberries among the frits highest in antioxidants and vitamins, but they are associated with all sorts of health benefits including reducing blood pressure and reducing improving brain function. The base of this salad is kale which also is a superfood and is known to be one of the healthiest greens. The seed clusters and olive oil in the lemon dressing provide heart-healthy essential fatty acids which help our bodies utilize the vitamins in the salad.
• It’s Versatile: If your missed blueberry season, you can easily swap in another berry, or try another fruit altogether. In winter try this with fresh persimmon or citrus. Furthermore, you can also use any type of cheese you like, or try another spiced nuts recipe instead of the seed clusters.

You can serve this salad as a light vegetarian entree or divide it among six or eight for a salad to pair with another main course. It pairs well with grilled meats and poultry too.

Ingredients For This Recipe

Pumpkin seeds

For the seed clusters look for raw green pumpkin seeds, which are also called pepitas. Do not use jack-o-lantern seeds which are too hard and pithy. You could sub in chopped pecans if you like.

Honey

To sweeten the seed clusters, I used honey. If you have raw honey that has solidified, warm it up by setting your jar of honey into a bowl of warm water. Or you can melt it in a small saucepan over low heat. 

Cinnamon and chipotle powder or smoked paprika

To add seasoning to the seed clusters use a little cinnamon.

If you like spicy food, choose chipotle chili powder. If not use the smoked paprika. 

You’ll also want a bit of salt to make sure they stay savory. Use regular table salt instead of kosher salt. Or if you want to sub kosher salt read this first. 

Kale

You can use any variety of kale but for this I recommend that you use a flat leaf variety. I remove the stems and then finely chop it before washing it in my salad spinner. If you have home grown kale, make sure to inspect the back sides of the leaves for any pests before cutting it up! 

Salad Dressing

I like the way my Lemon Vinaigrette works with this salad. But my Cider Vinegar Salad Dressing also is yummy. For something different you could use Homemade balsamic dressing or Tarragon Vinaigrette. Feel free to cruise the complete list of salad dressing recipes here. 

Blueberries

The star of the show are the fresh blueberries. Frozen blueberries aren’t a great alternative because they are too watery once they are thawed. If blueberries are not in season, try another berry or chopped fruit. In the fall juicy diced pears are great. Dried fruit also is a nice alternative. Try using 1/2 cup dried fruit in place of the blueberries. 

Manchego or domestic hard sheep cheese,

• The cheese for this recipe is sharp sheep’s milk cheese; Manchego is probably the most commonly known one. Since I love Vermont cheeses, I used a Vermont Sheep and cows milk blend, Invierno by Vermont Shepherd.
• Either work great, or look for a locally made sheep’s cheese from your area. If you use the Manchego, just make sure to cut the waxy edge off.
• I crumbled it by hand into small pieces instead of shredding. I love the way the cheese adds a big pop of flavor that really contrasts with the bitter greens and the sweet tart berries.

Freshly ground pepper

To finish off the salads, add on a grind or two of fresh peppers. 

How To Make Kale Salad with Blueberries

Make The Seed Clusters

The contrast of the sweet berries, kale and the spicy and sweet pumpkin seed clusters is amazing. The seed clusters are the perfect crunchy foil to add on top. They are a little sweet (and if you use the chipotle instead of the paprika- they are hot too.) 

1. Mix the pepitas with the honey, cinnamon, chipotle (or smoked paprika) and salt.
2. Spread the mixture out onto a sheet pan with a silicone mat or that’s coated with cooking spray.
3. Bake the pumpkin seeds for 1o minutes to thicken the honey.  
4. Stir the seeds and then continue baking them until the honey mixture isn’t shiny anymore and the seeds clump together. This only takes a couple minutes longer, so keep an eye on them so they don’t burn. 
5. Let them cool on the baking mat and they will harden as clusters as they cool. 

Make The Salad

Blueberries and kale are both superfoods, so you won’t want to miss this combination! And not only are they both in season right now, but they are fantastic together. They are really the canvas for this recipe.

1. Toss the greens with the dressing. You can massage the kale the way I do for my Massaged Kale Salad, to tenderize the greens before adding in the remaining ingredients. 
2. Divide the kale among four plates. 
3. Top the kale with the blueberries, crumbled cheese and finally the seed clusters.
4. Grind on some pepper and serve!

Make-Ahead Tips

• Dressing: The dressing can be made up to one week in advance. If it has become solid in the refrigerator, warm the jar up in a bowl of warm water. 
• Kale:  One of the great things about kale is that you can let it sit with dressing on it for quite a long time and it just gets better and better. So this recipe would actually be a great one to make in advance. If you do this, no need to massage the kale as it will naturally wilt as it sits with the dressing. This is a technique I used for my Overnight Kale Caesar Salad and it works wonders! Just make sure to wait until just before serving to add on the toppings. 
• Cheese: Feel free to crumble the cheese in advance. Keep it refrigerated. It will have the best flavor if you bring it to room temperature before serving. 
• Seed Clusters: Because it can be humid at this time of year, and honey is hygroscopic, the seed clusters can get tacky if they sit out too long.  They are fine for an hour or so. I just mention that in case you’re planning to make this for guests and want to prep ahead. Add them on top just before serving.

More Kale Recipes

• This Festive Kale Slaw with Raspberries and Almonds is like the winter sister to this recipe! I used frozen berries to make the dressing and they add juicy tart sweetness to it! 
• This Southwest Cobb Salad is served on top of a bed of shredded kale.
• I call this Kale Thanksgiving Salad because it is worthy of one of the biggest foodie holidays of the year. It has roasted delicata squash, chevere and spiced nuts! It’s stunningly good my friends. That said, it is also great on days that aren’t Thanksgiving! 
  If you’re looking for a simple way to prepare kale, this Sauteed Kale with Cider Vinegar is very basic, but oh so good! 
• This sugar-free Citrus Kale Salad is a refreshing winter salad made with clementines, feta and pumpkin seeds too. Are you sensing a repeating theme? Cheese plus fruit plus kale equals amazing yummy salad!  
• Our Lacinato Kale Caesar and our Lacinato Kale Chips are two more ways to use this variety of kale.
• You can also browse the several dozen kale recipes I have here on Healthy Seasonal.

More Blueberry and Berry Recipes

• This Blueberry Almond Tart has a creamy yogurt layer underneath the fresh berries.
• If you are in the mood for baking this Healthy Blueberry Lemon Bread is tender and moist and bursting with berries. 
• Another sweet and savory blueberry combo is this Blueberry Quinoa Tabbouleh. Serve it as a vegetarian main course for lunch or a light dinner. 
• This Gluten-free Maple Peach Blueberry Crisp is amazing even if you are not gluten-free! 
• Our Strawberry Coulis is a great easy way to use fresh strawberries in season and it can be frozen for months.
• Try these protein-packed Strawberry Peanut Butter Smoothies for a nutritious breakfast.
• This Skillet Blackberry Cobbler is ultra-juicy and made with healthier ingredients.
• Our Strawberry Lemonade Cocktail is made with homemade strawberry-infused vodka and our ginger simple syrup.
• Our master formula for Fruit Salsa can be made with whatever berry or seasonal fruit you have on hand.

Thanks so much for reading. If you make this recipe for Kale Salad with Blueberries, make sure to leave a star rating and review. 

Happy Cooking!

~Katie

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