Massaged Kale Salad with Apple

Once you try this Apple Kale Salad you will definitely add it to your regular salad rotation! This recipe is only 212 calories per 2 cup serving, has 145 % of your DV for Vitamin A and 98% of your DV for Vitamin C and is Vegan! The secret to success is rubbing the kale leaves with olive oil before you toss with the apples and other salad toppings to make it tender and delicate. I know it sounds strange, intentionally “roughing up” your produce, but it works wonders and is pretty much my favorite way to prepare kale!

I originally shared this recipe on January 15, 2021. I have updated the text today.

Ingredients For Apple Kale Salad

• Bunch of Kale – This powerhouse superfood is of course packed with vitamins and nutrients. Curly kale is also a great choice for make ahead salads because it is sturdy enough to hold up to a dressing and gets even better as it sits in the fridge.
• Extra-virgin olive oil and salt – A bit of heart-healthy olive oil and salt are used to add flavor to the salad, but also to help breakdown and tenderize the kale.
• Apple – Diced apple adds a delicious subtle sweetness and texture to the salad.
• Avocado – Packed with nutrients and healthy fats and fiber avocados not only add awesome creamy texture and flavor they also help this salad to keep you fuller longer.
• Celery – One of my favorite ways to add a crispy freshness to salads without a lot of additional calories or fat.
• Fennel Root – The mild licorice flavor and crunch texture of fennel is the perfect compliment to the other flavors and textures in this salad.
• Pecans – Toasting the pecans enhances their nutty flavor and actually makes them crunchier.
• Dried Sweetened Cranberries – They add fabulous sweet tart flavor and a welcome chewy texture. Dried fruit is higher in sugar, so a little goes a long way.
• Vinaigrette – I used my Tarragon Vinaigrette to toss with the salad, but if you have a favorite dressing or want to try something different you can try another recipe like the ones below.

Step By Step Instructions To Make This Easy Massaged Kale

Place kale in a large bowl and drizzle on a little oil and sprinkle with salt. The oil helps to make the leaves more slippery and easy to knead with your fingertips. The salt works like a body scrub to also tenderize the leaves.

The best way is to toss the raw kale leaves a few times to distribute the oil and salt throughout, then use both of you clean hands to grab handfuls of the greens, squeezing them into your palms, and crunching them up giving them a little massage. (You can see in my video how I do this.)

Continue massaging until all of the leaves are glossy and the bunch has is about 1/3 less voluminous. You can also try tasting a leaf to see if it is tender. It should not be scratchy, tough or too crunchy.

I have seen some recipes where they recommend rubbing the leaves one by one, and I find this completely tiresome and I don’t have the patience for it. I think crunching it up with my hands works to tenderize it just as well, and takes a fraction of the time.

Note that the kale will seem to “wilt” down as you massage it, and that is normal. That’s because it is less fluffy and there’s less air between pieces in the bowl. Don’t worry, it won’t be watery or soggy.

Add the rest of the ingredients including the apple, avocado, celery, fennel, pecans and cranberries.

Drizzle with the vinaigrette of your choice.

Toss to coat and serve immediately!

FAQ’s And Expert Tips

Additional Vinaigrette Recipes To Try

• My recipe for Lemon Vinaigrette which gets its bright acidity from lemon juice and has a little bit of sweetness to balance it from agave (for vegans) or honey.
• This Apple Cider Vinegar salad dressing is one of my most popular, and is a great neutral tasting dressing that works with all sorts of salad combinations.
• This Walnut Balsamic dressing would be great with this salad. You could swap in toasted walnuts for the pecans if you want to really play up the walnut flavor!  
• If you love the way this recipe comes out, you can do the same thing for kale Caesar. Just skip all the toppings I used here, and use my Egg-free Caesar dressing or creamy Caesar Dressing with egg and a batch of homemade croutons and Parmesan instead to make a Massaged Kale Caesar! Use the same ratios in the recipe (1 bunch kale massaged with 1 Tablespoon oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt. Then add in ½ c Caesar dressing. Add the Parmesan to taste.)
• You could also do a spin on this recipe for Spinach Salad with Bacon and Eggs, subbing in the massaged kale for the spinach.

Additional Kale Salads Recipes To Try

• Kale Citrus Salad {Sugar-free}, this simple kale salad has oranges, feta, cherry tomatoes and avocado and a bright acidic lemon dressing perfect to change the minds of any kale haters.
• Southwest Kale Cobb Salad, these hearty green meal salads are topped with Cobb toppings with a southwestern flair.
• Baby Kale Caesar Romano, this is gluten-free and has toasted sliced Almonds instead of Croutons and will turn anyone into a kale lover.
• Thanksgiving Salad with Delicata Squash and Candied nuts is one of those simple salads that is spectacular and shouldn’t be reserved for only Thanksgiving or a holiday meal!
• In the summer, this Kale Salad with Blueberries and Manchego Cheese is really popular healthy salad.
• This Festive Kale Slaw with Raspberries and Almonds is an unexpected combo and is one of those gorgeous salad recipes!
• This recipe for Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad has kale, apple and a bold lemon vinaigrette with garlic and Parmesan cheese is my favorite salad! 
• This Lacinato Kale Caesar Salad is a raw kale salad made with a simple egg-free dressing and tossed with homemade croutons and grated cheese! 

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