Red Kale Salad Recipe With Orange Slices And Slivered Almonds
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This colorful festive salad is a delicious way to eat your kale! Chopped-up kale leaves are tossed with the extra-virgin olive oil and fresh lemon juice dressing, and topped with sweet orange slices and crunchy slivered almonds. The strong leafy kale greens are mellowed out by the sweetness of the oranges, and the almonds add a delicious crispness to this healthy yummy salad!
I made this salad out of red kale, which is just one of the varieties of kale. If you are wondering why the leaves on the photo are green as opposed to red, well, that’s what red kale looks like :) It actually looks more red when the leaves are whole – it has dark green leaves with purplish red veins and red stems. In the supermarket, when you see red kale next to green kale, you’ll know immediately which one is red. Red and green kale taste exactly the same to my taste buds, so of course you can make this salad out of any type of kale :)
For the almond topping for this red kale salad, I used the recipe for toasted sugared slivered almonds that I posted earlier. If you want to avoid extra sugar, you can just use plain slivered almonds. But if you are making this salad for company and want a truly festive topping with sweet crunchy and addictive nuts, take the extra step of making the sugared almonds – they are so worth it!
You can serve this red kale salad with the almonds and orange slices on top, or you can mix them in. The top photo has the toppings on top of the salad (so you can even barely see the kale), and the photo below has everything mixed together. Now you can even see the red veins on the kale leaves :)
If you think kale leaves are hard, wait till you try making it the right way. To make kale softer, you need to squeeze the chopped kale with your hands really hard for several minutes after you add the dressing, in a similar motion to kneading the dough. Don’t worry, the leaves won’t be mushy – the texture of kale after you squeeze it like this will be very similar to regular salad leaves that people are accustomed to.
Red Kale Salad Recipe With Orange Slices And Almonds
Ingredients
- 1 bunch of red kale or you can use other kinds of kale
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds plain or sugared - see <a href="https://www.melaniecooks.com/toasted-sugared-slivered-almonds-recipe/7559/">how to make toasted sugared slivered almonds</a>
- 1 can orange slices drained
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 lemon
Instructions
- Wash the kale leaves, then cut off and discard the stems and large veins.
- Fit the food processor with a top round slicing disk, and use the food processor to slice the kale.
- Squeeze the lemon into a cup.
- Add the olive oil to the lemon juice and whisk with a fork until combined.
- Put the chopped kale in a large bowl and pour dressing over it.
- Toss the kale with your hands and "massage" it for several minutes until softened.
- Add the orange slices and slivered almonds and toss.
I love citrus with kale, great salad!
Me too! Cirtus is so refreshing, goes really well with strong leafy greens!
A great way to eat kale. I love the orange slices and almonds that you added to your salad.
Thanks Dawn! The orange slices and almonds really make this salad shine!
I haven’t yet been able to make friends with kale, but maybe this salad with your great almonds will do the trick!
The key is to soften the leaves – chop them into really small pieces and squeeze with your hands for several minutes after adding the dressing. Once kale softens, it tastes pretty similar to other lettuces :) And once you add the sweet oranges and almonds, I think you’ll become a kale convert!
I am a kale freak. It’s actually kind of a problem :) I have always seen red kale in the store and wondered if I could use it just like green kale. Thanks for the great tips and inspiration!!
Being a kale freak is a good problem to have :) Kale is so good for you! I always used to get the familiar green kale, but once saw the red kale on sale and was curious to see what it tastes like, so I got it and made this salad. I couldn’t tell the difference in taste at all :)
I love kale! Your salad looks healthy and scrumptious, Melanie.
Wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday season!
Angie
Thanks Angie! Happy Holidays to you and your family!
Love kale salads! Citrus combines so well with it, don’t you think? Happy Holidays, and see you next year!
Thanks John! I love citrus in green salad, especially with kale! Happy Holidays!
This salad looks wonderful! The perfect addition to the holiday table. Merry Christmas to you and your family Melanie! x
Thanks Jess! Yes, all these colors make this salad look festive, so it’s great for a holiday table! Merry Christmas to you and your family as well!
So simple yet so delicious and fresh! Perfect for this time of year :D Yum!!
Simple is best :) Glad you like it!
I’m making a similar salad for Christmas (although quite different) but it has oranges and caramelised nuts. This looks so good! :D
Great minds think alike :) Oranges with caramelized nuts is a sure deal!
My cousin brought a kale salad to our Thanksgiving dinner last year and it was to-die for! I’m definitely saving this one so that I can wow the crowds just like she did…and those sugared almonds! Love!
Thanks Ala! Everyone will go wild for those sugared almonds :)
I had some leftover steamed kale so instead of raw I just used it. it was al dente so held up fine. I used no sugar on the almond and fresh heirloom oranges cause that’s what I had on hand This was so good, orange and lemon I got my Vit C! I love how your recipes are so healthy and also how they are easily altered with in-hand ingredients. These are giving some variety to my plant based diet.