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–+ servings

Fall Edition! Six-Step Kale Salad

This easy, flavorful fall salad is jam-packed with healthy delicious things like candied pumpkin seeds, crisp apples and sweet oranges.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Servings: 2 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 large bunch curly kale
  • 1 small apple, diced
  • ½ cup red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 orange, peeled and diced
  • ¾ candied pumpkin seeds
  • 1 ½ cups smoky maple cannellini beans
  • 1 garlic clove, very thinly sliced

Beans:

  • 1 ½ cups white beans or chickpeas
  • 2 teaspoon maple syrup
  • ½ teaspoon smoky paprika
  • salt to taste

Pumpkin Seeds:

  • ¾ cup raw pumpkin seeds
  • 1 maple syrup
  • ¼ teaspoon smoky paprika
  • ¼ teaspoon coarse sea salt (fleur de sel used)

Peanut Dressing: (you will have some leftover sauce)

  • ½ cup creamy peanut butter
  • 2 ½ tablespoon maple syrup
  • 1 ½ tablespoon tamari
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • ⅓ cup warm water
  • ½ - 1 teaspoon raw ginger, peeled
  • optional: orange zest over top salad to serve

Instructions

  • Whip up the dressing by blending all the ingredients in your blender until creamy and smooth. Set aside.
  • Prep your kale! Remove the thick veins/stems and place all the curly leaves in a large mixing bowl. Rinse well - I like to use a fruit and veggie wash. Drain water well. Pat and squeeze kale dry with a few paper towels and be sure to drain any excess water from the mixing bowl. Tear or chop kale into bite sized pieces - I use culinary scissors to further cut up the kale into smaller pieces.
  • Add about ¼ cup of the dressing to the kale and start tossing! You want to really marinate the leaves with dressing. You can customize how saturated you want your kale to be. More dressing means more flavor and moisture and tenderness. In my photos here, I went with very light dressing. but then added a few more drizzles upon serving.
  • Pumpkin Seeds: Warm a skillet over high heat and add the raw pumpkin seeds. Toast for 1-2 minutes, then add the paprika and maple and toss with seeds. Turn off heat and allow the heat from the pan to caramelize the maple. Break up any large clumps. Sprinkle the salt over top and remove seeds from pan. Set aside.
  • Beans: In the same skillet as the pumpkin seeds, add your drained and rinsed beans. Sprinkle paprika over top and add the maple syrup. Optional: add 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil to the pan if desired for beans with a bit more texture and richness. Saute for 2-3 minutes, just until warmed and lightly browned.
  • Toss! Add all the ingredients to the dressed kale bowl: onion, orange, thinly shaved garlic, beans and a few of the pumpkin seeds. (I like to add most of the pumpkin seeds right on top of the salad so they stay nice and crisp. Toss well and serve in large bowls. Top salads with additional candied pumpkin seeds. Optional: microplane some orange zest right on top of the serving bowls for extra citrus-y aroma.
  • On the side: I love to serve this salad with an oven-baked sweet potato. And a slice of gluten-free toast with Vegenaise. You can add the sweet potato right on top of the salad or eat it on the side.