Kale Apple and Walnuts in a Salad!

I love Massaged Kale Salads. They are easy, healthy, and a great way to eat more veggies. Moreover, winter-time is a superb time to make this Kale Apple Walnut Salad. Because, when there isn’t much growing, Kale is still kicking.

This recipe was inspired by a continuing education event, hosted by the Culinary Nutrition Collaborative partnering with California Walnuts. They showed us a beautiful Walnut Salad Dressing to pair alongside Kristy Del Coro’s Kale Farro Salad. I wanted to incorporate something similar to the Kale Apple Walnut Salad I planned to take to Thanksgiving! Kristy’s Creamy Apple Cider Walnut Vinaigrette is just that good.

Kale Apple Walnut Salads are not new to the internet. However, I love them because you can take that base salad concept and make it your own with additional ingredient add-ins and different salad dressings.

The Ingredients in this Kale Apple Walnut Salad

Massaged Kale: Massaging the kale allows for a more palatable salad. Each bite is more manageable and chewable. Check out my article all about How to Create the Perfect Kale Salad. 

Walnuts: I use freshly toasted Walnuts in the salad dressing and as a salad topper. Walnuts, like many other nuts, are heart-healthy! Read more about that in my Sharper Nutrition Fix below.

Apples: In this recipe, I use two different types of “all-purpose” apples. I use a Honey Crisp apple, which is crisp with sweet-tart harmonies and hints of berry flavors and a Newtown Pippin apple, which is crisp and juicy with moderate sweet-tart notes and even some notes of walnut!

If you want to substitute out the apple, I recommend pears. I recommend a crispier pear variety like a Bosc pear. You could also sub in celery for a crunchy addition or even fennel which has a licorice-like flavor.

Optional – Crispy Quinoa: This is a fun way to incorporate whole grains into your salad. You could use cooked quinoa that is not crispy to make this more of a grain bowl, but I love the crispy quinoa over-top the salad for a crispy, crunchy, and nutty finish. The little black specs in my photos are crispy quinoa. 

The Creamy Walnut Dressing Star Ingredient: Walnuts

Walnuts: This is how I keep this dressing creamy yet mayo-free! Blending nuts into a salad dressing is a delightful way to create a creamy dressing that is 100% plant-based.

Don’t have Walnuts or a blender to turn freshly roasted Walnuts into a creamy dressing? No problem, you can use tahini or creamy almond butter instead.

For the full details on this recipe, check out my post on this Creamy Vegan Apple Walnut Dressing.

How to Make this Salad

I suggest you make the quinoa crisps and the Creamy Walnut Dressing in advance if you plan on having a busy day. This way, you will be able to use both in other meals as well.

Before you build the salad, there are four steps to follow. First, an option to prepare the Crispy Quinoa. For the second step, whip up the dressing, massage the kale and lastly, construct the salad.

Optional: Crispy Quinoa

I am offering this as an optional step to take when making this recipe. Why? Because making the Crispy Quinoa for the salad takes some planning or experienced multi-tasking in the kitchen. Not sure how to make Crispy Quinoa? Check out this video by Simply Quinoa if you want to try it out!

Dressing: Add all the ingredients to a blender and mix until incorporated. This dressing is simple, and a great recipe to make in bulk and in advance. You can freeze or save it for another recipe for later in the week, like Apple Walnut Marinated Tofu, tempeh, chicken, or salmon.

Massage the Kale: After you have cut the kale, take some of the dressing and start massaging the dressing into the kale. This step is so important I have written an entire article on How to Create the Perfect Kale Salad. 

Build the salad: Once the Quinoa is made, the dressing and toppings prepped, and the kale massaged, you are ready to build your salad. 

Start with your massaged kale, then add the apple and Walnuts. Incorporate another drizzle of dressing, then finish with a sprinkling of crispy quinoa.

Note: if eating this salad for leftovers the next day (so good), dont add all the crispy quinoa at once to the salad. Despite the name, crispy quinoa that is added to the salad and stored in the fridge will not retain its crispiness overnight. For best results, top each salad prior to serving. 

Sharper Nutrition Fix: Walnuts

Where do Walnuts come from?

Today, the United States sources the majority of its Walnuts from California. The California walnuts are typically harvested from August through November. However, Walnuts have a rich history dating back to 7000 B.C. where The Romans called Walnuts “Jupiter’s royal acorn”.

The most commonly eaten species of Walnut is The Persian Walnut also known as the English Walnut. These Persian Walnuts first migrated to China in 400 AD, then to England where the cultivation of Walnuts exploded. 

How to serve Walnuts

You can serve Walnuts in both savory and sweet dishes. Walnuts make great bases for salad dressings, in a sauce or pesto, over top salads, as a grain bowl topper, in overnight oats or overtop hot cereal, crusted over poultry or fish, incorporated in a fruit smoothie, and of course as an ingredient in some of your favorite desserts. For example, Walnuts or Wet Walnuts are a popular ice cream topping.

Walnut nutrition

Walnuts are loaded with nutrients like vitamin B6, folate, thiamin, iron, magnesium, and copper. Additionally, Walnuts are high in both fiber and protein.

Diets including nuts like Walnuts can reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes. Walnuts are the only nut with an excellent source of omega-3 fat called ALA (Alpha-Linolenic Acid) which has been shown to reduce inflammation. Note that this research is still under exploration.

The research shows nutritional benefits from eating 1.5 oz of Walnuts daily as part of a low saturated fat diet. The next time you are craving a crunchy salty snack and are thinking of grabbing that bag of chips, perhaps grab a handful of crunchy Walnuts instead!

Like this recipe?

Below are a few others you may enjoy.

Warm Brussels Sprouts Salad with Acorn Squash

Apple Pecan Chicken Salad

Kale Caesar Salad

Reference:

1. Herbst, S. T., & Herbst, R. (2007). The New Food Lover’s companion: More than 6,700 A-to-Z entries describe foods, cooking techniques, herbs, spices, desserts, wines, and the ingredients for Pleasurable dining. Barron’s Educational Series, Inc.
2. Specialty Produce a family owned fresh fruit and produce grocery supplier
3. Food Print . ORG – “Real Food Encyclopedia | Walnuts.” Food Print, GRACE Communications Foundation, https://foodprint.org/real-food/brussels-sprouts/
4. Walnuts.org