Filled with crisp apples, red bell pepper, and toasted pecans, this crunchy kale salad is full of texture and color and is sure to make a kale lover of even the most hardcore kale skeptics out there. Like all of our recipes, this salad is great for anyone who has insulin resistance, prediabetes, or diabetes.
The Crunchy Kale Salad was made to be dressed with our creamy Lemon Tahini Salad Dressing because it’s the PERFECT flavor combo. Check out the dressing recipe so you can be sure you have the ingredients you need. Hop on the kale bus, friends! We’re taking you on a magical flavor ride!
Ingredients You'll Need for Crunchy Kale Salad
- Curly Kale: Widely available in most grocery stores across the U.S., curly kale is officially known as winterbor kale. If you have a choice between bunch kale or bagged kale, choose the bunch. Since we’ll be removing the stems, it’ll end up being easier and less work (despite having to wash them thoroughly).
- Olive Oil: You'll need just a drizzle to massage the kale leaves and make them tender.
- Apples: Red or green apples work well here. Pick your fave. You only need half of an unpeeled apple.
- Red Bell Pepper: Sweet and crisp, red bell pepper not only adds crunch, but is packed with nutrients and antioxidants.
- Jalapeño Pepper: This one is completely optional, but if you like a little spice, jalapeño adds a nice zing to each bite. A good sub would be sliced green onions.
- Hemp Hearts: These little nutritional powerhouses add a boost of protein and essential fatty acids.
- Pecans: Any nut will work here, but I love the taste and texture of pecans in this salad. Optionally, you could sub pistachios, pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds), almonds, or cashews. The key is to toast them. More on that later.
- Avocado: Avocado's creaminess creates a nice contrast to the crunchy ingredients in this salad.
How to prepare Crunchy Kale Salad:
- First things first. Make your creamy Tahini Lemon Dressing.
- Remove the leaves from the stem and, with your fingers, tear them into bite-sized pieces.
- Next, wash your kale thoroughly by filling a large bowl or the base of a salad spinner with water and placing the kale leaves in the water. Loosen any visible dirt with your hands. Empty the water and repeat until the water comes out clean. Spin the water out thoroughly, or strain them until they are mostly dry.
- Now comes the fun part. Curly kale can be a bit tough, so we need to soften it. Ever heard of massaging kale? Yeah, that’s happening. Place your dry kale leaves into a large salad bowl and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Get your hands in there and massage your kale until the leaves are nice and soft and tender. It’s also a mini manicure for you. Two for one. You’re welcome.
- Now grab your nuts and toast them. Get your head out of the gutter. Heat up a dry skillet (not non-stick) and throw some nuts in there. Give them a toss. Wait for them to get fragrant and toss them some more until you see them getting some good color. Don’t walk away from your skillet. Nuts have natural oils, and they are prone to burning (trust me when I say this is not the time to multitask). I like to toast extra portions and keep them around for garnishes on soups, salads, yogurt, etc.
- Next, chop your apples, peppers, avocados, and jalapeños (seeds removed). Dice them, slice them, julienne them - it doesn’t matter. You take control of your own salad. That’s called salad power!
- Combine all the above ingredients in a bowl, add the hemp seeds, and dress your salad with the Tahini Lemon Dressing.
Make It Your Own
Feel free to swap out or add ingredients to make this salad your own. Here are some ideas:
- Cubed, roasted sweet potatoes for red bell peppers
- Pears (choose firm pears over super ripe ones) instead of apples
- Sliced scallions/green onions for jalapeños
- Toasted almonds, pistachios, pepitas, walnuts, or cashews for pecans
- Sunflower seeds for hemp hearts
- Add cubed, baked tofu, canned chickpeas, and/or shelled edamame for a vegetarian protein boost
Common Questions
Yes, but I prefer curly kale for this salad because it holds up well to the dressing, and the smaller ingredients tend to cling to curly kale's natural nooks and crannies. A good second choice is Tuscan (Lacinto) kale, which is closer in texture, but be sure to clean and massage it. Baby kale, which is typically pre-packaged and washed, is an easier option, but has a very different texture from the previously mentioned varieties.
Yes! The best nutritional swap would be collard greens, which have double the amount of protein as kale and are rich in fiber. Treat collard greens the same as kale, removing the stems, washing thoroughly, and massaging the leaves.
Red and green cabbage, or napa cabbage, would be good substitutes in terms of texture, but kale and collard greens are much more nutritious.
Absolutely! In fact, I encourage it! You can prep every part of this salad, including the dressing, and have the ingredients ready to assemble when you're ready to eat.
Yes, massaging the kale with a little olive oil tenderizes the tough leaves giving them a tender texture and making them more digestible.
For best results, dress only the portion of salad you will be eating right away. Since avocado starts to brown after cutting, add it when you are ready to eat the salad. This salad holds up pretty well in the refrigerator for about 24 hours when dressed. Undressed, it will keep for about 2 days, massaged leaves and all.
What to serve with crunchy kale salad
- Eat it with a bowl of our delicious High Protein Carrot and Lentil Soup.
- Serve it with our Cottage Cheese Egg Wraps filled with your favorite lean protein.
- Make a batch of our Cottage Cheese and Egg Bake and eat it as a side.
- Add our Marinated Boneless Chicken Thighs for a complete meal.
- Serve it as a side salad with baked salmon.
- Grill some lean flank steak and top the kale salad with several strips of beef.
Have fun with this recipe and let us and others know how you liked it and what you did to make it your own by commenting below. Enjoy, and remember, toast your nuts!
Recipe
Crunchy Kale Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 cups kale stems removed
- ½ tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
- ½ apple any variety
- 1 red bell pepper seeds and stem removed, sliced or diced
- 1 jalapeño optional - seeded, sliced
- 2 tablespoon hemp hearts
- ¾ cup pecans toasted (see below)
- 1 avocado
Instructions
- Start by making the Tahini Lemon Dressing. Get the recipe here.
- Next, remove the stem from the kale and tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces.
- Next, wash your kale thoroughly (unless it’s bagged and prewashed) by filling a large bowl or the base of a salad spinner with water and placing the kale leaves in the water. Allow the leaves to soak and loosen any visible dirt with your hands.
- Empty the water and repeat until the water comes out clean. Spin the water out thoroughly, or strain them until they are mostly dry.
- Place your dry kale leaves into a large salad bowl and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Massage your kale with your fingers until the leaves are nice and soft and tender.
- Heat up a dry skillet on medium heat (not-non stick) and toss in the pecans. Move the skillet around to keep the nuts from burning. You want them to get fragrant and lightly toasted. Keep an eye on your skillet, as nuts have natural oils and they are prone to burning.
- Next, chop or slice your apples, peppers, avocados, and jalapeños (seeds removed).
- Combine all of the above ingredients in a bowl, add the hemp seeds, and dress your salad with the Tahini Lemon Dressing.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Dietitian Approved - by Jen Birge, MS, RDN, CDCES
If you are someone who loves salads but sometimes gets bored with them, I recommend trying this one. I am so impressed with this salad - it is almost too pretty to eat! Not only is it gorgeous on the table, it offers a little protein, fiber, healthy fats and is loaded with vitamins and minerals.
Good Protein to Carbohydrate Ratio
At Buena Wellness, we are careful to make sure our recipes have a good protein-to-carb ratio with at least 1 gram of protein to no more than 2 grams of carbs. This promotes a healthy blood sugar response to meals and this fights against insulin resistance.
Crunchy Kale Salad is Nutrient-Dense
The Crunchy Kale Salad is packed with nutrient-dense veggies, providing lots of antioxidants and monounsaturated fats.
Obviously, kale is the superstar in this dish. Kale gives us nutrients like some protein, fiber, vitamin K, C, and even calcium. And more! The red bell peppers are a good source of vitamin C and beta-carotene, while the avocado and pecans provide lots of monounsaturated fats, which are heart-healthy.
The pecans do have more fat per ounce, when compared to avocado, so if you want to reduce the fat from this recipe, you can leave the pecans out.
This recipe is dietitian-approved for insulin resistance and delicious! Be sure to use the Lemon Tahini Salad Dressing for even more flavor!
Eva says
I'm a huge kale lover, and let me just say... WOW. I love all the different textures in this salad. The creaminess from the avocado and the different crunchiness from all the other add ins make it so enjoyable. I'm not the biggest fan of bell peppers so I replaced them with cucumbers and I ended up using both the jalapenos and green onions to get all the flavor. YUM! I used the lemon tahini dressing but I'm sure any dressing would pair well
Jackelin Slack says
Ooh! Cucumbers are a great sub. Thanks for trying this salad recipe and for giving us your input, Eva! I hope you keep making this salad and trying many other recipes coming your way.