How to Make Kale and Cranberry Green Salad

Leafy green veggies such as kale are packed with fiber, minerals, and vitamins. They also contain phytochemicals, which help protect cells and fight inflammation. The best thing about utilizing the hearty green such as kale for your salad is that you can easily toss it with a dressing actually ahead of time. They taste better the longer they sit. Other ingredients such as cranberries and walnuts add extra doses of iron and omega three fats.

Any kind of kale can be used in this salad, but the tender varieties like lacinato or red Russian are incredibly delicious. Regardless of the type of kales you use, they will be sufficient amounts of nutrients, including vitamins A, K, and C, iron, potassium, and fiber. If you aren’t sure about using kale in a salad, you should give this kale and cranberry green salad recipe a try. In this salad, kale serves as the ideal base for great flavor and holds up the salad’s texture and shape.

Ingredients

• 8 cups of chopped kale
• ½ a cup of crumbled feta cheese
• ¼ a cup of chopped walnut
• ¼ cup of dried cranberries
• Freshly grind black pepper
• ¼ tsp. kosher salt
• One minced clove garlic
• 2 tsps. honey
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp. rice vinegar
• ¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil

Preparation

1. In a large container, combine garlic, honey, mustard, vinegar, and oil
2. Season your salad with pepper and salt and whisk it well
3. Add feta, walnuts, dried cranberries, and kale to the container and toss to coat with a dressing
4. Store or serve immediately in the fridge for up to six hours

Tips To Prepare Ingredients

As you can see, there are quite several ingredients you need to prepare with this kale and cranberry green salad, but the main ones are cranberries, kale, and walnuts. This section discusses some of the tips you can implement to help prepare these ingredients. With some tricks, the salad can turn out delicious every time.

Kale

Start by picking the Lacinato (also known as the Italian or Dinosaur Kale) if you can find it. This is because this variety of kales is known for making the best salads. It’s essential to ensure you remove the kale rib and finely cut it up. Keep in mind that the kale is a sturdy green; thus, it’s best if it’s finely cut for the salads. The kale tastes better when finely chopped as compared to big chunks.

You should also consider adding more ingredients to compliment the kales. I personally like adding a wide variety of ingredients for color, sweetness, and texture to the kale salad. You should also add the red cabbage to balance out your kales.

How you cut your kales is very important for this salad. For starters, you should start by rinsing and drying the kale and the cut out your ribs from the bottom part of the kale. Fold the kale halves on top of one another and then chop them finely. You can also stack different leaves together. Place in your bowl, and for the subsequent step, consider massaging the kales.

Cranberry

Dried and fresh cranberries might be used differently, from topping the salads as it’s the case with this kale and cranberry green salad or adding them into drinks. You can also smash the cranberries into cheesy bread.

If you’re using fresh cranberries, if you don’t add the cranberries to your baked food, you’ll have to cook the berries on the stove. It’s very important that you do not overcook the berries, or they will eventually turn to mush and become bitter. You should also consider soaking the berries in liquor or fruit juice instead of water for added flavor.

Notes

• Make sure you remove any tough or large stems from your kale leaves before slicing them into small-sized pieces.
• Make the dressing in the same container as the salad. This will not just save you time, but it will also ensure the entire green soak up every inch of the flavor dressing.
• Consider adding toasted nuts to kale leaves.

What Kind Of Minerals And Vitamins You Take With This Recipe

Since this kale and cranberry green salad involves a wide variety of ingredients, you can also expect to get many health benefits from each of the ingredients. For instance, kales are an excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin K, and calcium. Following are some of the minerals and vitamins you can get from this recipe.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A is a fat-soluble substance that’s very important for well-being. It’s essential for different processes in the human body, including maintaining healthy vision and making sure your immune system functions as it should. Vitamin A compounds are mainly found in plant and animal foods and come in different forms, including provitamin A and preformed vitamin A.

Vitamin A health benefits

• Protects the eyes from age-related decline and night blindness
• It might lower your risks of certain cancers
• Promotes a healthy immune system
• Decreased risk of acne
• Promotes bone health

Vitamin K

Vitamin K belongs to a class of valuable nutrients involved in maintaining bone health and blood clotting. It’s naturally found in natto, egg yolks, butter, cheeses, and chicken. Researchers claim that this vitamin can protect against various health problems including osteoporosis, and heart disease. It’s also said to protect the body against different types of cancer.

Calcium

Calcium is an essential nutrient that every living organism needs for the proper functioning of the body. It’s very important for strong bones. Your body needs enough calcium to develop and maintain stronger bones. About 99% of calcium is found in teeth and bones. Calcium is also necessary for maintaining healthier communication between your brain and other body parts. It plays an essential role in cardiovascular function and muscle movement.

About Main Ingredients

As mentioned earlier, this Kale and Cranberry green salad involve several essential ingredients. However, the main ingredients you require for this recipe include kale, cranberry, and walnuts. This section discusses these main ingredients in detail.

Kale

Kale belongs to the cabbage family of veggies. They are considered some of the most nutritious foods per calorie and have often been referred to as a superfood. Kale can be eaten raw, boiled, sautéed, steamed, raw, or massaged in lemon juice. They make a great add-on to nearly every diet for the many health and nutritional benefits it offers.

Nutrition facts

• Protein – 0.6g
• Sugars – 0.2g
• Fiber – 0.8g
• Carbohydrates – 0.9g
• Sodium – 10.9mg
• Fat – 0.3g
• Calories – 7.2

The green veggie is packed with many valuable nutrients. Comparable salad greens such as spring mixes, mesclun, iceberg lettuce, and romaine. Some of the health benefits you can get from kale include:

• Promotes healthy weight maintenance
• Better heart health
• Decrease risks of cancer
• Better bone health
• Cell protection and repair

Kale allergies are uncommon, and they are considered safe if eaten as food and possibly safe when used medicinally. Although kale is available throughout the year, its peak season is during winter. Purchase kale, packaged, chopped, cleans frozen, or whole. Look for kale, which is crisp, with grayish-green color. You should avoid kale that is limp or wilted. When buying kale, you’ll realize that there are different types. Most types are green, but you might also find purple and red varieties.

Cranberry

Cranberries might be eaten raw in salads, but cranberries have a tart taste, which might not be appealing to some. Instead, cranberries are frequently eaten in pies, relishes, sauces, and other sweetened recipes. Also, dried cranberries and cranberry juice are available widely. Cranberries provide vitamin C and fiber and are low in calories. This delectable cranberry makes a brilliant addition to your diet.

Nutritional facts

• Protein – 0.5g
• Sugars – 4.3g
• Fiber – 3.6g
• Carbohydrates – 12g
• Sodium – 2mg
• Fat – 0.1g
• Calories – 46

Cranberries have been used medicinally since the 17th century, when they were used as a popular treatment for gastric and scurvy. The cranberries are known to have several classes of bioactive flavonoids, including proanthocyanidins and anthocyanins that might offer several health benefits, including:

• Prevention of urinary tract infections
• Might reduce risks of certain cancers
• It might help prevent ulcers
• Supports heart health
• It might help diabetes management

There are different varieties of cranberries, including British cranberry and American cranberry. In American cranberry, there are over 100 varieties. Many are grown for making cranberry juice. Types like Demoranville, Mullica Queen, and Crimson Queen tend to be higher in sugar and are highly popular among the gardeners who use the berries.

Cranberries are in season between the fall and winter. If you purchase cranberries at the grocery store, look for the ones with a deep or bright color. The selected cranberries should be free and plump from blemishes. You should avoid berries that look shriveled or dried.

Walnuts

Walnuts are a very nutritious snack. Consuming walnuts as part of this salad might offer many health benefits, such as improved heart health.

Final Verdict

This deliciously healthy kale and cranberry green salad, chopped walnuts, and crumbled feta cheese is an excellent salad for any time of the year, including thanksgiving. This kale cranberry salad has a great texture and the right flavors to make this an incredible kale salad recipe. The Dijon mustard balances everything out together in this healthy and delicious salad.

Crisp and with lots of flavors, this kale and cranberry green salad will, without a doubt, become your new best salad. It’s a perfect balance of crunchy, sweet, and slightly salty from feta cheese. The salad is topped with Dijon mustard, and it’s just salad perfection!