This winter Kale Pomegranate Salad is simple yet festive and packed with flavor. Crunchy toppings like apple slices, roasted chickpeas, pomegranate and sunflower seeds add texture and a pop of color. This salad is perfect to serve at a holiday party!
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The holidays are fast approaching! There will be dinners and party galore, and while you may be (mainly) looking forward to a slice of pie, extra servings of stuffing or a dreamy creamy mac and cheese, one thing is for sure– there must be a salad too!
So how about this beautiful and festive KALE POMEGRANATE SALAD with all the crunchy toppings and vibrant colors!
In my humble opinion, salads are an important part of the menu. No matter what holiday we are celebrating, you can bet that there is always a large bowl of salad greens on the table. Better yet, a beautiful festive bowl of salad like this Roasted Garlic Vegetable Salad or this Winter Retreat Blood Orange and Kale Salad, and who knows people might get excited about it too 🙂
how to cut fresh kale for the winter kale salad
If a big green bunch of kale caught your eyes but you don’t know how to handle it properly, the solution is very simple. Usually the leaves come apart but bunched in together, simply separate each leaf as you rinse under room temperature water (this will help soften the leaves).
Once they are rinsed and separated, grab a pair of kitchen scissors and cut alongside the stem. Removing the stems completely will eliminate part of the roughness of the kale. Then cut into bite size pieces.
how to make kale less bitter
To help make kale less bitter I run through a second wash, again at room temperature water. This is a very hands on job. Grab each leaf under running water, pinch and separate them much like you would if you were counting money (I know silly right?). Take your time here, this kale salad with pomegranate will be worth it in the end.
Transfer kale to a salad spinner or clean kitchen towel. Grab a few folds of paper towel and pinch kale until dry. I said ‘pinch’ not pat dry. Do it until the kale is almost all dried.
how to make sure that your kale pomegranate salad is tasty and delicious
The last step to assure your kale is perfectly soft, tasty and delicious is to massage the kale with avocado oil or olive oil until the leaves are soft and completely coated with oil. There is nothing worse than rough kale with no dressing on!
how to remove pomegranate seeds
This salad recipe requires half a cup of pomegranate seeds. You love them, you know they are pretty but you’re not sure how to get all those tiny seeds removed from the shell without missing a whole entire episode of Friends re-run? Hmm… fear not!
Removing the seeds from a pomegranate fruit is quite simple. The illustration above shows us how.
- cut pomegranate in half
- hold pomegranate half, cut side down above a bowl
- grab a heavy kitchen tool like a wooden spoon or a citrus squeezer and hit the pomegranate sides real hard.
- all the seeds will magically fall out!
A delicious and attractive salad does not need to have a lot of ingredients. I topped my Kale Pomegranate Salad with fresh apple slices, crunchy roasted chickpeas, pomegranate and pumpkin seeds. The salad dressing is not overpowering but flavor enhancing and healthy.
other festive recipes for the holidays
Sausage & Apple Stuffed Honeynut Squash
Brown Butter Sage Sweet Potato
If you make this Kale Pomegranate Salad be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Thanks a bunch!
Kale Pomegranate Salad
Ingredients
- 1 bunch fresh kale or bag of pre-cut kale
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach
- 1/2 large pomegranate, seeds removed
- 1 whole honeycrisp apple or any other kind sliced thin
- 1/3 cup roasted chickpeas
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
Dressing
- 1/3 cup avocado oil or EVOO
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 pinch sea salt and ground pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Using a salad spinner wash and dry the kale. I try to spend a few minutes here, not only to get the kale really clean but to massage the tough leaves as I rinse under room temperature water. After you spin the kale, grab a few folds of paper towel and give it a rough dry, again taking the time to massage the leaves to soften. Transfer clean and dry kale to a large bowl along with washed spinach. Set aside
- In a small glass bowl add the dressing ingredients. Stir it or shake if using a jar, to combine.
- Pour half the dressing over the kale. Massage, massage, and massage the kale until leaves are soft and completely coated with dressing. There is nothing worse than rough kale salad with no dressing on!
- Add on all the toppings; apple slices, pomegranate seeds, chickpeas and sunflower seeds. I don't usually mix it at this point as the ingredients will move down on its own. Top with remaining dressing and serve.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
