This Winter Kale Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette is a side dish or appetizer that’s so flavorful and festive, you’ll be heading back for seconds! Make it for the holidays.

After realizing that the last several recent posts have featured sweeter recipes, I thought it might be a good idea to tip things over to the other side of the scale with something clean, green and healthy.

I know it’s that time of year when holiday party platters and Christmas cookies are tempting us left and right, but that’s all the more reason to make sure you’re practicing the art of balance with the rest of your meals, and that’s exactly why you need this winter kale salad in your life.

You’ll want to keep this winter kale salad recipe handy, since it is a nice way to switch up your usual salad routine and it has tons of flavor. It is also special and elegant enough for Thanksgiving or your Christmas holiday table. 

It may not look as enticing as say, white chocolate truffles or eggnog marshmallows, but we all gotta get our greens in somehow, and I have to say that as far as kale salads go, this one’s a winner.

This winter kale salad is chock full of wintery seasonal goodness, including some cranberry sauce! This is also a great recipe for using up some leftover cranberry sauce from Thanksgiving.Transform those leftovers into a luscious cranberry vinaigrette – a dressing that puts a festive spin on any holiday salad.

If you don’t have any cranberry sauce you could certainly substitute fresh cranberries- just be sure to add a bit of sweetener such as honey or agave to offset the tartness (and avoid puckered lips from your guests).

This cranberry salad dressing pairs well with any kind of leafy green, spinach, toasted nuts, and sharp cheeses. This would be killer on salad for Thanksgiving.

Make ahead instructions: 

More fresh salad recipes you’ll love:

• Caramelized Endive Salad with Clementines
• Citrus Salad with Cucumber + Fennel
• Marinated Zucchini Salad with Corn and Feta
• Poached Lobster Salad with Peaches, Shaved Fennel & White Corn
• Chicory Salad with Grilled Pear

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5 from 1 vote

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Winter Kale Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette

A festive salad with kale served with a fruity cranberry dressing! Perfect for Christmas or Thanksfiving as a side or a stqarter.

Course Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword cranberry dressing recipe, salad with cranberry dressing, warm kale salad recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings 4 -6 servings

Calories 260 kcal

Author Denisse

Ingredients

for the cranberry vinaigrette:

• 1/4 cup cranberry sauce
• 1 Tbsp. shallot diced
• 2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed orange juice
• 2 Tbsp. white balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp. dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• salt
• freshly ground pepper

for the salad:

• 1 bunch kale stems removed and leaves torn into small pieces
• 2 Fuyu persimmons thinly sliced
• 3 Satsuma tangerines segmented
• 1/4 cup toasted hazelnuts chopped
• 1/4 cup crumbled bacon

Instructions

1. For the salad dressing, add cranberry sauce, shallot, orange juice, vinegar and dijon in a food processor and pulse until smooth. With the motor running, gradually add olive oil and blend until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Add kale to a large salad bowl and pour vinaigrette over kale. You may end up with extra vinaigrette; if so simply reserve for another use. Massage kale leaves gently with hands or tongs to evenly distribute vinaigrette and soften kale. Add remaining salad ingredients and toss together just before serving.

Recipe Notes

If you don’t have any cranberry sauce you could certainly substitute fresh cranberries- just be sure to add a bit of sweetener such as honey or agave to offset the tartness (and avoid puckered lips from your guests).