This Pomegranate Kale Salad is something different offering crunch with Pink Lady apples, sexy bright red pomegranate arils, earthy flavor of toasty sliced almonds, and a homemade honey dijon vinaigrette.  Everyone loves this beautiful, delicious salad!

Expecting guests to your fall gathering with dietary restrictions?  Make this salad and there will be at least one thing on the table they can eat!  It’s gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegetarian. Omit the nut toppings and it is easily nut-free.

What makes this salad stand out is the color, texture, and bursts of flavor.  It has become a regular side dish at our family holiday meals.  Thanksgiving is just around the corner.  Chances are you may be staying local and doing your best to re-create grandma’s feast single-handedly.  Keep it simple with side dishes that are fast and easy to put together.

Short-cuts for making Thanksgiving Pomegranate Kale Salad:

• use a store-bought bag of chopped kale, washed and ready to eat (Chopped Kale)
• buy pre-seeded pomegranate arils (Pomegranate Seeds)
• look for toasted, sliced almonds or toasted slivered almonds
• use pre-shredded carrots or pre-spiralized sweet potato
• stir together the spicy honey mustard dressing ahead of time

There are varieties of kale that require massaging to soften the leaves for those that don’t like feeling like a cow when they are chewing.  Curly kale and dinosaur kale are both in the tougher category.  Quite honestly, who has time for that?  I prefer to save my massaging for self-care!  Look for baby kale for a softer texture and a milder, less bitter raw taste.

Kale is so, so good for your health!

Look out Popeye, here comes super kale!  Did you know that kale has the most plant-based protein of any leafy green, beating even all-powerful spinach?  Don’t get me wrong, both spinach and kale are powerhouses for nutrition.  However gram per gram, kale comes out ahead in both protein and vitamins.

What makes kale salads nutritious?

• kale is a rich source of plant-based protein;  nuts also add protein
• healthy fiber to satiate hunger and keep your digestive system going
• vitamins, anti-oxidants, and nutrients!

Reasons to serve as a holiday side dish:

• it’s so colorful, festive, and fun – the green in the kale, the bright red of the pomegranate arils, and the yellow of the dressing create a beautiful bowl
• kale is a firm green and travels well – holds up well and doesn’t get soggy if you make it in advance
• interesting flavors of sweet, sour, and tangy along with unique texture and crunch!

By the way, the homemade dressing for this salad is so simple.  I make a mixture of spicy mustard (a dijon, seeded dijon type works great), apple cider vinegar, and a touch of honey – no heavy creams!

Have you ever de-seeded a whole pomegranate?  It can be very time-consuming.  I’m lucky that my hubby, Bob, finds it to be a relaxing ritual.  Even so, once we discovered the technique for how to remove pomegranate arils from a pomegranate underwater, we never looked back.

Here’s a handy video demonstrating the underwater method for deseeding a whole pomegranate:

On a side note, pomegranates are a common ingredient in Persian food and cooking.  Our ancestors were not wrong.  Pomegranates are a superfood, loaded with vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber.  They are recognized as being an anti-inflammatory food.  What that means in a nut-shell is that pomegranates can help you stay healthy and strong, protecting you from illnesses and disease.  Since our family has a traditional-slash-Persian Thanksgiving, a pomegranate laden salad fits right in.  The pistachio nuts also add Mediterranean flare.

Here’s a little snapshot of me serving up this salad at our fall dinner last year:

To convert this side salad into a hearty meal

• add an ancient grain such as wild rice, quinoa, or farrow.  Whole grains are complex carbohydrates containing nutrients and healthy fiber which helps fill you up and keep you satiated for longer
• add extra protein to balance this meal out while keeping it vegetarian.  Hard-boiled eggs are delicious energy providing ingredient to add for this purpose

A good strategy for keeping Thanksgiving side dishes and appetizers healthy and on the lighter side is to serve soup.  This Butternut Squash Soup is easy to make along with multiple dishes in a slow cooker or Instant Pot.  Another easy to prepare and delicious soup is this Crockpot Lentil Soup with Butternut Squash.

I hope you are inspired to add Thanksgiving Pomegranate and Apple Kale salad to your table for the holidays or any day of the week.  If you do please rate this recipe!

Here we tried the dressing with a seeded dijon dressing – substitute with yellow mustard if you prefer a simpler honey dijon drizzle

Yield: 8 to 10

Pomegranate Kale Salad with Honey Dijon Vinaigrette

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This colorful, festive, elegant is an excellent fall side dish.  This Pomegranate Kale Salad is something different offering crunch with Pink Lady apples, sexy bright red pomegranate arils, earthy flavor of toasty sliced almonds, and a homemade honey dijon vinaigrette.  Everyone loves this beautiful, delicious salad!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 5 ounces of fresh kale, preferably baby kale)
• 2 cups of shredded carrots or spiralized sweet potatoes
• 2 cups red grapes, sliced in half
• 2 whole apples (Pink Lady or Honey Crisp), cored and chopped into small chunks
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds or toasted slivered almonds (optional)
• 1/4 cup whole, shelled pistachio nuts (optional)
• 1 cup pomegranate arils

Honey Dijon Dressing:

• 3 tablespoons spicy mustard (Dijon or seeded dijon)
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey

Instructions

1. Wash and dry kale (remove stems if needed)
2. Add shredded carrots or spiralized sweet potatoes to chopped kale.
3. Chop apples and squeeze lemon juice over chunks to preserve color for 5 minutes. Drain and dry apples on paper towels.
4. Slice grapes in half.
5. Prepare pomegranate arils (see the video How to Deseed Pomegranates Under Water)
6. Mix salad dressing ingredients (spicy mustard, vinegar, honey).
7. Toss together salad ingredients, then drizzle with honey dijon dressing. Toss before serving.

Notes

Short-cuts for making Thanksgiving Pomegranate Kale Salad:

• use a store-bought bag of chopped kale, washed and ready to eat (Chopped Kale) or organic baby kale (remove stems if needed)
• buy pre-seeded pomegranate arils (Pomegranate Seeds)
• use pre-toasted, sliced almonds or pre-toasted, slivered almonds (vs. needing to roast or toast them yourself)
• use pre-shredded carrots (Shredded Carrots) or pre-spiralized sweet potatoes
• stir together the spicy honey mustard dressing ahead of time

Toss chopped apples in fresh lemon juice to preserve color.

Add dressing and toss last if traveling with salad.

If roasting nuts, toast sliced almonds on a foil-lined sheet in the toaster oven for 2 to 5 minutes, keeping an eye on them to prevent burning.

Put the dressing in a lipped cup to drizzle.

Save a small handful of pomegranate arils and pistachios for garnish on the top!

Note on dressing: can substitute yellow mustard for dijon or seeded dijon.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 241Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 182mgCarbohydrates: 43gFiber: 6gSugar: 33gProtein: 5g

Bita