Kale is an extremely nutritious and delicious vegetable if you know how to prepare it right. Nothing is worse than chomping down on some hard, flavorless, bitter kale all because it wasn’t washed or prepped correctly for your kale apple salad. That’s why we’ve put together the best kale apple salad recipe for you to try. Whether you’re looking for something easy and delicious to prep for the week or you’re entertaining guests for dinner, this kale salad recipe is going to be a staple in your routine, just as it is in ours! Let’s dig in.
What Is Kale
Kale is considered to be a cruciferous, leafy vegetable, and is actually derived from the brassica family. Say what!? Ok, let’s break it down further - kale is considered to be a superfood vegetable because it is packed with nutrients. There are three main types of kale and within those types there are quite a few different varieties you can purchase. However, a lot of times this leafy green vegetable isn’t actually used for food at all, and instead, is used as a decoration. Believe it or not, up until 2013, Pizza Hut was the largest buyer of kale in the US. The catch? They just used it to decorate their salad bar! [R] Kale has become pretty popular in the last 5-10 year or so because of it’s purported benefits, but why is kale good for you? Let’s find out.
Why Is Kale Good For You
Competitively speaking, when it comes to wondering why is kale good for you, kale is one of the most nutrient dense foods on this planet. While yes, there are many different types of kale, finding the type and texture that your pallet likes is definitely one of the most important parts about eating this vegetable. If you don’t like it, why would you eat it? In just a single cup of kale, which ends up being about 70 grams or so, you’re going to consume the following vitamins and minerals [R]
- Vitamin A: 206% of the DV (from beta-carotene)
- Vitamin K: 684% of the DV
- Vitamin C: 134% of the DV
- Vitamin B6: 9% of the DV
- Manganese: 26% of the DV
- Calcium: 9% of the DV
- Copper: 10% of the DV
- Potassium: 9% of the DV
- Magnesium: 6% of the DV
Additionally, you’re going to also be consuming a fair amount of vitamin B1, B2, B3, phosphorus and iron. Talk about a nutrient dense food. Then, when you add other ingredients to your kale mixture, like we did with this kale apple salad recipe that you’ll learn about below, you’re going to really drive home those crucial vitamins and minerals that your body needs to run in tip top shape. Winning!
RELATED: The 5 Best Kale Health Benefits You Don't Want To Miss
How To Make Kale Taste Good
One of the most overlooked parts about eating kale is the part where you prepare it. Being a cruciferous and leafy green vegetable, not only are you going to want to wash it so you remove toxins and bacteria collected from harvest, transport, and being at the store. You’re also going to want to cut the stems off so that you’re left with the leafy part, not the hard part (you can definitely keep it in there, but a lot of people prefer not to).
After you wash the kale well, we recommend massaging the raw kale leaves anywhere from 2-4 minutes with a little combination of oil and salt. This is going to loosen up the kale so that you don’t feel so much like a rabbit when eating it, if you know what we mean. You can also just massage the kale with water if you’re planning on adding other oil based dressings later on so that you don’t over do the oil. From here, the next step in the question of how to make kale taste good, is to add other ingredients to the bowl so that you can create the best kale salad recipe possible.
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The Best Kale Apple Salad Recipe
The best kale apple salad recipe is going to take about 10 minutes to put together, but after you add all the ingredients to a bowl and top with some dressing, you’re good to go!
Ingredients:
- 500 oz cups kale leaves (stems removed)
- 100g shredded cabbage
- 6oz shredded Brussels sprouts
- 6 oz broccoli slaw
- 1 cup dried cranberries (or freshly sliced grapes)
- 1 cup finely chopped apple
- 1/2 cup toasted pumpkin seeds (or blanched almonds)
- 1/2-1 cup Brianna’s Poppyseed Dressing
Directions:
- Trim the leaves of the kale from the stems and toss
- Wash, massage, and pat dry the kale
- Wash and shred the cabbage
- Wash and shred the Brussel sprouts
- Wash the broccoli slaw
- Chop the apple into tiny squares
- Pat dry all washed ingredients before combining into a large bowl
- Add the dried cranberries, toasted pumpkin seeds, chopped apple, and the Brianna’s Poppyseed Dressing to the mix. Note - you’ll want to add a little bit of the dressing at a time, stirring the mixture, until you reach the desired texture.
- We then recommend letting the salad rest before serving about 5-10 minutes
- Enjoy!
The Best Kale Apple Salad Recipe: Takeaway
Look, eating kale doesn’t have to be boring, bland, and make you feel like you’re being ‘too healthy’ as a lot of people like to put it. With a little massage and wash love in the beginning, you can really change the texture and consistency of the kale to a very soft and buttery feel. Add in a few things like pumpkin seeds and fresh apple for a crunch and dried cranberries for a little hint of sweetness, and you’re going to be the fan favorite at your next dinner part thanks to this kale apple salad recipe. You’re welcome ;)
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