Kale. Seriously can’t get enough of it. Ben can’t either. No complaints here.
Normally, our kale is cooked–in pasta, fried rice, or as a base for chicken or pork. But this time, I decided to do something different and make a chopped kale salad. That’s right… raw kale, chopped into a billion teeny tiny bites and tossed with a fabulous array of toppings and the most spectacular dressing ever. Intrigued?
What makes this salad special and different is ALL the tastes and textures going on. Crisp carrots, sweet apples, salty bacon, pungent bleu cheese, tart cranberries, crunchy toasted almonds. And a sweet peanut butter-maple vinaigrette that is nothing short of amazing. I was literally eating it with a spoon, for goodness sake! It has a peanut butter base, so that’s totally legit, right?
By the way, if you aren’t the biggest fan of bleu cheese, don’t let this scare you. There’s only enough to give a hint of the flavor, but if you like it you can always substitute feta or parmesan. I don’t always include cheese in my salads but it really works in this one, to make it more substantial. Just FYI.
I threw this recipe together quickly on a busy night when we were headed to a small group dinner, and it was all but polished off. Fortunately, there was enough leftovers to enjoy for lunch the next day, but the salad definitely got a little soggy on day 2 so I would recommend adding the dressing just before serving if at all possible. I only made this a couple weeks ago and am totally craving it now, as I write this at 10:27 pm. I have a feeling this salad is going to become a regular in our house and I hope it will in yours too! Enjoy!
So you tell me… have you ever had a kale salad before? What are your go-to [kale] salad mix-ins?
a year ago… Man Cupcakes
three years ago… Creamy Baked Spaghetti
Chopped Kale Salad with Bleu Cheese and Bacon [dressing adapted from Iowa Girl Eats]
click to print
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 bunches kale
- 1 1/3 cups red cabbage
- 1 large carrot
- 1 large Fuji apple
- 3 ounces bleu cheese, crumbled
- 5 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 1/2 cup almonds, toasted and chopped
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries
- freshly ground black pepper
dressing
- 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons natural peanut butter
Directions:
Wash and dry kale, then tear into small bite-size pieces, discarding thick stems. Add to a large bowl and set aside.
Wash and dry cabbage, carrot, and apple, then shred. I used my food processor but a grater would also work. Add to kale, along with bleu cheese, bacon, almonds, and cranberries.
Whisk together balsamic, olive oil, maple syrup, and peanut butter until smooth to make dressing, then drizzle half over the salad. Toss to combine, and add more dressing as desired. I used about 3/4 of the total dressing made. Season with black pepper to taste, and serve immediately.
Time: 20 minutes.
Yield: 10-12 side salads, 3-4 meal size salads.
Linked up with: Tuesday Talent Show.
The Pajama Chef 
Love it. Thank you and have a wonderful Monday.
LikeLike
thank you liz!
LikeLike
The more blue cheese the merrier!! You are bold for eating kale raw, but with the other goodies you have in here, I can totally see it coming together. Nicely done!
LikeLike
thanks erin! i love raw kale (i’m weird, haha). 🙂
LikeLike
Can you believe I have never had kale before. You don’t see it at my local grocery store but, at the bigger ones you do. I just don’t make it there often. The salad sounds awesome though, I love the flavors going on and the dressing does sound really good. I love making homemade dressings 🙂
LikeLike
aren’t homemade dressings amazing? thanks suzie!
LikeLike
Kale salads make me SOOOO happy!! Especially with all these fun mix-ins. The.Boy might even forget he’s eating kale!
LikeLike
haha 🙂 thanks!
LikeLike
Love the sound of the dressing! This salad is a perfect way to add more kale to our diets!
LikeLike
thank you, jessica!
LikeLike
I love kale salads! So delicious and SO good for you, and this one looks fantastic!
LikeLike
thanks amy! it was pretty fantastic 🙂
LikeLike
You didn’t say that your kale salad included bacon!!! YUM!
LikeLike
mmm bacon 🙂 just didn’t want to overshadow yours! this was my first bacon/kale experience…phenomenal!
LikeLike
girl keep those kale recipes coming!
I have to lose weight and kale is one the top foods for inflammation.
Not to mention a superfood.
LikeLike
kale is one of my favorite foods! will have more recipes soon i’m sure 🙂
LikeLike
I am always looking for new Kale recipes. We have a lot in our garden. I love the pairing of blue cheese and apples. Yummy!
LikeLike
thank you! it’s a perfect match i think 🙂
LikeLike
This looks awesome! I just had kale for the first time a couple weeks ago, in a kale-slaw. Everything’s better with bacon, right? 😉
LikeLike
definitely! kale slaw sounds great too 🙂
LikeLike
I’m just starting to get in to kale as my salad base. This looks incredible!
LikeLike
thank you steph!
LikeLike
This looks so good! And of course anything with peanut butter is guaranteed delicious 🙂 I’ve never had kale salad, but I love adding mandarin orange segments to spinach salads.
LikeLike
that’s a great combo too 🙂
LikeLike
I am so into kale salads at the moment! They actually feel like a meal instead of a snack, and they keep me full. Also, this has bacon in it, so any excuse will do!
LikeLike
i agree–kale salads are super filling! 🙂
p.s. love your blog name!!
LikeLike
You say this makes 3-4 meal size salads, but I don’t think there’d be enough for me to share. Kale, bacon, bleu cheese, peanut butter! Some of my favorite foods.
LikeLike