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Sep 29, 2018 | by Jennifer | Last Updated: September 29, 2019

Fall Kale and Apple Salad

Name: Fall Kale and Apple Salad
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4 people
Ingredients: 2 cups kale (chopped and massaged, as needed); 6-8 Brussels sprouts (finely chopped); 3-4 florets broccoli (finely chopped); 1/2 cup dried cranberries; 1/4 cup roasted sunflower seeds ((or pumpkin seeds/pepitas)); 1 medium apple (cored and diced); 1 slice bacon (cooked and chopped (optional)); 1 Tbsp granulated sugar (or honey); 1 1/2 Tbsp white vinegar; 2 Tbsp mayonnaise (or Greek yogurt); 1 tsp Dijon mustard; 1 Tbsp vegetable or canola oil; 1 tsp poppy seeds; Pinch salt/pepper

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A delicious Fall Kale Salad, with Brussels sprouts and broccoli, combined with apple, dried cranberries and sunflower seeds.

This Fall Kale Salad is one of the things I always look forward to when the Fall season arrives. It bring a delicious Fall spin to the usual salads of Summer. It's healthy eating that's perfect for the lunchbox, as a dinner side salad and is also an easy and pretty choice for a Thanksgiving table.

There is a whole lot of goodness going on in this salad, from greens to fruit to seeds, but it also manages to be seriously delicious at the same time. Win. Win!

My salad features Honeycrisp apples, dried cranberries and roasted sunflower seeds, combined with kale, finely chopped Brussels sprouts and broccoli. It's all topped off with a quick and easy homemade creamy poppy seed dressing. Oh ... and I threw in a bit of chopped, cooked bacon, as well, because I had some in the fridge. That's totally optional though, if you'd prefer to keep your salad vegetarian.

Cook's Notes for Fall Kale Super Salad

Feel free to substitute honey for the sugar in the dressing or Greek yogurt for the mayonnaise in the same measurements.

This recipe will make one really large, two average sized or four side salads. For feeding a crowd, double or triple the recipe.

You can prepare the dressing ahead of time and refrigerate. The greens can also be chopped and refrigerated ahead. Dress and add the apple, cranberries and sunflower seeds just before serving.

If starting with a bunch of kale, be sure to give your kale a good massage (see below) before adding to the salad. It makes all the difference when using fresh kale in a salad! To make this salad more quickly, start with baby kale (which doesn't need a massage) or pre-chopped kale.

How and why to massage kale for your salad

Kale is a delicious, healthy green, but can be tough and bitter, especially when it comes to salads. To transform your kale in to salad-ready goodness, simply give it a massage.

To massage kale, simply tear off the leaves, discarding the stem/rib portions and scatter on a cutting board. Add a sprinkling of salt and start rubbing the kale leaves against the cutting board. You'll notice your kale will shrink and become a darker green and you massage it. You are also releasing the natural sugars in the kale, so to know when you have massaged long enough, just do a quick taste taste shows to test if the bitterness has disappeared.