Harvest Waldorf Kale Salad with Maple Vinaigrette is a lightened up and filling salad recipe for fall with a harvest of dark leafy greens, fresh seasonal produce and lean protein that makes an entrée salad with nutritious ingredients and satisfying flavors!
It was among one of Bobby Deen’s lightened up recipes for fall
in Cooking with Paula Deen magazine.
I used a bag of triple washed chopped kale that makes assembling the salad extra quick and easy.
The slightly bitter kale is a delicious counterpoint to crisp sweetness of the apples, creamy dressing, and the crunch of the toasted walnuts. I made a couple of changes to the salad, substituting blue cheese for goat cheese, and adapted the dressing to our taste; adding maple syrup for the sweet note instead of molasses, a bit of Dijon mustard and substituting balsamic for sherry vinegar.
To make the kale in your salad more palatable, give it a massage!
Remove the fibrous ribs of the kale, chop or shred your kale then gather your bunches in your hands and massage them, rubbing the leaves and pieces together. Do this for 2 – 5 minutes until you notice the leaves begin to darken, soften, and shrink in size. You don’t need to add anything to the kale to break them down, but you can add a bit of olive oil and salt to speed up the process.
Harvest Waldorf Kale Salad with Maple Vinaigrette,
adapted from Cooking with Paula Deen
Vinaigrette Ingredients
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons Maple syrup
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Salad Ingredients:
4 Gala or Fuji apples, chopped (I used Honeycrisp)
3 carrots, shaved into ribbons
3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
3 cups shredded or chopped kale
1 cup toasted walnuts
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
Salt & pepper to taste
For dressing:
In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for up to two days.
For salad:
In large bowl, toss together all ingredients. Divide among serving plates, and drizzle with dressing; serve immediately.
Makes 4 – 6 servings
Harvest Waldorf Kale Salad with Maple Vinaigrette
Ingredients
Vinaigrette Ingredients
- 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons Maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Salad Ingredients
- 4 Gala or Fuji apples chopped (I used Honeycrisp)
- 3 carrots shaved into ribbons
- 3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
- 3 cups chopped or shredded kale
- 1 cup toasted walnuts
- 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
For dressing:
- In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients.
- Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
For salad:
- In large bowl, toss together all ingredients.
- Divide among serving plates, and drizzle with dressing; serve immediately.
Notes
- Remove the fibrous ribs of the kale, chop or shred your kale then gather your bunches in your hands and massage them, rubbing the leaves and pieces together.
- Do this for 2 – 5 minutes until you notice the leaves begin to darken, soften, and shrink in size. You don’t need to add anything to the kale to break them down, but you can add a bit of olive oil and salt to speed up the process.
- Place nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook 2 – 5 minutes until they smell ‘toasty’ and have begun to brown. Remove nuts from pan so they don't continue to cook and allow to cool.
Find a harvest of fresh picked apple recipes for fall, HERE.
Thank you for your visit!
Sounds like a great lunch Mary! Pretty colors too:@)
What a perfect, healthy Fall meal, Mary! I love that the salad includes some protein punch from the chicken and a sweet note from the maple syrup and balsamic.
This looks yummy. I love the idea of massaging the kale leaves. I bet the grandkids would love that :-) Have a wonderful day.
Thanks for this recipe! I love kale salad. My daughter had so much in her garden and I ate kale ceaser salad this summer . Now I have another salad for a change. I believe she is still getting some out of her garden. Yum! Have a great day and thanks for sharing.
I use rotisserie chicken often in our “dinner salads”… I have not made it with kale yet…I never knew that massaging the kale can really make a difference in its texture!….this is on my dinner list this week…thanks for the recipes!…Looks wonderful!…pinning away!!
This looks like a delicious take on Waldorf Salad. Waldorf Salad is a favorite of mine.
Mary, I’m not a fan of eating kale, but will try your trick. The salad looks delicious, and your shots are incredible. Your photography skills amaze me!
I just finished planting winter annuals in the garden, and today we are having a steady rainfall. Glad I got it all in the ground yesterday. ‘-)
Thanks for the recipe!
With the addition of chicken, sounds like a perfect dinner to me.
I think I am healthier just for reading this post Mary! I must massage my kale and see if I like it better, I am trying to become a fan :) I love the substitutions you made, I think I could eat bleu cheese and maple syrup in just about anything!!
Jenna
I loved the “little pitcher’s” for the dressing…hmmmm…do I need “little pitcher’s” for my Thanksgiving table…hmmm…franki
I have never tasted kale but this salad makes me want to. Thanks for the tip on massaging it:) The dressing sounds scrumptious!
Gorgeous presentations. It looks and sounds delicious! Your header is stunning.
Mary, I copied your recipe because we have kale growing in our garden. I will, of course, have to sustitute something else for the chicken because we have the chicken curse going on here! I have heard of massaging kale but I’ve never done myself.This looks like a fantastic salad!
looks delish, i love the dressing, but i am holding off on kale, YUCK, give me the gold old spinach days, i refuse to be brow beaten into the year of kale ;-)
Found this Kale Waldorph salad yesterday, bought the items I knew I needed and made it tonight. My tastingng of it is great, just hope the husband likes it to.
Thank you salad was amazing
Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for letting me know Anita!