More kale Mom! Yes, the boys can’t get enough kale when I make this Kale with Cranberries recipe. This quick and easy salad has just 4 simple ingredients –kale, dried cranberries, pine nuts, and olive oil. Although it’s the perfect Thanksgiving dish, it’s become a staple in our house all year round.
That makes me very happy because this healthy salad is full of highly nutritious super foods. First, there is the kale, a cruciferous, cancer fighting vegetable packed with flavonoids. Then we have the cranberries, high in vitamin C, and pine nuts, the edible seed of the pine tree which are higher in protein than any other seed. The final ingredient in this easy salad recipe is olive oil, which is full of good fats that help to control blood sugar levels.
Kale with Cranberries
Ingredients
- 2 bunches kale
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Steam the kale until it is bright green
- Meanwhile, in a 9 inch cast iron skillet, toast the pine nuts
- Allow kale and pine nuts 5 minutes to cool, then toss together in a large bowl
- Add dried cranberries and olive oil
- Toss and serve
My boys fight over this easy kale recipe. The four of us can finish off the 2 bunches of kale that the recipe calls for in one sitting. Even when their dad is not home for dinner, the three of us can easily devour it!
Kale with Cranberries is one of my favorite salad recipes, here are some other easy kale recipes for you:
Suzanne Burnell says
Your Kale and cranberry Tart from your book was a huge hit at my family’s Thanksgiving dinner yesterday as well as pumpkin pies made with your crust and recipes. Many thanks for developing so many simple and delicious recipes. I hope you and yours had a lovely holiday. Suzanne
Becky Leppard says
Hi,
I was wondering what size bunch of kale you generally use. Our Super Target has kale bunches that have only 6 branches whereas our WF usually has bunches that include 10-12 branches. If the bunches are large like WF, that would be a much larger salad.
Those of you who have made it, what size bunch did you use?
Becky
Heather says
Used cashews instead of pine nuts and add dates it’s amazing.
Nikki Grisham says
I loved this recipe for Kale and Cranberry Salad!
I have never eaten Kale before. To me it has a taste between Mustard and Turnip Greens which I love both. Being from the south we usually eat such with dinner and some type of beans. I enjoyed it with steamed sweet potatoes and veggies over Quinoa.
Wonderful,
Thank you,
Nikki Grisham
Jennifer says
I modified this recipe into what I’m calling the Kale Breakfast Salad.
I did as directed except for I didn’t use the dried cranberries but instead added fresh strawberry, kiwi, banana, blueberries, and chopped cashew. It turned out so yummy along side eggs this morning.
I even tossed in some leftover qunioa for the non-paleo roommate. He really liked it that way and had some grain after his run.
Jeanne J says
I do a variation on this… Lacinato kale, sliced thin (chiffonade), grated aged parmagiano reggiano, lemon juice, excellent olive oil, salt and pepper, pine (or other) toasted nut, currant (or dried cherry, dried cranberry). Toss. Let sit for 10 minutes. Always delish!
Misty says
This was really good, I like kale but didn’t grow up eating it so other than kale chips and in souppa toscana I’m not always sure how else to eat it. Thanks for the great recipe and inspiration.
newly paleo kris says
I love kale so much! I’m enjoying all the news idea for preparing it, but have grown to hate that it is available fresh only for a few weeks of the year here, while the frozen or canned that is a lot more common around here is hardly suitable for anything but plain old kale stew.
Dana Sanchez says
I will give it a try, I’m a little shy as I had Kale prepared in an egg recipe and I felt like I was eating tire rubber.
Yuck.
I will give this a try
Thank you, Dana.
Jennifer says
I have to admit this is the first time I have ever eaten Kale. I’ve always heard about how good it was for you but only ever considered it a garnish on platters. I decided to try and bring something healthy to the family Thanksgiving and this was it! I cheated a bit and lightly cooked the pine nuts and cranberries in the olive oil before adding them to the steamed kale. I also made the same exact dish with fresh spinach for those who weren’t inclined to try the kale and it worked just as well. With the spinach I added just a touch of the celtic sea salt. I highly recommend this dish for anyone who thinks they won’t like kale. You will become a fan!