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Kale Salad with Apples, Carrots, Cheese and Capers #Brunchweek

This post is sponsored for #BrunchWeek [1]. I received product samples from sponsor companies to aid in the creation of #Brunchweek recipes. All opinions are mine.

Every brunch needs a salad, and this one is hearty enough to stand up to anything you serve with it. Kale Salad with Apples, Carrots, Cheese and Capers is an easy-to-eat chopped kale salad with sweet apples and carrots, sharp cheese, salty capers, and crunchy nuts, for a perfectly balanced forkful.

We’re heading into the final days of #BrunchWeek 2018, hosted by Love and Confections [2] and A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures [3]! I’ve joined nearly 40 bloggers from across the country to bring you more than 150 of our best brunch dishes,  including cocktails, appetizers, pastries, tarts, main courses, and plenty of desserts all this week. We have amazing sponsors, and a great giveaway, too, which you can find a link to right below the recipe. Please go win something! [4]

Chopping kale finely on ShockinglyDelicious.comTips to make a tender kale salad

Kale salads can be polarizing, can’t they? Some, like me, love them; others say kale belongs in the trash or in the animal trough. I say the secret to a successful kale salad is a couple of things…

1. Chop it finely. If you leave big leafy chunks, it will seem like you are having to chew your cud. So chiffonade it (cut into tiny ribbons). You’ll thank me for this advice.

2. Allow the dressing to sit on the kale before you put in the final finishing items that might be more delicate. Tenderness in kale is a function of a couple of things — size of leaf (ergo, cut small), heat (are you cooking it?), manual manipulation (like massaging) or time with an acid like a salad dressing. I’m not cooking it for a salad, and I can’t be bothered to massage my kale, so I let the acid in the dressing do the hard work for me. Leave it on there for 30 minutes or more if you can, and then add all the other goodies, toss and serve.

3. Something sweet. Kale can be a bit bitter, even the sweeter varieties like dinosaur / lacinato kale. But if you add something sweet — chopped dates, apple, dried cranberries, raisins or currants, etc. you’ll solve the problem. In today’s salad, I am adding apple.

How to make Kale Salad with Apples, Carrots, Cheese and Capers

Ingredients for Kale with Apples, Carrots, Cheese and CapersGather your ingredients. I’m using some wonderful ingredients from our sponsors this week — rainbow carrots, Easter egg radishes and lacinato kale from Cal-Organic Farms [5], capers from Cento Fine Foods [6], and Alpine Cheddar Cheese from Cabot Cheese [7]‘s Legacy Collection — it’s a hint of Swiss and Parmesan in an aged cheddar, so it has the best of three worlds.

Chopping vegetables for Kale Salad with Apples, Carrots, Cheese and CapersChop the kale in a chiffonade (little ribbons, and then chop some more). Chop the other vegetables in a very fine dice.

Chop the cheese for Kale Salad with Apples, Carrots, Cheese and CapersChop the cheese in a very fine dice.

Salad bowl with kale and veggies for Kale Salad with Apples, Carrots, Cheese and CapersThrow all the veggies and the apple into a big mixing bowl and dress very lightly, tossing to combine. Let it rest for half an hour.

Kale Salad with Apples, Carrots, Cheese and Capers on a white plate and marble background on ShockinglyDelicious.comVoila!

Let’s make Kale Salad with Apples, Carrots, Cheese and Capers, shall we?

Kale Salad with Apples, Carrots, Cheese and Capers

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Yield: Serves 3-6

Kale Salad with Apples, Carrots, Cheese and Capers

KALE SALAD WITH APPLES, CARROTS, CHEESE and CAPERS: Hearty enough to stand up to anything you serve with it, this easy-to-eat chopped salad has sweet, sharp, salty and crunchy notes, for a perfectly balanced forkful.

Ingredients

  • 1 bunch (6 ounces) stemmed and very finely chopped dinosaur / lacinato kale (this will be 3-4 cups) {I used Cal-Organic Lacinato Kale}
  • 3-4 radishes, stemmed and finely diced {I used Cal-Organic Easter Egg Radishes}
  • 3 carrots, stemmed and finely diced {I used Cal-Organic Rainbow Carrots}
  • 1 apple, core, seeds and stem removed, finely diced (leave skin on)
  • 2 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, cut into a fine dice {I used Cabot Alpine Cheddar}
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons capers, plus 1 teaspoon caper brine {I used Cento Fine Foods Capers}
  • 2 ounces toasted almonds, chopped
  • Dressing
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 garlic clove, pressed or finely minced
  • 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Directions

  1. In a large mixing bowl, place kale, radishes, carrots and apple.
  2. Make the dressing: In a wide-mouth jar, add the lemon juice, garlic and olive oil. Using an immersion blender, whirl until well combined. Pour the dressing over the vegetables in the bowl and toss well. Allow to rest on the counter for at least half an hour, so the kale begins to soften.
  3. Add the cheese, capers and caper brine and mix well.
  4. Arrange salad on plates. Sprinkle nuts on top.
  5. Makes 3-4 larger salads, or 6 smaller salads.

Notes

Recipe source: Dorothy Reinhold | Shockingly Delicious

https://www.shockinglydelicious.com/kale-salad-with-apples-carrots-cheese-and-capers/ [9]

areyoupinningIf you like this recipe and want to save it, pin the image below to your Pinterest board.

Photo collage of Easy Kale Salad with Apples, Carrots, Cheese and Capers

Enter the GIVEAWAY [4]

Take a look at our generous sponsors, and please enter the giveaway here! [4]  Someone has to win…it might as well be YOU!

Take a look at what the #BrunchWeek Bloggers are creating today!

BrunchWeek Beverages:
Voodoo Bloody Mary [10] from Girl Carnivore

BrunchWeek Appetizers:
Antipasto Platter [11] from A Day in the Life on the Farm
Brunch Gazpacho Shooters with Cheesy Everything Toast Dippers [12] from The Crumby Kitchen
How to Create an Antipasto Platter [13] from Love and Confections
Kale Salad with Apples, Carrots, Cheese and Capers [9] from Shockingly Delicious
Spring Cobb Salad [14] from The Barbee Housewife

BrunchWeek Egg Dishes:
Asparagus, Mushroom and Cheese Egg Cups [15] from The Bitter Side of Sweet
Asparagus, Sausage, and Onion Quiche [16] from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
Breakfast Stuffed Avocados [17] from Rants From My Crazy Kitchen
Cheesy Ham and Asparagus Frittata [18] from Cooking with Carlee
Ham & Cheese Hashbrown Frittata [19] from It Bakes Me Happy

BrunchWeek Breads, Grains, and Pastries:
Banana Blueberry Cinnamon Mini Muffins [20] from Sweet Beginnings
Cheddar Sun-Dried Tomato Biscuits [21] from Tara’s Multicultural Table
Coconut Doughnuts [22] from Mildly Meandering
Grand Marnier French Toast [23] from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
Sausage, Egg & Cheese Kolaches [24] from The Spiffy Cookie
Shortcut Blueberry Cheesecake Cinnamon Rolls [25] from Big Bear’s Wife

BrunchWeek Main Dishes:
Salmon Quiche [26] from My Catholic Kitchen
Keto Steak and Eggs over Asparagus [27] from Kudos Kitchen by Renee
Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Chicken Sandwiches [28] from Books n’ Cooks

BrunchWeek Fruits, Vegetables and Sides:
Asparagus and Goat Cheese Tart [28] from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
Breakfast Salad [29] from Caroline’s Cooking
Green Apple Smoothie [30] from The PinterTest Kitchen
Herbed Asparagus Velouté [31] from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
Roasted Asparagus & Carrots [32] from Amy’s Cooking Adventures
Sweet Potato Hash with Pancetta, Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Spinach [33] from The Redhead Baker

BrunchWeek Desserts:
Hazelnut Pudding Cake [34] from Strawberry Blondie Kitchen
Pull Apart Cinnamon Coffeecake [35] with Chocolate Glaze from Family Around the Table
Pumpkin Snack Cake [36] from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
Raspberry Lime Parfaits [37] from Eat Move Make

The photos below are what I made Monday and Wednesday for #Brunchweek. You will want to try…
Refrigerator Pickled Asparagus in a jar with a red gingham lid on ShockinglyDelicious.com
Refrigerator Pickled Asparagus… [38]

French Coconut Pie with Pine Nuts ready to be eaten on a white plate and marble background…and French Coconut Pie with Pine Nuts [39]

and then take a look at all the other recipes my blogger pals contributed!

BrunchWeek 2018 logoDisclaimer: Thank you to #BrunchWeek sponsors: Dixie Crystals, Cabot Cheese, LorAnn Oils and Flavors, Cento Fine Foods, Michigan Asparagus, Cal-Organic and Eggland’s Best for providing the prizes free of charge. These companies also provided the bloggers with samples and product to use for #BrunchWeek recipes. All opinions are my own. The #BrunchWeek giveaway is open to U.S. residents, age 18 & up. All entries for the winner will be checked and verified. By entering you give the right to use your name and likeness. The number of entries received determines the odds of winning. Seven (7) winners will be selected. The prize packages will be sent directly from the giveaway sponsors. The #BrunchWeek Bloggers are not responsible for the fulfillment or delivery of the prize packages. Bloggers hosting this giveaway and their immediate family members in their household cannot enter or win the giveaway. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter or any other social channel mentioned in the #Brunchweek posts or entry.

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