Crunchy Cashew Kale Salad.
I think aliens have invaded my life.
Here’s why:
Eddie has started drinking green smoothies for breakfast.
Eddie has started eating spinach salads for lunch. The salad part isn’t a big deal as he has always enjoyed them, but the spinach part? Huge.
Eddie has started eating kale salads.
Eddie has started asking me to make kale salads.
Eddie. Kale. What.
I don’t even know who we are anymore.
Here’s how it started:
Eddie loves Caesar salads. Eddie has refused to ever ever ever eat kale, other than in chip form.
Eddie ordered a kale Caesar salad, unbeknownst to him. I mean it said “kale” in the title… but you know.
Eddie liked the kale Caesar salad. A whole bunch.
And the rest is history. I thought things would start and end with the Caesar version. I mean, Caesar salads are so delicious and it’s in large part due to that creamy dressing, but also lots of cheese and croutons. Garlicky, buttery, toasted cubes of bread. One of the only reasons to eat salads, let’s be real.
My love affair with kale started hot and heavy by covering the torn leaves in olive oil and baking until crispy. No, I never actually thought they tasted like potato chips or resembled kettle cooked salt and vinegar bits of heaven, but the whole method made me fall in love with kale, made me eager to try more vegetables after a lifetime of loathing and even convinced my husband that they could be a thing.
When I finally moved on to kale salads, I learned the hard way that for me (and us), the kale has GOT to be massaged and marinated. I still can’t do it any other way. Often I go with the easy olive oil and salt and pepper rub (even before using Caesar dressing), but for this salad I went with maple syrup.
YEAH. Maple freaking syrup. (Also, do you say “serrrrup” or “sear-up”? This is important.)
The thing is – I probably (obviously) like the kale because of the chew and texture. So what happens when you add MORE crunch? Like I could just eat this salad for weeks at a time and not even hate life.
Crunchy, honey roasted cashews, sweet caramely squash, thinly sliced red onion (which is also marinated, so say bye bye to bitterness), tangy, creamy goat cheese. Pretty sure that quad is all we need for Monday.
Oh oh! But how could I forget – the stovetop toasted garlic breadcrumbs? Easy. Crispy. So much flavor.
I know I’ve been on the squash bandwagon and I gotta say that I don’t think I’m bailing anytime soon. But!
You can absolutely leave the squash out of this if you want. I don’t want to tell you what to do or anything, but just maaaaybe you can swap it out for bacon?
I knew we were the best of friends.
Crunchy Cashew Kale Salad
Ingredients
- 1 buttercup squash, seeds removed and sliced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- salt and pepper
- 1 head of kale, stems removed and leaves shredded
- 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 slices bread, I like a seedy multigrain, torn into pieces
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2/3 cup whole honey roasted cashews
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 6 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
maple dressing
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the squash on the sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper. Roast until tender and caramely, about 25 to 35 minutes.
- While the squash is roasting, place the kale and onion in a large bowl. Cover with half of the maple dressing and use your hands to massage the dressing into the kale. Evenly distribute it and massage for 3 to 4 minutes. Let it sit for 20 minutes or so, while you finish preparing the ingredients.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. Toss in the breadcrumbs and the garlic powder, stirring to coat. Cook, stirring often, until the bread is toasty and crisp, about 5 to 6 minutes.
- Take half of the cashews and finely chop them.
- Assemble the salad by tossing the massaged kale with the tomatoes, whole cashews, goat cheese and squash. Cover with the chopped cashews and the breadcrumbs. Serve immediately with the remaining dressing.
maple dressing
- In a large bowl, whisk together the mustard, garlic, vinegar, salt and pepper. Whisk in the maple syrup. Slowly stream in the olive oil while whisking the entire time, until the dressing comes together. This dressing is going to be sweet, so if you want it a bit more tart, I would taste and add some vinegar 1 to 2 teaspoons at a time until your desired taste is reached. You can store this in the fridge for a week or so – just shake well or stir before using.
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I appreciate you so much!
Can we drink this with pumpkin beer? The most basic of the basic.
69 Comments on “Crunchy Cashew Kale Salad.”
Kale salad is my favourite and I love all the textures in this!
I’d wet my pants if my husband made the changes your husband did! Whozers. Mine still wants to eat candy all day. I love the cashews in here and the butternut squash foundation. I LOVE butternut squash. Isn’t it always so good and satisfying? I’m trying to eat super clean right now Thanks!
I seriously obsess HARDCORE over cashews. I mean, I used to be so INTO peanuts, until cashews came into my life. And then with kale and THOSE BREADCRUMBS. This salad is my dream life on a plate.
So pretty!! Seriously, I’m going nuts over how pretty this salad is ( haha … no pun intended except it totally works )
Call me crazy, but isn’t what’s pictured an acorn squash, not butternut? I am sure either would be delicious!
nope it’s buttercup! not acorn or butternut, but the way it’s sliced does def resemble acorn so you’re not crazy!!
it’s #11 on this list for visual: http://www.epicurious.com/archive/seasonalcooking/farmtotable/visual-guide-winter-squash
Do you eat the skin of the buttercup squash? This salad looks amazing in all its autumnal glory!
Who knew there was such a thing as a buttercup squash!! How lovely! And here I was thinking it was a grammatical error too… Smh… Forgive me. ☺️
katie, i do eat the skin if roasted! it took my awhile to try it but i really love the chewy texture. and if you’re serving it to someone who doesn’t want the skin, the squash pulls away from it pretty easily.
Yes! I only like kale salads after they’ve been massaged. It brings a whole other dimension to the dish. I can’t seem to get maple syrup off my mind lately and that dressing is just slaying me.
P.S. I wish my guy would get a kale obsession. luckeeeee
Lee, recently, decided to change his diet due to high cholesterol running in his family…so, he has been diving right into any recipe that I’ve made with whole grains and green veggies (including lots of spinach!!). I’m not sure I know who he is but I’m liking it! ;)
Kale + cashews is one of my favorite combinations! This definitely looks like the perfect crunchy autumn salad. Love!
lol, it’s definitely weird when the guy changes his food preference…salad what?? Sounds good to me though!! I love this gorgeous bowl!
seriously, i’m like who are you?!
Oh my goodness! I’m not a huge fan of kale generally, but this looks awesome! And I say sear-up even though my family teases me for it ;)
I say “sear-up” and have always thought it weird to hear it the other way. This looks delicious!
Yum! I really like nuts in my salads. It adds great texture and helps to fill you up, too. ♡♡
xoxoBella | http://xoxobella.com
i said SEAR-up growing up, influenced by my mom, and now i mostly say SIR-up (influenced by the rest of the world, i guess?)! sometimes i awkwardly can’t pick which one to say and it gets weird.
My love for kale is not huge, but it exists and I think I would definitely like it in this form. I love the cashews in this salad, if there are nuts involved I’m always up for it.
That looks so good! I’m really trying to incorporate more salads.
Kari
http://www.sweetteasweetie.com
You had me at Kale Caesar Salad. Yum!
I have been cooking and eating Kalesince back in the 1980’s. What took everyone so long! My fridge is never without kale,or spinach, especially baby.
I may just have to try this gorgeous looking salad. I just tried a kale recipe for the first time recently and it was delish!
This salad looks incredible! I wish I was eating this for lunch today instead of scrambled eggs!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
I say “sear-up”. (But I think it tastes the same no matter how you say it?) This looks wonderful, and bacon would be even more wonderful… An aside, I can eat the vegetables, but I just can’t drink the green juice stuff. Nope.
I can’t get my husband to eat kale chips :(. I think he had one slightly bitter one once and now refuses to touch them. He’s more willing to eat it in salad form though, especially with croutons and honey roasted cashews!
have you tried parmesan cheese on them? lots and lots (and lots and lots) of parm was how i won eddie over at first.
Do you have a recipe for the cashews, or do you buy them like that? Either way, the salad looks delicious!
i buy ’em like that! from my local grocery store – honey roasted!
This salad looks like everything you could want from kale and the opposite of boring – I love how you added heaps of flavour with the massaged kale maple dressing, the goats cheese, squash, cashews and breadcrumbs!! Just wish I had a bowl for lunch right now… going on the list to make asap!! <3
I need to make this ASAP. Also, I say “sih-rup.”
¡Fantástica receta! Fácil de elaborar, con buenas fotografías y un resultado final delicioso. Gracias por compartirla con todos/as.
/ http://www.mascasaonline.com
I’ve never commented before but apparently I felt strongly that I needed to respond to your request :)
Husband says “SURrrup” and I say “SEARup” and it’s a constant point of debate, ha.
thanks for commenting nicole!! serious point of debate in our house too.
I can’t eat kale salads without massaging and marinating the leaves either. It gets rid of that dreaded bitterness. Love how you used maple syrup in the dressing!
Thank you, Jessica. This salad will be perfect on my Thanksgiving table. I can’t wait to try it. Thank you also for the camera filter suggestions, they may be just what I have been looking for to boost my iPhone pics.
1) This looks amazing.
2) Have you tried massaging kale with avocado??? I die.
i think i did ages ago, but i must do it again soon!
P.S. I think this salad would be amazing with your Sweet Potato Honey Buns…still one of my favorite recipes!!
http://www.howsweeteats.com/2011/10/sweet-potato-and-honey-dinner-rolls/
ahhh i think you’re right! so glad you like them kendra!
Yesss. . .let’s be best friends. . .especially it it means we get to eat this divine bowl of crunchiness. I’ve been on the lookout for new salad recipes (I’ve been having salad cravings of all things). This quite possibly could be the answer to my prayers.
I prefer to say sizzurp
This sounds amazing! I am a kale salad fanatic, so I can’t wait to try this. How perfect for a healthy fall meal!
And I say surrup, although sometimes I go back and forth. I’m fickle like that!
Always looking for new kale recipes, this looks wonderful!
#eatgreengetlean
Jessica – Nama Momma
http://www.namamomma.com/
kale is WAY too bitter to not be bathed/marinated in something tangy + sweet before devouring, I could not agree more! love this crunchy spin with my beloved cashews, looks super yummy! x
I pray that one day my husband will like kale. I can’t even get him to eat kale chips with Parmesan cheese or sauteed kale! This salad looks amazing! Pinning!
Totally making this!!
¡Fantástica receta! Me encanta, fácil de preparar, con buenas fotografías y un resultado final delicioso. Muchas gracias por compartirla con todos/as.
/ http://www.mascasaonline.com
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Made this for dinner last night (sort-of, I mean I changed some things) and it was a hit! Fiancee made fun of me for massaging my kale, but hey he liked it, so that’s what’s important! Thanks for sharing!
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Made this with dinner tonight. It was BANANAS. Sooo good. My 4-year old, 20 month old, and squash-hating husband all LOVED it. Whoot!
This looks amazing! My boyfriend hates kale and usually refuses to eat it. I wonder if this salad might change his mind though…
Love your recipes – was having a giggle to myself when reading about how you have to marinate your kale first .. I just can’t do it – went in feet first and started eating raw.. Found this was the only way I liked it… Thinly sliced and mIxed with other leafy greens and added chopped coriander to the mix – and thus the reason I can probably eat it this way – Coriander fixes everything for me ??
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This salad combination tastes fantastic! And your dressing recipe is my new favorite. I’m not partial to salads, but I have been eating this for BREAKFAST, it’s so good!
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