Nutty Harvest Honeycrisp Kale Salad.
Raise your hand if you’re into fall kale salads!
I wish I could raise ten hands, seriously.
This is one of those salads where I actually wanted to lick the bowl when finishing. It was THAT good. I mean, that sort of reaction tends to only happen with super fabulous pizza or mac and cheese or even eggs and toast but never… salad. UNTIL NOW.
This fall kale salad is straight out of my dreams. It is so absolutely fantastic that I have been dyyyying waiting to share it with you guys. It’s been so hard to keep it a secret because of the incredible flavor this big bowl is going to bring you. It’s unreal.
The kale! I love using the lacinato kale and shredding it up because it’s heartier than green curly kale and, like… less kale-ish. Does that make sense? Do you get me?
The moral of that story is that I really love this kind of kale. IMPORTANT.
SO.
This is a semi-high maintenance kale salad because it two (!!) different kinds of nuts on it. I don’t know what’s come over me but I am loving making different things with all the nuts even though most of my life I preferred if they stayed the heck away from me.
First up, we have these smoky honey pepita clusters that you make in the oven. They can totally be made ahead of time and are really delicious to snack on anytime of day – not to mention ON the salad. I love the smoky honey crunch!
Next up are some sweet and spicy pecans that I simply toasted on the stovetop and they will make your house smell amazzzzing. They also taste like heaven.
There is something about the combo of these two nuts that make this salad taste so, so freaking good. But of course, you don’t NEED both. Just like I didn’t NEED both pairs of velvet high heels that I bought in the last two weeks, both two different shades of pink, when I’m about to have two kids and probably wear heels like approximately once per month.
But I mean, I needed them. They are an investment, duh.
Think of these nuts as an investment for your salad. That you will promptly eat and be done with. Shhhhhh.
Okay okay but GUYS. The best part of this salad? Is the dressing. This cinnamon shallot vinaigrette is out of this world. The week that I planned to make this salad, I received an email from a reader named Lisa who had a cinnamon shallot vinaigrette and was just raving about it. I was fairly unsure what I was going to put on this salad before that… maybe some sort of apple cider dressing? But the moment she told me about the cinnamon shallot vinaigrette, I was hooked! She gave me the ingredients and I rolled with it.
Ohhhhh my gosh. I love it so much. The flavor is just so… FALL. It complements the apples and kale so much.
This is one of those salads that I couldn’t stop eating and it doesn’t even have bacon. Or a lot of cheese. There is a bit of white cheddar because what’s better than white cheddar and apples? Nothing.
But other than the slight handful of freshly grated cheddar, that’s it. It’s not like the cheese is the main part of the salad. In a major change for me.
Annnd now that you know what I’ll be eating for the next eight weeks straight… you can join in!
Nutty Harvest Honeycrisp Kale Salad
Ingredients
smoky honey pepita clusters
- 1/2 cup pepitas
- 1/2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 2 to 3 tablespoons honey
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- pinch of salt
sweet and spicy toasted pecans
- 1/2 cup pecans
- 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
cinnamon shallot vinaigrette
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 shallot diced
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/3 cup olive oil
salad
- 4 to 6 cups chopped tuscan kale
- 2 honeycrisp apples thinly sliced
- 3 ounces freshly grated sharp white cheddar cheese
Instructions
smoky honey pepita clusters
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Microwave the coconut oil and honey together until melted, about 30 seconds. Stir the pepitas in a large bowl with the honey mixture, salt and smoked paprika. Place them on the baking sheet and smooth them out with a spatula – you still want them clustered so you can break them apart after baking!
- Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the oven and toss slightly. Let cool completely before breaking apart.
sweet and spicy toasted pecans
- Heat the pecans in a nonstick skillet over low heat, stirring often, until fragrant and toasty. Stir in the honey, red pepper flakes and nutmeg. Let the honey bubble and stir for a few minutes, then transfer the pecans to parchment paper and let them cool completely.
cinnamon shallot vinaigrette
- Whisk together the vinegar, honey, mustard, shallot, garlic, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Whisk in the olive oil until emulsified. This keeps great in the fridge for a few days!
salad
- Massage the kale with a tablespoon or so of the dressing and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes. I like to season the kale at this point with salt and pepper too. Slice the apples and combine the apples, cheese, pecans and pepita clusters with the kale and toss well. Serve with the vinaigrette!
Did you make this recipe?
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I appreciate you so much!
Literally want to eat that up!
142 Comments on “Nutty Harvest Honeycrisp Kale Salad.”
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AHHH!! Cinnamon shallot vinaigrette?! I do not even know what to do with my excitement. I am making this. I am making it this week. Oh my gosh, I can’t wait.
thanks ashlyn! i hope you try it!
Can’t wait to try this! I have been all about nuts in my salad lately since I have a slight meat aversion while pregnant, but still need to eat something filling. So this is perfect!
thanks jodie!!
This looks outstanding! That is my favorite way to cut up kale for a salad too…nice and thin… so yummy.
Thanks Jessica! Hope you and baby are well :)
thanks stephanie!
This looks awesome! Planning to make it ASAP, as my in laws are coming in town this week. I love a good kale salad with Lacinto kale-my go-to kale!
thanks tara!
made this recipe this past weekend…it was a hit!!! thanks :)
I am making this asap!!!
thanks jen! i hope you love it!
the flavors in this sound UNREAL. lacinto kale has got to be my favorite green ever and nothing is better in the fall than honeycrisp apples!! also i’ve never thought of adding cinnamon to dressing, but that is legit genius. you never cease to amaze me with your creativity!!
thanks so much jordan!! you are too kind. xo
I can’t actually put sweetened pecans on salads because I can’t control myself around them. This salad would have me unable to eat like a civilised human for sure – HOW DELICIOUS DOES IT LOOK OMG??!
bahahaha. thank you chloe.
There is a 100% chance I’m making these pecans tonight. I’ll pretend they’re going on salad but I’ll just be shoving fistfuls into my face.
yesssss to this idea.
If other person tells me that salads are boring again…I’m pointing them to this recipe. This looks absolutely delicious! So many wonderful fall flavors…and I love the idea of peptic clusters! I totally want to try this out!
Mia | http://www.verymuchmia.com
haha great idea! thanks mia!
You are a true inspiration , I just love your creations so much, so creative, always, and great pairing for food
thank you so much!
I feel famous! ;) Heading to Whole Foods to get the ingredients for this salad tonight! The pepitas look out of this world!
haha lisa thank you SO much for this dressing idea!! it was absolutely amazing!!! xoxo
WOW!! I am definitely making this soon!!! I bought a “honeynut” squash at the market recently, (looks like a mini butternut but is supposedly sweeter!) so I may roast that and slice on top as well !
that sounds delish!
Ever since seeing this recipe posted yesterday, I’ve been so eager to recreate it! It looks incredible and this time of year, the local apples taste so sweet and crisp!
thanks melissa! hope you try!
Seeds and nuts! This has to be GOOD. Looking forward to Honeycrisp apples coming to our grocery.
thanks dee!
Sounds delicious! I guess that apple salads are the new dill pickles/ice cream craving for preggers women, as this is the second recipe I’ve read lately for same!
haha!! must be. :)
oh my goddd this looks mouth watering!! The cinnamon shallot vinaigrette has me feeling all kinds of excited!!
thanks angela!
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How many servings is this?
2 to 4!
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Making this for the second time! Both the adults and kids loved it. So, so, so delicious. Even brought leftovers to the neighbors (bc we love sharing good food) who enjoyed it as well. AND we used leftover vinaigrette for a side salad we had last night. Love the twist of the cinnamon in the vinaigrette. Thanks for sharing!
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Do you think apple cider vinegar or balsalmic vinegar could be substituted? I ran out of red wine vinegar and want to make this now! :)
I made it with apple cider vinegar and it came out well!
Hey, I’d love to see how the pumpkin seeds look when you take them out of the oven. I followed the directs and the first time I took them out of the 350 degree oven after 20 minutes my sheet pan had burnt pumpkin seeds. I tried a second time and this time after 13 minutes they are still very brown but I’m assuming the correct doneness?
same thing happened to me!! I’m about to redo them now.
Same thing happened to me too! Next time I’ll start checking them after 10 minutes. Otherwise the salad was delicious!!
Mine, too…so burnt…did them in pan on stove top second time so I could watch them
Can you sub in a different nut for the pepitas? Any suggestions?
I’ve made this a few times now and I’m a total convert. I too am not much of a salad person but this is SO delicious. I can’t believe I’m craving a salad. And you are right, it tastes exactly like fall.
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WHOA! This might be the best salad I’ve ever had. Husband and I were literally licking our fingers the dressing is so tasty. My only tip/comment is to keep an eye on the pepitas in the oven – mine burned a bit, but the salad was still SO GOOD.
Even better than I imagined. I made this for my wife and mother-in-law. This dish became an instant hit. I will admit I burnt the first batch of papitas but the 2nd attempt went in for 10 minutes and was perfect. I guess my oven was burning too hot even pre-heated at only 350. What a brilliant recipe and thanks for sharing this with the world. This will become a traditional fall dish for my family. Thanks again.
This was stunningly delicious! Thank you so much for sharing!
can not imagine being able to eat this in the morning while drinking coffee. would be really good
I brought this to a friend’s house for dinner last night and holy cow- it did not disappoint! I am weird with sweet and savory combos sometimes and worried that this might err too much on the sweet side for me, but it was PERFECTION! Do yourself a favor and make BOTH kinds of nuts. I subbed apple cider vinegar for the red wine vinegar in the dressing and it was amazing. Also be sure to use a really good sharp cheddar, the one I used was aged and a little crumbly and it was a flavor explosion. This will surely be in my new dinner rotation but I’m seriously thinking I’ll add it to my Thanksgiving menu as well. It’s THAT good!
Tried this salad tonight – it was so yummy!!! I accidentally burnt the pepitas and didn’t remake more of them so I left it out. Still great and will make again!
Just wondering do you think this cinnamon shallot vinegrette requires red wine vinegar? Or could i use apple cider vinegar? I imagine the shallots and the red wine flavors go really well together but i’m making this recipe with kids and would prefer to use the apple cider vinegar I have on hand. Thanks!
you can absolutely use apple cider vinegar! :)
Any idea how many this would serve as a side at a Thanksgiving meal? Looks delish!
Had this salad at a friend’s and begged for the recipe. Two questions…can the nuts be made a day ahead and stored and wondering on amount for thanksgiving side for 20 (recipe says it serves “2”)?
hi! you can definitely make the nuts ahead of time and to feed 20, i think i’d do the recipe x 4 – especially if it’s part of the thanksgiving meal! i don’t think you’d need more than that. :)
Oh my! this looks gorgeous and colorful! Cannot wait to try this. I love anything with Kale in it :)
thank you for sharing
I made this and ate it for dinner….then breakfast….then lunch again….then it was gone….so I made it again for dinner. I’m not a kale person or a salad person but LOVED this! That cinnamon shallot dressing was outstanding. Thank you!
This salad is DELICIOUS! The flavors and textures are on point! I made a few changes just due to what I had on hand – I didn’t get to make the pepitas, but will next time. I used feta instead of cheddar and also added some shredded sauteed Brussels sprouts that I needed to use. I loved the dressing and everything about the salad, thanks for such a hit! My husband even had seconds!
Thanks for this recipe!
It looks wonderfully delicious!
Will definitely give it a try!
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What a great salad. Thank you. I will try doing it today.
Just about to make this for at least the third time, even though it’s not fall anymore! It’s delicious!! I’ve shared with friends or used it when I brought a meal to people….so good. Everyone loves it. I started taking a short cut with the nuts after the first time, by combining most of the ingredients (lessening the honey and oil a bit cause otherwise it was too much liquid) and doing them together over the stove. Just a bit faster and easier, and more manageable for me but I end up with the same nuts and flavors!