Creamy Kale Salad with Pomegranate and Toasted Hazelnuts
Nov 23, 2016 (Last updated Sep 13, 2021) by Hannah Sunderani
Creamy Kale Salad with Pomegranate and Toasted Hazelnuts
I know what you’re going to say…”Nobody eats the salad at Thanksgiving,” but you haven’t served this salad! I promise you, this Creamy Kale Salad with Pomegranate and Toasted Hazelnuts will totally upstage any of your traditional sides. Make room roasted brussels sprouts, theres a new kale in town!
This recipe uses winning ingredients so that even the skeptics will be helping themselves to another plate. Choosing kale as the featured green was no mistake here – we all know by now that kales popularity has soared – appearing in grocers and households, and flourishing restaurant menus as quickly as they’re putting up vintage edison bulbs. Heck, even Grandma is praising the leafy green! A bed of kale always has better associations than it’s spinach sister. Which means this salad instantly gives you a one-up on the ratings. Not to mention kale is a sturdy green so you can toss this salad well in advanced of serving without worrying about it wilting – such a gift given the number of things you’ve got to do before your guests arrive!
But of course, we can’t solely rely on the leafy green to take all the responsibility for being adored – because we’ve also got to convince the salad skeptics that this is truly the unicorn of salads. And, since Uncle Joe only agrees to eating creamy ceasers we’ve created a deliciously creamy dressing to peak his interest. The creamy dressing is a deadly combination of hemp hearts, citrus, garlic and onion powder, giving it richness and a full taste. Trust me, I’ve served this to the biggest skeptics and they keep crawling back! Finally, for a little sweetness and crunch we’ve added fresh pomegranate seeds and toasted hazelnuts. It’s PURE JOY! And not only does it taste beautiful; it looks it too. This salad is a stunner; with beautiful reds and greens that instantly puts us in the holiday spirit!
So, before you rule out making salad at Thanksgiving this year try tossing together this killer kale recipe. Because this salad refuses to take a back seat – it’s a stellar crowd-pleaser that’s sure to leave a lasting impression. Just be ready to make it again next year whether you’re hosting or not (biggest compliments to the chef). Now that’s something to be thankful for!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Creamy Kale Salad with Pomegranate and Toasted Hazelnuts
Ingredients
Salad:
- 5 cups kale chopped (about 335g)
- 1/4 cup hazelnuts
- 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
- 2 tbsp hemp hearts
Creamy Hemp Dressing:
- 1/3 cup hemp hearts
- 1/2 cup filtered water
- 1 lemon juiced
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- pinch sea salt and pepper
Instructions
- Begin by making your dressing: Add hemp hearts, water, lemon juice, garlic, onion powder, sea salt and pepper to your blender. Blend for 1 minute, or until smooth. Add more salt and pepper if desired.
- Chop hazelnuts and add to a skillet on medium-low heat. Roast string occasionally for 5-8 minutes, or until fragrant and browned.
- Add chopped kale to a large mixing bowl. Drizzle with creamy dressing using as much required to coat salad (you might have leftover dressing depending on how saucy you like it). Toss well.
- Transfer salad to a serving dish and sprinkle with hemp hearts, pomegranate seeds and roasted hazelnuts.
Notes
Approvals
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