Sweet Kale & Rice Salad

This 5-ingredient Sweet Kale & Rice Salad is the perfect combination of sweet, crunchy & chewy, and it's doused in a delicious tangy apple dressing. This salad is perfect for an easy weekday lunch and the best partner for a steaming bowl of soup!

Winter Kale & Rice Salad

If you have the choice between a warm salad or a cold, which would you rather? If you're like me and live in a cold and wet country like Canada, then I am sure the choice is obvious. Or is it? 🤷🏻‍♀️

I love a good warm salad. They're comforting, filling and tasty. Sometimes a warm salad is the right balance between a steaming hot bowl of soup, and a cool, crunchy salad. You need that in-between salad, not warm, not cold, just right.

This sweet kale & rice salad is just the rice balance with chewy brown rice, cooling kale, speckles of sweetness of the dried cranberries, and then it's all tied together with a tangy honey apple cider vinaigrette. It's the perfect salad for these cold and damp days and the best partner for a steamy bowl of soup 🍲.

What You'll Need to Make This Winter Kale & Rice Salad

• Kale: either black or curly kale is a good option for this salad. Thinly slice the kale so it will be easier to eat.
• Cooked brown rice: The chewy texture of brown rice is perfect for this salad. I love to toss this salad when the rice is still warm.
• Dried Cranberries: These little gems provide the perfect touch of sweetness to the salad and give that winter vibe.
• Zucchini: I julienned the zucchini for this recipe, but you can also shred the zucchini if you wish. I love the pretty, almost noodle-like presentation of the zucchini when using a julienne cut. 
• Sliced Almonds: Almond gives this salad a delightful crunch, also providing some extra vitamins and healthy fats. 
• Honey Apple Vinaigrette: Olive oil, raw apple cider vinegar, shallots, garlic and honey

 How to Make This Winter Kale & Rice Salad? 

Making this salad isn't much different from any other salad. Complete the preparation of the kale, zucchini, rice and dressing. Add kale to a big bowl, pour in the dressing, give it a light massage, and then add the rice and carrots to the salad. Then add the cranberries and almond toppings. Serve and enjoy!

Tips for making this salad

1. Massage the Kale before adding the other ingredients. Kale needs to be massaged a bit to soften it for easier chewing. 
2. Make it vegan by leaving out the honey. You can add a different sweetener or leave it out and let the cranberries' sweetness be the only sweet element.
3. Make the dressing milder by using dehydrated garlic and shallots. I love using fresh garlic and shallots whenever possible, but in this case, If you want that taste more subdued, you can choose to use dehydrated garlic and onions since it’s not the focus of the dish.  
4. Add more ingredients to make it a full meal. This simple salad makes for a great side dish, but you can easily turn it into a complete meal with some chicken, white beans or chickpeas.

Looking for More Salad Ideas? 

• Mediterranean Bulgur Salad
• Mediterranean Apple & Walnut Salad
• Roasted Butternut Squash Salad
• Winter Beetroot Salad

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Originally published 10/07/21, updated 10/21/22