Kale Salad with Orange-Blackberry Vinaigrette
January 16th, 2007
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Kale Salad with Orange-Blackberry Vinaigrette
This salad happened by accident, and I’m so glad it did. I was in Trader Joe’s and saw the most succulent pint of blackberries I had ever seen. I’m sure the cold, rainy day was making me long for summer; I snapped up the blackberries without a single idea as to how I would use them. It didn’t matter, I had to have them.
I toyed with the idea of a blackberry tart, or pie, but when I looked into my refrigerator, a bunch of kale an a single orange begged to be used. I enjoyed this off-the-cuff salad so much that I went out to buy the ingredients again today so I could share it with you.
The dressing, in my opinion, is fantastic. It’s not too sweet, nor too vinegary - a problem that usually turns me off to vinaigrettes. The oil gives it a rich mouth feel, but still the freshness of the oranges and berries shine through. I have to try hard not to make a fool of myself by licking the bowl of my food processor and anything else this heavenly dressing touches.
I adore kale, but perhaps the idea of eating an entire plate of it turns you off a little. I wish I could invite you over to try it first, but if kale isn’t your idea of good time, I’m sure this dressing would go well over whatever leafy green you’re more desirous of. Try the kale if you can, though. It’s fantastic.
Kale Salad with Orange Blackberry Vinaigrette
Makes two to three salads
1 Large Bunch Kale, Washed and de-stemmed
1 Orange, zested and supremed
10 Blackberries, plus more for decoration
1 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
1 tsp Sugar
1/4 tsp Salt
2 1/2 Tbs Oil (I used canola)
Steam the kale until tender, then shock it in ice water. Drain well, drying the leaves between layers of paper towel.
In a food processor, combine 10 blackberries, 3 orange segments, vinegar, sugar, salt, and 1/2 of the orange zest. Blend until smooth. Slowly drizzle in the oil while blending, emulsifying the dressing.
Plate the kale and top with the vinaigrette, the rest of the orange zest, and extra orange segments and berries. Serve.
9 Comments Add your own
1. mamafabun | January 17th, 2007 at 10:42 pm
That salad makes my mouth water.
2. Lolo (VeganYumYum) | January 17th, 2007 at 11:12 pm
Thanks! I didn’t even realize when I was putting it together that iron + vitamin C makes it a pretty healthy salad, too. Maybe my body is trying to make up for all those cupcakes.
3. textual bulldog | January 18th, 2007 at 9:23 pm
Wow, this looks so beautiful! I love kale and am always trying to find new ways to eat it. I can’t wait to try this–thanks!
4. Alexis | February 7th, 2007 at 11:08 am
Hi, I found your blog via Isa’s cupcakes blog. All your food is beautiful! This looked really easy, so I tried a variant of it last night — southern greens and redcurrants. It was excellent, and very easy. Thanks!
5. Heather-Lynn | December 29th, 2007 at 10:50 pm
Dear lord! you are torturing me! this all looks soooo good!!!!
6. Fawn | April 11th, 2008 at 9:59 pm
This salad was amazing, I steamed half the kale and kept half raw. Oh and I added some flax seeds. Dressing was superb, Thank You!
7. Thomas | June 10th, 2008 at 6:37 pm
The salad is great. I tried it with our little wild blackberries and it was even more amazing. Thaks for the recipe!
8. Csl | July 20th, 2008 at 6:12 pm
Oh my goodness! I am going to shop for some of these recipes tonight, these dishes look amazing. I’ve been looking at a lot of vegan blogs since most of my friends are vegan but it’s been a while since I’ve felt so excited about cooking for them. Thank you so much!
9. lissi | August 21st, 2008 at 9:26 pm
Hi, I just wanted to share my interpretation of your salad–also in the spirit of happy accidents!
I was searching for “kale salad” on google because I had a huge bunch of kale in my fridge. Bought all the ingredients, but came home and the kale had gone bad already! Instead I used spicy baby arugula and used it raw like a regular salad, and I had a ripe avocado in my fridge so I cut that up and added it too. Its really delicious and fruity but not overly sweet and the avocado adds a nice bit of substance.
Thanks for posting this salad! Next time I have kale I want to try the “real” version.
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