Easy Kale and Apple Salad: with steel cut oats, zucchini, marinated onions, avocado…. and some almonds and cranberries too…. Sweet & tart, hearty & satisfying…. Simply Yum!
I love it so much that I can happily have it just by itself…. It makes a lovely, light and refreshing meal….. Sometimes, I pair it with a soup or a simple grilled cheese sandwich. And if I happen to have freshly made sourdough…. Hmmm, need I say more?
Actually, I’m not really a huge fan of raw Kale… Somehow, I find its flavor and texture rather unappealing. Whenever I see a server in a restaurant place a huge plate of crisp-looking Kale salad in front of someone… I’m going ‘Enhhh…”!
Yeah, I do think it looks fresh and pretty, especially if it’s topped with cranberries and nuts and such. But… based on my own past experience with similar-looking Kale salads, I’m not exactly hankering to order one for myself!
Of course, I do know that Kale has lots of health-supporting nutrients… So, I have been playing with Kale for some time now, trying to figure out how to make it more appealing… at least to my own taste-buds.
Curly Kale … better after a “massage”!
I read somewhere that a Kale salad needs a good “massage” after adding the dressing…. My immediate reaction to what I read? A major giggling fit! Just imagining the Kale getting a massage was simply too funny!
Once I got over my giggles, though, I realized what that massage was actually doing… To begin with, it was softening the texture of the leaves. How? The salt in the dressing draws out some of the bitter juices from the leaves, because of osmosis, causing them to lose their crispness and wilt a little.
The physical massaging of the leaves then helps to further break down the rigid structure of the leaves. It also moves the released juices away from the leaves, so they blend quickly with the rest of the dressing…. and get distributed all over the salad….. End result? The already softened Kale leaves don’t taste quite as intense any more! Pretty neat, huh?!
So…. I made trial salad, using a recipe I found online… When I started massaging it, and the Kale quickly started to wilt, I thought it might turn out OK. I guess it was OK… the Kale texture was softer, for sure…. but the overall flavor? Nah, not quite to my taste, anyway…
Hmmm… I thought…. Maybe I just needed to tinker with the dressing… and perhaps add a few other ingredients as well.
Kale: Add something sweet & something tart…
At least, I now had a starting point for experimenting further with my own ideas. I quickly realized that to help mellow Kale’s rather strong flavor, I would probably need to add something sweet and something tart.
As I began to think about what sweet and tart ingredients I might add, another thought occurred to me….. Maybe the Kale also needed to ‘share the spotlight’ with some other ingredients…. you know, be a team-player, so to speak! Add ingredients with different flavors and textures, so the Kale would not be quite so prominent in the final salad.
OK, I thought…. Now we’re getting somewhere… I can work with these ideas!
Kale… with Apples, Cranberies, Nuts…
I decided to make a Kale salad with sweet and crisp apples, along with dried cranberries and sliced almonds…. in a sweetish vinaigrette. As I looked over my vinegar stash, I found some raspberry vinegar.. Aha, I thought…. Its distinctly fruity, sweet-sour flavor might well be perfect for making Kale taste better.
I had also noticed that the wilted Kale leaves in my earlier “trial” salad did not really have much taste at all…. Perhaps I could fix that by massaging just the Kale with the dressing, and letting it “stew” in the dressing for a bit. Setting aside the massaged Kale for even just 8-10 minutes might help some of the dressing actually get inside the leaves and improve their flavor.
That would actually be quite practical, too, since I could prep everything else while waiting for the Kale to marinate. So, I massaged the chopped Kale with a bit of salt, sugar, a dash of raspberry vinegar and a few drops of olive oil… then let it rest, while I prepped the apples.
After mixing in the apples, cranberries and nuts, and adding a bit more of my simple dressing, I took a bite…. Yess…. The Kale leaves actually tasted quite nice!
But still, I felt like something was missing, and I needed to tweak it some more. I tried out a few ideas, but nothing quite hit the spot. So I walked away from it for a while… waiting for further inspiration.
Add steel-cut oats to Kale Salad… a hearty, healthy gluten-free salad
Then, out of the blue… A friend called to tell me that she had made my Tabouli Salad with steel-cut oats for a guest who was gluten-intolerant. Her guest had loved it, happy that she could finally have Tabouli (which traditionally has Bulgur, made from wheat).
That got me thinking about using steel-cut oats again… Hmmm, I thought…. Maybe I should try adding some steel-cut oats to my Kale-Apple salad….
As I explored the idea further, I realized that the oats and almonds combo also constituted a complete protein. Thus, the salad would provide all the essential amino acids we need. Besides, adding oats would make the salad more filling, too…. And Yeah…. for folks who can’t have gluten, this salad would be gluten-free, too…
So… a tasty and filling salad that is nutritionally well-balanced, too? Hmmm… I couldn’t wait to try it out!
Oats: ‘Sneak’ it into lunch/dinner
Some of you might be thinking, “Oats…. in a Salad? Really?!”….. Let me share my thought process. Most folks think of oats as good breakfast food. Sure, it certainly is that! But who says you can’t eat it any other time of day? I’ve had SO much fun trying to find interesting ways to ‘sneak’ it into lunch and dinner as well.
Sure, you can reach for that delightfully chewy oatmeal-raisin cookie with a cup of coffee… But Hey, that’s for a snack… And it’s really the sugar in your sweet treat that’s giving you that quick energy boost when you’re flagging late in the afternoon.
What I’m really talking about is lunch/dinner… Best of all, it opens the door to lots of creativity too!
So, if you find yourself craving a veggie burger…. maybe you can check out my recipe for Black Bean-Carrot patties… I’ve sneaked some oats in there… and have yourself a lovely burger!
Beta-Glucan in Oats: Soluble fiber extraordinaire
What makes oats so special, anyway? Turns out, whole grain oats have both soluble and insoluble fiber, both of which support your well-being in so many different ways.
Beta-glucan, the primary soluble fiber in oats, is rather extraordinary! Most notably, it lowers cholesterol and slows the absorption of sugar into blood. It also acts as a prebiotic, i.e., it is food for the good bacteria in your gut…..
Perhaps you’re aware that a healthy gut microbiome is critically important to helping you stay healthy in countless ways.
How to make this Kale Apple Salad?
So… bursting with inspiration, I did another trial run… with fully cooked, steel-cut oats. How to make sure they wouldn’t taste bland? That’s easy…. just add some simple seasonings to the cooking water… salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper… nothing too fancy!
After fluffing the cooled, cooked oats with a fork (and wet fingers, too!), I added it into the salad mixture I’d been wanting to add an extra ‘Oomph’ to. And then, just on a whim, I also added in a few other things… Zucchini… Avocado… more flavor, texture, fiber…. and good fats too!
And Oh Yeah… The sliced red onions marinating in sweetened raspberry vinegar… I had a feeling that would add yet another layer of flavor. Added bonus… raw onions pack a hefty set of nutrients too!
A tiny little drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil…. a light sprinkling of shredded Parmesan…. and I was ready to mix it all up. I stood back and just looked at it for a moment…. It looked so very pretty!
Leaning in for a whiff, the aroma that hit me was so wonderfully enticing! I was ready to attack…. Finally, I thought…. A Kale salad I could fall in love with!
And Yes… The Kale did indeed share the spotlight with all the other ingredients…. just as I had envisioned. And the salad most certainly hit the spot… at least for me! So Yes… I do make this salad quite frequently… and not just to sneak some oats into my meal!
I’m aware, of course, that you might not find steel-cut oats where you live. No worries…. Check in my Recipe Notes…. I’ve given a few other alternatives that will be just as tasty and quite wholesome too.
More Salad Recipes….
If you want to check out a few more salad recipes, here are some interesting ones that you might enjoy…
- Sprouted Lentil Salad – middle-Eastern style, with pickled red radishes
- Tabouli Salad with steel-cut Oats – it’s gluten-free… or make it traditional style, with Bulgur
- Ash Gourd Salad – colorful, nutritious and tasty, with pickled red cabbage
- Beets & Broccoli – with baby spinach, as tasty as it is pretty
- Black Beans and Apples – Mexican-style, great on tortilla chips
- Creamy Potato-Salad – always a crowd-pleaser, this one’s egg-free!
- Jackfruit “Chicken” Salad – with young jackfruit, it’s creamy and satisfying
- And there’s more….
Make them, share them… and please do leave reviews and star ratings… many thanks!
Special Diets
This Kale and Apple salad is vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, soy-free and sesame-free. For a nut-free version, use sunflower/pumpkin seeds instead of almonds. To make it vegan, leave out the Parmesan cheese and use your favorite plant-based cheese instead. Or, if you can have soy, maybe you can use lightly salted tofu crumbles instead of Parmesan.
So… The next time you want to make a salad with Kale, maybe you can try this one…. Share it with family and friends …. and don’t be surprised if it gets polished off!
Do leave a review and star rating… much appreciated!
Enjoy!
Easy Kale and Apple Salad: Make it Hearty with Oats
Equipment
- Pressure cooker preferred – for cooking steel-cut oats Instant Pot, stove-top, etc. If not available, see Recipe Notes for alternate directions for microwave/stove-top
- small stainless steel bowl that fits inside the pressure cooker – for pot-in-pot cooking not needed if not using pressure cooker
- Small, heavy bottom saucepan – 1 qt/L for cooking oats on the stove-top; don't need if using pressure cooker
- microwave oven for cooking oats in the microwave; don't need if using pressure cooker
- Microwave-safe glass/ceramic cereal bowl for cooking oats in the microwave; don't need if using pressure cooker
Ingredients
To cook steel cut Oats
- 2 tbsp Steel-cut Oats
- 1/2 cup Water
- 1/8 tsp Sugar
- 1/8 tsp Crushed red pepper
- 1/16 tsp Black pepper – freshly crushed preferred
- 1/16 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp oil
Raspberry vinegar Marinade
- 2 tbsp Raspberry vinegar if not available, use Apple Cider Vinegar/red wine vinegar; see Recipe Notes for infusing vinegar with raspberries
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Black-pepper – freshly crushed preferred
Other ingredients
- 2 cups Chopped green Kale – loosely packed – 75-80 g about 2-3 medium stalks- strip leaves from stems; leaves and stems chopped separately
- 1/2 cup Apples – diced small-medium any variety of juicy apples OK, sweet apples preferred; dice just before serving salad to minimize browning
- 1/2 cup Avocado – pitted and diced about 1 small-medium
- 1/4 cup Red Onion – sliced lengthwise if red onion not available, OK to use other varieties (white, yellow) or shallots
- 1/4 cup Zucchini – finely diced (no need to peel) need about 1/4 small, tender zucchini (for best texture, flavor); if not available, use small, tender yellow summer squash; if not available, use Persian cucumber or seedless cucumber
- 1 tbsp sliced Almonds if not available, use other coarsely chopped nuts; for nut-free sub with sunflower/pumpkin/melon seeds
- 2 tsp Dried Cranberries separate them if stuck in clumps
- 2 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil if not available, use other high quality, cold pressed, neutral flavored oil
- 1 tbsp Shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
Cook steel-cut oats – yields 1/2 cup cooked, seasoned oats
- Measure 1/4 cup steel-cut oats in a small stainless-steel bowl (should fit inside a pressure cooker for pot-in-pot cooking)Add 1/2 cup water, 1/8 tsp salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper
- Place a rack/trivet in the pressure cooker pot; add 1 1/2 -2 cups water – enough to just cover the rack/trivet.Place the container with the oats on the rack. Close the lid and pressure cook for 5 minutes at high pressure Allow natural pressure release before opening the lid (may take 10-15 min). Note: If using a stove-top pressure cooker that 'whistles': 1. Decrease heat to low-medium after the first 'whistle'2. Start measuring time – cook for 5 minutes, before turning heat off3. Transfer the pressure cooker away from the hot stove after cooking is done, to cool faster and allow quicker release of pressure. For all types of pressure cookers:If the pressure is not fully released after 10 min, you may manually vent to release residual pressure. Be careful! Don't let your fingers get in the way of the released steam– it can cause serious steam-burns!
Make Raspberry Vinegar Marinade
- Mix 2 tbsp Raspberry Vinegar with 1 tsp sugar, 1/4 tsp each of salt and freshly crushed black pepper.
- Divide marinade into 3 portions: 1 tsp for marinating the onions 2 tsp for massaging the Kale Save the rest (about 1 tbsp) to add at the end – use as needed for adjusting taste/flavor – you will probably need all of it.
Marinate Red Onions
- Slice red onions lengthwise. OK to use white or yellow onions, but red onions look prettier.
- Place in a bowl and add 1 tsp prepared marinade. Mix well – try to separate the fleshy slices – if they're stuck, you may need to slice off a thin section of the root end to help separate them. Mince this sliced off section (with part of the root) and add it to the sliced onions being marinated.Note: 1. Watch the color change from purplish to reddish as it marinates.2. Set aside a small portion (about 8-10 slivers) to use as garnish at the end.
Prep and 'massage' the Kale with the prepared marinade
- Meanwhile, prep the Kale.Rinse 2-3 medium sized stems of curly Kale. Be sure to check for dirt that may be trapped within the curls of the leaves – I like to run my fingers through the curls and visually inspect it closely. Rinse thoroughly in a colander, then towel-dry to remove residual moisture. Wipe the inside of the curly leaves to wick away any trapped water. Snip off 1/4 inch of the stem ends, then tear/strip the leaves from the stems -Don't throw the stems! Bundle the leaves and slice into ribbons. Turn 90 degrees and cut across the ribbons to chop. Then bundle the stems and slice them thinly.
- Transfer the Kale (leaves and stems) to a medium salad bowl (1 1/2 – 2 qt/L) and add 2 tsp of the prepared vinegar marinade. Add 1/2 tsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil (or other oil you are using) and mix with your hands – for food safety, be sure to carefully wash your hands first! Gently squeeze the leaves in your fist as you mix, to draw out the juices from the kale. If you prefer, you could also massage the kale with the back of a spoon, pressing down a little as you mix.Note: The Kale quickly wilts and its volume shrinks a lot: the 2 cups you started with goes down to about 1/2 cup.Set the bowl of massaged Kale aside while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
Prep the remaining ingredients
- Dice the zucchini: you will probably need about 1/4 of a small-medium zucchini.
- By this time, the residual pressure in the cooker has probably been released. Open the lid and carefully remove the insert container with the cooked oats:
- Use a sturdy pair of pot-lifter tongs (or a thick towel) to do this – it will still be quite hot!
- Fluff the cooked oats with a fork or with your fingers or a fork.With a wet fork, flip over portions of the cooked oats (see pic) and let it cool for a couple of minutes. Then dip your fingers in a bowl of cool water and gently separate the grains so they're not stuck together in clumps.
- Fluffed oatsNote: This picture shows about 1 cup cooked oats – I made a double batch with 1/4 cup dry steel-cut oats, so I can stash some in my freezer! if you decide to the same thing, you will need to measure out 1/2 cup to use in this recipe.Of course, if you cook only 2 tbsp oats, as per the directions given above, you should have about 1/2 cup cooked oats – no need to measure! Use it all.
- Add the fluffed oats, zucchini and marinated onions to the Kale – remember to save a few slices of the marinated onions for garnish.
- Add the cranberries and mix everything. Set aside until it's time to serve.
Just before serving: Prep the avocado and apples (they tend to darken quickly if done too much in advance)
- Dice the apples. You will need about 1/4 of a medium-large apple. You don't need to peel the apple.
- Dice the avocado – you will need about 1 small-medium avocado.
- Finish assembling the salad just before serving: Add the apples, avocado and sliced almonds.
- Add shredded Parmesan cheese, then drizzle the remaining dressing (about 1 tbsp) and 1 1/2 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil all over.
- Mix with salad tongs and serve immediately. Garnish with a few slices of marinated onion.Enjoy by itself as a light meal , or serve alongside a soup…. sandwich…. pasta…. Pulao….or whatever else you want to have … even Pizza! Why not? Enjoy!
Notes
No Steel-cut Oats available?
Use one of these alternatives instead:- Quinoa – white variety preferred – gluten-free
- 3 tbsp Quinoa, cook with 1/2 cup water and seasonings (salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper)
- in pressure cooker (pot-in-pot style), as described for oats in main recipe directions ; cook 5 min at full pressure
- or on the stove-top, in a small (1 qt/L) heavy bottom saucepan
- 3 tbsp Quinoa, cook with 1/2 cup water and seasonings (salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper)
- Bulgur: (fine/medium grain size): this is NOT gluten-free
- 3 tbsp Bulgur
- Add 1/4 cup boiling water and seasonings (salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper)
- Cover and set aside for 15-20 min.
- 3 tbsp Bulgur
- Cracked Wheat: (fine/medium grain size): this is NOT gluten-free
- 2 tbsp cracked wheat: dry roast until it browns and begins to pop, then cook with 1/4 cup water and seasonings (salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper), by one of the following methods:
- in pressure cooker (pot-in-pot style), as described for oats in main recipe directions – cook 5 min at full pressure
- or on the stove-top, in a small (1 qt/L) heavy bottom saucepan
- 2 tbsp cracked wheat: dry roast until it browns and begins to pop, then cook with 1/4 cup water and seasonings (salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper), by one of the following methods:
- Couscous: tiny sized granules, (Moroccan style): this is NOT gluten-free
- 3 tbsp Couscous, dry roast until it begins to brown
- Add 1/4 cup boiling water and seasonings (salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper)
- Cover and set aside for 15-20 min
- 3 tbsp Couscous, dry roast until it begins to brown
Raspberry-infused vinegar
If you don’t have raspberry vinegar, you can quickly infuse some raspberry flavor into apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar- Simply mash 1-2 fresh/frozen raspberries with a fork
- It’s easier to mash frozen, slightly thawed raspberries than fresh ones
- you could also use a lemon squeezer to mash the raspberries,
- collect the juice as well as the raspberry pulp
- Add mashed raspberries to 2 tbsp vinegar and stir well.
Storing Leftovers:
Store leftover salad in a glass/ceramic lidded container. Store in the refrigerator. I do not recommend storing this salad in the freezer- Consume within 2 days
- the avocado and apples will start browning, but they are still safe to eat.
Woww superb .. your descriptions are a whole world in itself revealing your innate nature of curiosity experimenting and keenness of intelligence. A great chemist and a great cook….
Thanks fr your kind comments Usha! Hope you make this salad soon… would love to know how you liked it! 🙂