Happy Monday! So glad you guys like the almond ginger nori snacks. They’ve given me a lot of ideas for future snacks. I’ll be keeping you posted, of course
This salad—a creamy, delicious mix of kale, apples, raisins, and carrots, all with a creamy curried dressing—is perfect for autumn. The last time I made a kale and apple salad, it was my “golden harvest” kale salad—a mix of carrots, celery, raisins, and walnuts.
The idea is similar here, but the dressing is rich and creamy and infused with a touch of curry and sweetness from dates. I’ve made it twice now: the first time, with walnuts, and the second time with cashews. The cashew version definitely tastes more mainstream and less “nutty” than the walnut version, but the walnut version is slightly more nutrient dense. You can certainly experiment with both, and decide which you like more!
Kale Salad with Carrots, Apples, Raisins, and Creamy Curry Dressing (raw, vegan, gluten free, soy free)
Serves 2-4
1 scant cup raw cashews or walnuts
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 pitted dates
3/4 cup water
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp curry powder
1 head kale, de-stemmed, cut into bite sized pieces, washed, and thoroughly dried
2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
1 large apple (I like honeycrisp!), chopped into small pieces
1/3 cup raisins
1. Blend all dressing ingredients in a food processor or high speed blender till smooth.
2. Massage the kale with about 1/3 cup dressing, making sure that everything is well coated and softened. Add the apple, carrot, and raisins, and remix the salad, adding more dressing if you like. Serve!
If you want to turn this one into a meal sized salad, you can definitely add some chickpeas or lentils! It would also be great served with a hummus sandwich, or a fresh batch of raw crackers. Yum.
Such a wonderful way to enjoy fall produce! Hope you like it.
The first time I made this salad, it was early last week. The second time, I made a version of it as part of another “ingredient potluck” with Anne, adding beautiful beets:
To find out about the amazing quinoa dish we served it with, you’ll just have to tune back in tomorrow! Till then,
xo
I'm a Certified Clinical Nutritionist, a former book editor, and a post-baccalaureate pre-med student at Georgetown University. I'm passionate about helping people to discover and enjoy plant based foods in a simple and healthy way. My name is pronounced like "Jenna."
{ 26 comments… read them below or add one }
I have to make this!
It is so very good!
Yum. I want more!
I have a similar recipe where I use craisins instead of raisins & add sunflower seeds & a different dressing. But raw kale salad is just one of those things I cannot get enough of. Thanks for reminding me I need to eat it more! Definitely haven’t been meeting my daily green quotient lately.
I love the idea of sunflower seeds here! They go really well with kale.
That dressing sounds unreal!
What a tease to make us wait till tomorrow! Looking forward to it
This salad reminds me a little bit of the one the Our Hen House ladies made on an episode of Vegan Drag Queen I watched today. The curry dressing has got to be amazing on this! I think I’m going to make it with the walnuts. Walnuts and raisins are a match made in heaven. Don’t you just love the versatility of kale salads?
Thanks for the dinner idea.
Hope you enjoy it!
Mmmmm definitely will “Fall” hard for this salad. So simple yet elegant! Especially dressed up with beets and quinoa- mmmm! I will try this with salad greens – not the same as kale of course, but one has to make sacrifices when living in a kale-less cOuntry! Can’t wait to try the real version when back in the United States of Kale soon! Enjoy your Fall in DC !
Looks lovely. Was so happy to return from a recent trip and come home to see our greens thriving. Finally a break from the intense summer heat and now they are taking off. Kale Chips in my future soon. And kale is So photogenic!
My kind of salad!! Yummmm!
Oh, yum! I try so hard to eat apples but I don’t really like them on their own. I always forget that I tend to love them in salads. Will have to try this one soon.
this is pretty much my ideal autumn salad. i love walnuts but tend to only eat them in the fall. i usually have pistach., almonds or cashews in the summer months for some reason. i just listen to my cravings ha
Looks amazing. I got all the ingredients and am going to make this tomorrow! I almost never cook from recipes anymore, but this is a must-try.
Made this tonight with the walnuts and LOVED it. It was a hit with everyone! Kale had gone bad so I used spinach and added red onion, red pepper and avocado. Delicious! Can’t wait to try with kale next time. Everyone asked for the dressing recipe.
Do you reckon you could make this a bit lighter on kitchen apparatus by using cashew butter and whisking?
Oh, I’m sure you could. Try it out and see what you think!
What a great combo of flavors!
I love the sound of that dressing!
Gena,
I went vegan two weeks ago from an omni way of eating, thanks in great part to your blog.
I love your recipes, your laid-back attitude, and your positivity.
This recipe was incredible. I made it late last night, in a very cranky and tired mood. It definitely made me feel better! I can’t wait to recreate it today for lunch.
Thank you for everything you do.
-Rachel
I love salads and this one looks SO good. Can’t wait to give it a try! I think I’ll go for the walnut version because of the added health (as you described).
Thanks Marly!
This salad was delicious! I used the walnut dressing and sprinkled on some pistachios and dried cherries (instead of raisins), on top of the salad. With the honeycrisp and carrots It was all so satisfyingly fall-ish. Thanks Gena!
awesome recipe! I added some purple carrots and some purple sweet potato (which I grilled) and popped the saltanas in hot water to make them nice and juicy again. Amazing recipe!
totally delicious!
I also like this one:
blend:
1/4 c red wine vin
1/4 c evoo
1 T honey
juice of one orange
a little lemon juice
salt
pepper
a few craisins
massage dressing with shredded kale, toasted almonds, and craisins
Thanks for the curry kale recipe! Hope you like mine!!
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