Kale Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

January 25, 2017

We're vegan which means we're about 5% kale by weight. Seriously, though, we do love some kale. When it's warmer out, we turn to recipes like this Kale Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette to keep our percentages up.

Back when we had a house kitchen, it made sense to buy bunches of greens to clean and prep at home. But now that we're in the RV with our tiny RV fridge, we buy the one pound bags of washed and torn kale. Buying prepped greens keeps us from finding kale pieces all over the rig. Instead, they are concentrated mostly in the kitchen.

RV Kitchen Gadget Alert!

kale salad in collapsible mixing bowl

Storage is at a premium in the RV. Which is why we love our collapsible mixing bowl! None of the mixing bowls we had at home even fit in the cabinets, so this was a little splurge about which we have no regrets.

One step to this recipe is to get your hands on the salad and massage it until it starts to soften. I HATE putting my hands in the food. So I keep a box of food grade vinyl gloves in the kitchen for these tasks.  They're also perfect for dying hair and dirty jobs. But if you don't mind getting food all over your hands (yeach!) these are entirely optional.

Potluck Friendly

We always get compliments on this kale salad at potlucks. And you can adjust the ingredients to what you have on hand. Other tasty additions are almonds or walnuts, chopped tomato, fresh herbs like parsley, basil or cilantro, sundried tomato, chickpeas, avocado, or even diced roasted sweet potato.

If you discover any interesting and delicious add-ins for your Kale Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette, we'd love to hear about it in the comments!

kale salad with lemon vinaigrette in collapsible mixing bowl portrait

Kale Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

A simple and quick to make salad that is a crowd pleaser at potlucks.
Prep Time5 minutes
Total Time5 minutes
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegan
Servings: 4
Calories: 203kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup or agave nectar
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 8 ounces chopped and cleaned fresh kale or about 4 packed cups
  • 1 red bell pepper chopped
  • 1 cup carrot sliced
  • 1/3 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, cider vinegar, maple syrup or agave nectar, salt, and pepper.
  • Add kale to the bowl. Using hands (gloved or not, your choice) massage dressing into kale until the kale softens.
  • Add remaining ingredients to the bowl and toss to combine. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Notes

Note: the nutritional information provided is created using an online calculator. It is only meant to be a rough guideline. For best results, calculate the nutritional information yourself with the exact ingredients and amounts that you use.
Laura Nunemaker

About the Author

Laura Nunemaker

vegan. full-time traveler. rv dweller. food lover. cow petter.

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