Kale Brussel Sprouts Salad with Cranberries
Kale brussel sprouts salad with cranberries is the perfect healthy filling salad! Made with homemade lemon dressing, cranberries and chopped pecans, this salad is great for parties, meal prep or a simple weeknight meal! Vegan, gluten free, dairy free, paleo and Whole30 friendly!
Servings 6 servings
Calories 205kcal
Cost $8.84 recipe/$1.47 serving
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound kale (de-stemmed) $3.29
- 1 pound brussel sprouts (shredded) $2.49
- 1/4 cup pecans (toasted) $0.62
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries $0.50
Lemon Dijon Dressing
- 1 large lemon $0.42
- 1/4 cup white wine vinegar $0.37
- 1/4 cup olive oil $0.88
- 2 tbsp dijon mustard $0.12
- 1 tsp sea salt $0.05
- 1 tsp garlic powder $0.10
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 275F
- De-stem the kale and chop or shred it into bite size pieces. Add to a large salad bowl.
- Shred the brussel sprouts using a knife or food processor. Add shredded brussel sprouts to the salad bowl with the kale.
- Once oven is preheated, add the pecans to the oven and bake for 7 minutes.
- While pecans are toasting, make the salad dressing. Combine all the ingredients in jar with a tight fitting lid and shake well. Alternatively mix vigorously in a bowl.
- After pecans are done toasting, allow them to cool slightly. Chop the pecans and add the chopped pecans and cranberries to the bowl with the rest of the salad ingredients.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and mix well (I use tongs).
- Store the salad in the fridge for at least 3 hours to allow the dressing to start to break down the kale and brussel sprouts.
- Stir well before serving.
Video
Notes
How to destem kale
Often you can buy kale in the bag, already chopped. However this kale typically still has large pieces of stem attached, which you will want to remove in this salad. The stem is very tough to chew and is more bitter than the kale. Because of this, I often recommend buying a bunch of kale and chopping it yourself.
To destem kale, hold it by the stem. With your other hand, wrap your pointer finger around the stem in a circle against your thumb, making a circle over the kale stem. Holding your hand that way, pull the kale by the stem through your finger. This will rip the leaves off the stem quickly.
How to shred brussel sprouts:
- Use a sharp knife: Start by cutting off the stem of the brussel sprout if it’s brown. Carefully cut the brussel sprout into thin slices, being mindful to cut them into equal sizes so you don’t get a big bite of brussel sprout in your salad.
- Use a food processor: This is my go to preferred method. Start by cutting the stem off the brussel sprout if it’s brown. Next add the shredding attachment to your food processor. Add the lid, turn it on high and start dropping the brussel sprouts in through the shoot.
- Note: If you do not have a shredding attachment, just use the regular food processor attachment and this will also shred up the brussels the same way.
- Diced apples (Wait until right before serving to add these. Be sure to add some lemon juice to these so they don’t brown if you expect the salad to sit out for some time).
- Parmesan cheese, goat cheese or feta cheese (if you eat dairy – not vegan or Whole30)
- Sliced grapes
- Chopped dates
- Dried sweet cherries
- Pomegranate seeds
- Roasted root veggies (carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, beets)
- Avocado (right before serving, add lemon juice so it doesn’t brown to quickly if being left out).
- Bacon or coconut bacon
- Red pepper flakes
- Lemon zest
- Cooked quinoa or rice
Nutrition
Calories: 205kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 13g | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g