Winter Kale Salad with Orange Tahini Dressing
Winter kale salad with an orange tahini dressing is an easy-to-make bright and colorful salad filled with winter produce and makes the perfect side dish or meal prep salad in the colder months.
When it comes to the colder months salads are often forgotten. However, I still sometimes crave a fresh color salad. This winter kale salad with orange tahini dressing is bright, beautiful, and filled with colors and flavor. This salad is gluten-free, grain-free, and can easily be dairy-free.
You will love Winter Kale Salad with Orange Tahini Dressing because:
- Winter kale salad is a bright and colorful salad filled with winter produce
- Full of flavor, zest, and nutrients
- Easily make a meal out of it by topping it with protein
- This salad refrigerates well and can be enjoyed for a few days
- Easy-to-make
- Plant-based, gluten-free, and can be dairy-free
Winter Kale Salad with Orange Tahini Dressing is made with:
- Kale: the base of this salad, make sure to massage well
- Red cabbage: adds a pop of color, crunch, and more nutrients
- Carrots: shredded carrots add fiber, crunch, and color
- Pomegranate seeds: a fruity pop to the salad
- Mandarin oranges or clementines: add a bright zestiness to the salad
- Walnuts: a heart-healthy fat that helps to balance blood sugar and adds a little crunch
- Feta cheese: crumbled feta or vegan feta if dairy-free
- Dressing: a homemade dressing with orange juice, tahini, maple syrup, and dijon mustard
How to make Winter Kale Salad with Orange Tahini Dressing
- Prep your ingredients by chopping the kale, cabbage, and walnuts
- Peel the oranges and separate into segments
- Whisk together the dressing and set aside
- In a large bowl massage kale with oil and salt. If you have never massaged kale here is a step by step of how to massage kale
- Once you have massaged the kale add cabbage, carrots, pomegranate seeds, walnuts, oranges, feta, and mix to combine
- Toss with dressing, salt, pepper, and enjoy
Substitutions:
- This winter kale salad is naturally plant-based, gluten-free, and can easily be nut-free and dairy-free
- Swap walnuts with another nut or seed (use sunflower seeds or pepitas if nut-free)
- If you don’t have oranges feel free to leave them off, as the salad is good without too
- Goat cheese could also work well in place of the feta cheese
- Keep it dairy-free and vegan by using vegan cheese
Recipe Tips:
- Reduce the prep time by buying bags of pre-shredded carrots, cabbage, and kale
- Enjoy as a side dish or add a protein for a complete healthy meal
- Make sure to massage kale well to break it down and make it easier to digest (plus it tastes way better that way)
- I like to use dino kale also known as lacinato kale or Tuscan kale as I think it works best in this salad
Taste and Texture:
This salad is bright, crunchy, and zesty with a hint of creaminess from the feta and tahini dressing. It is filled with winter produce that makes it bright and nourishing.
Serve and Store:
This salad can be served immediately or can be stored in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. Make it a complete meal by adding protein to your plate or on top of the salad.
More Colorful Recipes You May Enjoy:
- Autumn Kale, Quinoa, & Butternut Salad
- Warm Kale Winter Salad
- Winter Fruit Salsa Salad
- Pomegranate Cucumber Salsa
Winter Kale Salad with Orange Tahini Dressing
Ingredients
Salad:
- 2 bunches chopped lacinato kale
- 1/4 head chopped red cabbage
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 3/4 cup pomegranate seeds
- 2 peeled mandarin oranges or clementines
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
Orange Dijon Tahini Dressing:
- 1/4 cup juice squeezed from an orange
- 2 tbsp tahini
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
Instructions
- Chop kale, cabbage, and walnuts
- Peel oranges
- Whisk together the dressing
- In a large bowl add kale and massage with a little olive oil and salt with your hands until it is broken down and softened
- Add cabbage, carrots, pomegranate seeds, walnuts, oranges, feta, and mix to combine
- Toss with dressing and enjoy