This Apple Cheddar Kale Salad with Maple Tahini Dressing is sure to be a staple. Whether it’s a side or main course, you’ll be happy.
This Apple Cheddar Kale Salad with Maple Tahini Dressing is THE SALAD OF MY DREAMS. I hope it’s yours too. You have green apples for crunch and acidity. There’s candied walnuts for more crunch (but a different type of crunch) and sweetness. Sharp cheddar, the type you can crumble but also slightly sticks to your fingers, for creaminess. Shallots, well because, I really love them in my salads.
And I can’t forget about the Maple Tahini Dressing. It pairs sooo well with the Apple Cheddar Kale Salad. A dressing that’s been done by so many but which I believe I have perfected here. The addition of hot sauce takes it to the next level and rounds out the flavors.
An important step in this Apple Cheddar Kale Salad is massaging the kale leaves with the Maple Tahini dressing and a pinch of salt. Some people don’t love kale because of its fibrous texture. Massaging it helps a lot, so don’t skip it!
Ingredient Notes:
- Shallot – Soaking the shallot in water removes some of the harsh bite raw alliums tend to have. I really love shallot in my salads, but if you don’t love raw alliums, you can remove it. Red onion will also work in this salad as well, if that’s all you have.
- Baby Lacinato Kale – I was able to find this at the Farmer’s Market, but if you can’t, regular Lacinato kale, curly kale, or a box of baby kale will do. Just remove the steps from the regular Lacinato kale or curly kale and cut the leaves into smaller pieces. You may need o massage these leaves a bit longer, closer to one minute. For the box of baby kale, you can skip this step since the leaves are already so thin.
- Little Gems – If you can’t find these, regular romaine will do, just chop into smaller pieces.
- Candied Walnuts – If you can’t find these at your local grocery store, you can order on Amazon. They keep well in your pantry and are a great addition to add to any salad. If you’d prefer not to use candied nuts, regular toasted walnuts are fine!
- Tahini – If you need a good brand, Al Arz and Seed and Mill are my favorite!
- Hot Sauce – I used Tabasco, but any type is fine with me.
Apple Cheddar Kale Salad with Maple Tahini Dressing
This Apple Cheddar Kale Salad with Maple Tahini Dressing is sure to be a staple. Whether it’s a side or main course, you’ll be happy.
Equipment
- 1 Small Bowl
- Paper Towels
- 1 Medium Bowl
- 1 Whisk
Ingredients
For the Salad:
- 1-2 shallots, depending on size, halved, peeled, and thinly sliced crosswise
- 10 oz. curly kale thick stems removed
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt
- ¾ cup crumbled sharp white cheddar cheese
- ½ cup candied walnuts roughly chopped
- ½ green apple thinly sliced and cut in half crosswise
- Maple Tahini Dressing recipe below
- Freshly ground black pepper
For the Maple Tahini Dressing:
- ¼ cup tahini make sure to mix well to get some of the thicker paste at the bottom, if not, you may need another 1-2 tablespoons more of tahini
- Juice from 1 lemon
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 ½ tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 teaspoon hot sauce
- 7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
For the Salad:
- Place sliced shallot in a small mixing bowl and cover with water. Let sit for 5 minutes, then drain and dry thoroughly with paper towels.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the kale, a drizzle of olive oil, and a pinch of Kosher salt. Gently massage the kale with your hands for 30 seconds to one minute, until slightly softened.
- To the bowl with the kale, add the cheddar cheese, candied walnuts, apple, and shallot. Mix to combine. Add as much of the Maple Tahini Dressing as you'd like, and season with Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. Serve.
For the Maple Tahini Dressing:
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, maple syrup, and hot sauce. While whisking, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Taste and season with Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. If dressing is too zesty for your taste, whisk in another tablespoon of olive oil.
Notes
Salad is best dressed up to 30 minutes before serving, but can sit in the refrigerator, tightly covered, overnight and consumed the next day.
Maple Tahini Dressing can be made up to 5 days ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Let come to room temperature, whisk to combine, and season with additional salt and pepper, if needed, before serving.
For hosting, ingredients can be prepped ahead of time (except for the apple) and stored in the refrigerator (except for the candied walnuts) in airtight containers for up to two days ahead of time.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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