Kale Salad with Cranberry-Orange Vinaigrette

Thin strips of Lacinato kale, orange slices, red onion, and prepared walnuts are tossed with a tart cranberry dressing, then rest together for one hour. The leaves soften slightly while the walnuts keep some crunch. Because this is a raw-fruit salad, serve it as a Full GAPS snack between meals once raw fruit, vegetables, and walnuts are tolerated.

Prep time: 15 minutes after the walnuts are ready
Rest time: 1 hour
Yield: 8 servings

Salad Ingredients

• 1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 oranges, divided
• 2 bunches Lacinato kale, thick stem ends removed and leaves sliced thinly
• 1/2 cup prepared walnuts, completely dried and chopped after soaking

Cranberry-Orange Vinaigrette

• 1/2 cup fresh cranberries
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice, taken from the measured oranges
• 1 tablespoon additive-free apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
• 2 teaspoons raw honey
• 3/4 teaspoon natural mineral sea salt
• 4 tablespoons raw extra-virgin olive oil

The prepared walnuts add crunch against the softened kale, while the cranberry-orange vinaigrette carries the tart, bright notes that balance the honey and olive oil.

Method

1. Put the sliced onion in a bowl and cover with cold water. Leave it there while preparing the fruit and vinaigrette.
2. Pulse the cranberries in a food processor 12 to 15 times, just until finely chopped. Stop before they become a wet puree.

   

3. Stand the first orange on one end, cut away the peel and slice it into thin rounds. Put the rounds in a large glass or ceramic salad bowl.
4. Halve the second orange. Squeeze 1 tablespoon juice into a measuring cup from one half. Thinly slice the other half and add those slices to the salad bowl.
5. Whisk the measured juice with the apple cider vinegar, ginger, honey, salt and olive oil. Stir in the chopped cranberries.
6. Add the kale and measured prepared walnuts to the orange slices. Drain the red onion and add it to the bowl.

   

7. Pour the vinaigrette over the kale and toss about 10 times. The leaves should look evenly glossy, with the cranberry pieces spread throughout.
8. Leave the dressed salad at room temperature for 1 hour before serving. The kale should bend more easily than it did when freshly sliced while retaining some chew.

Prepare the Walnuts Ahead

Measure the 1/2 cup only after the walnuts are ready. If you are preparing a larger batch, cover four cups raw walnuts with warm filtered water by at least two inches and add one tablespoon natural mineral salt. Soak for 7 to 24 hours, drain and dry at the oven’s lowest setting or in a dehydrator until crisp all the way through. Chop the half-cup for this salad and keep the rest for another use.

Keep the olive oil cold in the vinaigrette. The single tablespoon of apple cider vinegar provides the sharp note alongside the measured orange juice; no extra acid is needed. The orange slices and raw kale make this a later Full GAPS salad rather than an early Introduction Diet dish.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Use Walnuts Straight From the Package?

Prepare them first, then dry thoroughly and measure the finished half-cup.

How Long Should the Salad Rest?

Give the dressed kale the full hour at room temperature after tossing. It should soften slightly without losing all its texture.

Is the Orange Juice an Extra Ingredient?

No. Squeeze the tablespoon from one of the two oranges already measured for the salad.

Storage and Serving

Serve this salad the same day, once it has finished its hour of rest. Refrigerate any leftovers in a covered container.

Related Recipes

For a currant-and-Pecorino variation on the same idea, see the kale salad with currants, walnuts and Pecorino.

Recommended Equipment

• A food processor for the cranberries
• A large glass or ceramic salad bowl
• A small bowl for the sliced onion
• A whisk for the vinaigrette
• An oven or dehydrator for preparing the walnuts

Next Steps

The Full GAPS Cookbook is coming soon, with more measured Full GAPS dishes like this one.

Ebonie Garnica

Kale Salad with Cranberry-Orange Vinaigrette

Thin strips of Lacinato kale, orange slices, red onion, and prepared walnuts are tossed with a tart cranberry dressing, then rest together for one hour. The leaves soften slightly while the walnuts keep some crunch. Because this is a raw-fruit salad, serve it as a Full GAPS snack between meals once raw fruit, vegetables, and walnuts are tolerated.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Rest 1 hour hr

Servings: 8 servings

Course: Side Dish

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x?

Salad

• 1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 oranges, divided
• 2 bunches Lacinato kale, thick stem ends removed and leaves sliced thinly
• 1/2 cup prepared walnuts, completely dried and chopped after soaking

Cranberry-orange vinaigrette

• 1/2 cup fresh cranberries
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice, taken from the measured oranges listed above
• 1 tablespoon additive-free apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
• 2 teaspoons raw honey
• 3/4 teaspoon natural mineral sea salt
• 4 tablespoons raw extra-virgin olive oil

Equipment

• Small bowl
• Food processor
• Knife
• Large glass or ceramic salad bowl
• Measuring cup
• Whisk
• Strainer
• Salad servers

Method

 

1. Put the sliced onion in a bowl and cover with cold water. Leave it there while preparing the fruit and vinaigrette.
2. Pulse the cranberries in a food processor 12 to 15 times, just until finely chopped. Stop before they become a wet puree.
   
3. Stand half of the measured oranges on one end, cut away their peels, and slice them into thin rounds. Put the rounds in a large glass or ceramic salad bowl.
4. Halve the remaining oranges. Squeeze the measured orange-juice amount from half of these remaining oranges into a measuring cup. Thinly slice the other half and add those slices to the salad bowl.
5. Whisk the measured juice with the apple cider vinegar, ginger, honey, salt and olive oil. Stir in the chopped cranberries.
6. Add the kale and measured prepared walnuts to the orange slices. Drain the red onion and add it to the bowl.
   
7. Pour the vinaigrette over the kale and toss about 10 times. The leaves should look evenly glossy, with the cranberry pieces spread throughout.
8. Leave the dressed salad at room temperature for 1 hour before serving. The kale should bend more easily than it did when freshly sliced while retaining some chew.

Notes

Measure the walnut amount shown only after the walnuts are ready. If you are preparing a larger batch, cover four cups raw walnuts with warm filtered water by at least two inches and add one tablespoon natural mineral salt. Soak for 7 to 24 hours, drain and dry at the oven’s lowest setting or in a dehydrator until crisp all the way through. Chop the measured walnuts for this salad and keep the rest for another use.

Keep the olive oil cold in the vinaigrette. The measured apple cider vinegar provides the sharp note alongside the measured orange juice; no extra acid is needed. The orange slices and raw kale make this a later Full GAPS salad rather than an early Introduction Diet dish.

Prep time starts after walnut preparation. Add the walnuts before dressing and the one-hour rest. The orange juice shown comes from the measured oranges, not an extra orange. Later Full GAPS raw-fruit snack between meals after tolerance.

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