Hearty, leafy greens! As much as I love arugula and spinach, there is nothing like a big ol’ salad filled with hearty greens like kale. This Kale Apple Brie Salad combines a little bit of sweet, spicy, tangy, herby and crunchy to make a perfectly balanced dish.
There are a few tricks to making this salad as delicious as perfect. First, massage your kale. It makes the poor vegetable sound high maintenance, but it actually helps remove some of the bitterness, and it tenderizes the leaves so that it has a more enjoyable texture. Once you chop up the kale, just squeeze the leaves with your fingertips. You can add a little olive oil if you like, but massage all of the leaves and it will make a big difference!
The next key ingredient for this salad is these spiced walnuts. You’re welcome to skip this step if you’d like, but this step is quite simple, and adds a lot of depth to the dish. The warmth of cinnamon, and the heat of cayenne helps ot balance out the other flavors within the salad.
Lastly, this sage vinaigrette. Truly the perfect fall dressing for any dish you may be making. Beautifully herby, and crisp with ACV. Using fresh sage leaves is key to the flavor of this dressing, but it compliments the creamy cheese, and crisp apples so beautifully. Give this Kale Apple Brie Salad a try, and let me know how you like to combine your favorite fall flavors!
Kale Apple Brie Salad with Sage Vinaigrette
Ingredients
Salad Fixings
- 1 Bunch Kale
- 1 Apple
- 1/4 Cup Brie chopped
- 1 Cup Spiced Walnuts See below
Sage Vinaigrette
- 4 Leaves Fresh sage finely chopped
- 4 Tbsp Olive oil
- 2 Tbsp Apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 Tbsp Honey
- Salt & pepper to taste
Spiced Walnuts
- 1 Cup Walnuts
- 1/4 Cup Brown sugar
- 3/4 tsp Ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 2 tsp Water
- 1 tsp Oil
Instructions
Spiced Walnuts
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly grease.
- Mix the nuts, brown sugar, cinnamon, cayenne, salt, water and oil in a bowl. Spread evenly onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes, until nuts have nearly set. Let cool.
Sage Vinaigrette
- In a small bowl, combine salad dressing ingredients, and whisk until combined. Set aside while assembling the salad.
Salad Assembly
- Strip kale from the stem, and roughly chop the leaves. Add to a large bowl. Massage kale (by squeezing it with your hands) for 2 minutes.
- Chop apple into cubes, and add to bowl with brie & spiced nuts. Toss salad with sage dressing, and serve immediately.
