Kale Orange Salad, topped with a creamy citrus vinaigrette, crumbled goat cheese, fresh oranges, and jalapeño slices, may surprise you with just how GOOD it tastes!
KALE… most people either LIKE it or HATE it! I happen to like it. Several years ago I found a recipe for a kale and citrus salad online, from Ree Drummond, also known as The Pioneer Woman. She had ordered a similar salad at a restaurant in Hollywood, loved it, then went home and recreated it! I enjoy her cookbooks and recipes, so I knew this kale orange salad just HAD to be GOOD!
Our little backyard raised bed garden, at the time, happened to be overflowing with kale! I use our homegrown kale in my recipe for Olive Garden’s “Zuppa Toscana” Soup (a favorite), so I try to have it around. After reading through the ingredient list, a kale orange salad sounded very interesting, so I harvested a bunch from our garden, and made this salad! YUM!
My husband and I really enjoyed this unique salad (and he’s not a HUGE kale fan)! It’s also easy to make, which is always a big PLUS in my book! Here’s how to make this delicious salad:
Scroll Down For a Printable Recipe Card At the Bottom Of The Page
Prepare The Kale For The Salad
Rinse and drain the kale thoroughly, then place the leaves onto a cutting surface. Using a sharp knife, remove the long stem from the middle of the leaves (discard the stems). Once de-stemmed, thinly slice the kale, a handful of leaves at a time. Place all the sliced kale into a large salad bowl, and set aside.
Make The Salad Dressing For The Kale Orange Salad
Place the orange juice, olive oil, white wine vinegar, granulated sugar, minced garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Whisk these ingredients together until fully blended. Add the sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt, if using), and whisk again, to blend fully. The finished salad dressing will be smooth and creamy.
You will need beautiful, peeled orange chunks for this salad. Below is a handy photo of how to peel an orange to get perfect little chunks, without all the bitter tasting white “pith” attached!
Cut a slice off the bottom of the orange. Stand up the orange with the sliced edge on the bottom. Carefully cut off the peel, from top to bottom, following the curve of the orange. Remove all the white “pith” from the outside of the orange. Slice the peeled orange into chunks.
Assemble The Kale Orange Salad
Gather the salad bowl and the rest of the ingredients when ready to build the salad. This includes the thinly sliced kale, seeded and thinly sliced jalapeños, citrus salad dressing, orange chunks, and the goat cheese. (Oops… sorry about the slightly blurry photo).
Pour HALF the salad dressing over the sliced kale, and give it a good toss. Add the oranges and the sliced jalapeños, and toss again, to ensure everything is covered with salad dressing. If the kale orange salad needs a bit more dressing, add more, until it is to your liking. TIP: Any extra salad dressing can be stored (covered), in the refrigerator for several days, and can be used on other salads.
Use a fork to crumble up the goat cheese, and add it to the kale orange salad right before you serve it! Give the salad one final toss, to combine ingredients, then serve!
We enjoyed this simple, but yummy salad, along with a piece of pan seared creole salmon, and a small baked potato! The creamy goat cheese, along with the sweet oranges and creamy citrus salad dressing really make this a delicious side salad!
I hope you will consider trying this kale orange salad, and have a feeling you will be pleasantly surprised with the taste (even if you’re not a big KALE fan!). Have a wonderful day!
Looking For More SALAD Recipes?
- Joy’s Spinach Salad
- Asian Kale Slaw
- Spinach Apple and Goat Cheese Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette
- Thanksgiving Salad
Interested In More Recipes?
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Original Recipe Source: http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/salads/kale-citrus-salad/
Kale Orange Salad, topped with citrus vinaigrette, crumbled goat cheese, fresh oranges, and jalapeño slices, may surprise you with just how GOOD it tastes!
- 1 bunch kale , rinsed, stems removed
- 1 large orange , peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 medium fresh jalapeño pepper , seeded/sliced very thin
- 4 ounces goat cheese (chevre)
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
- 1 clove garlic , minced
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- Salt and Pepper, to taste
- 1 Tablespoon sour cream , or plain Greek yogurt
Prepare kale: Rinse and drain kale thoroughly, then place leaves onto cutting surface. Using a sharp knife, remove long stem from the middle of the leaves (discard the stems). Once de-stemmed, thinly slice kale, a handful at a time. Place sliced kale into a large salad bowl; set aside.
Make The Salad Dressing: Place orange juice, olive oil, white wine vinegar, granulated sugar, minced garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Whisk together until fully blended. Add sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt, if using), and whisk again, to blend fully. Finished salad dressing will be smooth and creamy.
Build Salad: Pour HALF the salad dressing over sliced kale in bowl; give it a good toss, to distribute salad dressing. Add orange pieces and sliced jalapeños, and toss again, to ensure everything is coated with salad dressing. If salad needs a bit more dressing, add more until it is to your liking. TIP: Any extra dressing can be stored (covered), in refrigerator for several days, and can be used on other salads.
Use a fork to crumble up the goat cheese, and add it to the kale orange salad right before you serve it! Give the salad one final toss, to combine ingredients, then serve! Enjoy!
Substitutions for the orange chunks in the Salad: 3 tangerines or clementines.
Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!