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Sweet Kale Salad Recipe with Squash and Candied Hazelnuts

This sweet kale salad recipe with squash & candied hazelnuts is the perfect blend of sweet, salty, and tangy flavour! It is as flavourful as it is beautiful and makes for the perfect vegetarian lunch meal.
Course Salad, Lunch, Side Dish
Cuisine American
Diet Vegetarian, Gluten Free
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 4
Calories 379kcal

Ingredients

Candied hazelnuts:

  • 2 ½ cups blanched hazelnuts skins removed
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp coconut or brown sugar

Salad:

  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 delicata squash halved lengthwise and seeded, sliced into ½ inch half moons
  • 1 red onion thinly sliced
  • Generous pinch of salt and pepper
  • 8 oz kale leaves* about 8 heaping or well packed cups, leaves only, thinly sliced
  • 2-3 candy cane beets peeled and thinly sliced on mandoline
  • 2 honey crisp apples thinly sliced
  • Arils from 1 pomegranate
  • ¾ cup crumbled vegan chevre or feta

Dressing:

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 325 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silpat.
  • Mix together the hazalnuts, cinnamon, salt, maple and sugar. Toss until well coated.
  • Pour onto baking sheet and spread so they’re in an even layer.
  • Bake for 15 minutes, flip and bake another 5 minutes or until golden brown all over. Allow to cool for 30-60 minutes. Set aside.
  • Preheat oven to 425 F. Drizzle the squash with one tablespoon of the oil and toss with salt and pepper. Bake for 20 minutes, and flip.
  • Add the onion, along with another tablespoon of oil and return back to the oven for another 10-15 minutes until the onion and squash are golden brown and tender.
  • In a bowl mix together the dressing ingredients, massage with the kale for 2-3 minutes.
  • Top with additional ingredients and drizzle with additional dressing.

Notes

One of the best short cuts to using pomegranate in this recipe (or any recipe), is to purchase the already deseeded arils - you can find them fresh or frozen. Otherwise, you can purchase a pomegranate and deseed which is a little more laborious. However, we have an easy hack that can help to speed this process along.
One of the easiest ways to deseed a pomegranate is by cutting the pomegranate into quarters and submerging it in a bowl with water. You can then start to peel the skin back and gently pull the seeds out.
Another expert tip for making this salad taste super delish, is to make sure you are massaging your kale! Like I said earlier, massaging the kale will help to break down the tough fibres, which will help to make it easier to chew and digest. In addition, massaging the kale with the dressing will also help to infuse more flavour into the kale.

Nutrition

Calories: 379kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 565mg | Potassium: 1024mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 32g | Vitamin A: 7398IU | Vitamin C: 90mg | Calcium: 303mg | Iron: 2mg