Citrus Kale Salad With Sesame Vinaigrette

Hearty, fresh and loaded with lots of flavour and texture, this citrus kale salad is such a tasty side and a cinch to put together. Paired with a sesame vinaigrette, you’ll be wanting to make this simple green salad time and time again, it’s that good!

If you can recall me mentioning before, we’ve been growing kale this summer and have been enjoying it a lot over the past couple of months.

Like my chicken and kale salad, this citrus kale salad uses simple ingredients, but they taste absolutely scrumptious when combined. I recently harvested more kale from our garden and used a combination in this salad (Redbor kale and standard run-of-the-mill curly kale).

Sesame Vinaigrette

Man, oh man, is this homemade sesame vinaigrette ever good! It’s easy to whip up (like most homemade vinaigrettes and dressings), but it pairs so nicely with this kale salad.

The predominant flavour is sesame (from the sesame oil), but there’s also olive oil, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, orange juice, ginger, salt and pepper.

You basically just place all the vinaigrette ingredients into a jar, cover and shake to combine. Then pour that deliciousness over your citrus kale salad, mix through and devour!

Remember, everyone has a different preference for their salad dressing and vinaigrettes (well, like with most things). So, when you mix up the vinaigrette, you can totally adjust to your tastes. For instance, if you like more sweetness, mix in a little more maple syrup. If you want more acidity, mix in a little more vinegar. Or, if you feel like it needs more salt, add it. You get the idea!

Tip: When taste testing your vinaigrette, keep in mind that it’s going to taste a lot more potent directly from the jar than when it’s mixed throughout your salad. So, your best bet when tasting, is to drizzle some vinaigrette over a tiny bit of the leafy greens and give it a taste to see how you like it.

How To Make Citrus Kale Salad

Here is an overview of how to make this citrus kale salad (full details are in the recipe card below):

1. Place the kale in a mixing bowl with a pinch each of salt and black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.
2. Using clean hands, massage the kale so it’s nice and tender (this make it way more pleasant for eating).
3. To the kale, add oranges, avocado, roasted cashews, green onion and sesame seeds. Drizzle over the homemade sesame vinaigrette.
4. Mix until everything is well combined.

What To Serve With It

If you want to make things more substantial, this citrus kale salad pairs beautifully with any of these:

• Baked fish (especially baked salmon or arctic char)
• Grilled chicken
• Japanese baked potato
• Soup
• Tinned fish (like sardines, tuna or salmon)

Tips and Variations

• Mix up the citrus! Try your favourite variety of orange here. I often use Navel oranges, but Cara Cara or Blood Orange are also great varieties. Or, try a combination of your favourites. Nectarines or pink grapefruits are a lovely option too.
• As mentioned, I used Redbor kale and your typical curly kale. You can use one or the other or your favourite curly kale variety.
• Instead of green onion, try thinly sliced red onion for more of a punchy onion flavour.
• Other delicious nut options for this citrus and kale salad are almonds, walnuts, pecans or peanuts.

More Yummy Salads

• Blueberry Spinach Salad
• Chef’s Salad
• Wild Rice Salad

If you make this citrus kale salad recipe, be sure to leave a comment below!

Citrus Kale Salad With Sesame Vinaigrette

Dawn | Girl Heart Food

Hearty, fresh and loaded with lots of flavour and texture, this citrus kale salad is such a tasty side and a cinch to put together. Paired with a sesame vinaigrette, you'll be wanting to make this simple green salad time and time again, it's that good!

5 from 2 votes

Print Recipe Save RecipeSaved!

Prep Time 15 mins

Total Time 15 mins

Course Salad, Side Dish

Servings 4 side servings

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Ingredients

 

Sesame Vinaigrette

• 3 tablespoons olive oil, or vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, or white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoons maple syrup
• ½ tablespoon orange juice
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• ½ teaspoon finely minced fresh ginger
• ¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

Citrus Kale Salad

• 4 to 5 ounces kale, leaves removed from stems, chopped into bite-sized pieces, washed and spun dry (about 6 cups)
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• pinch salt
• pinch freshly ground black pepper
• 2 seedless oranges, peeled and segments cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled and diced
• ½ cup roasted cashews
• ⅓ cup chopped green onion
• 1.5 tablespoons sesame seeds

Instructions

Sesame Vinaigrette

• Combine all of the vinaigrette ingredients in a jar, cover and shake to combine.

  Note: You can totally adjust the vinaigrette to your tastes. For example, if you want more sweetness, mix in a little more maple syrup. If you want more acidity, mix in a little more vinegar. Also, remember when you taste the vinaigrette directly it's going to taste more potent than when it's dispersed throughout your salad greens.

Citrus Kale Salad

• Place the kale in a mixing bowl with the salt, black pepper and olive oil. Use your clean hands to massage (scrunch) the kale for a few minutes. This helps to tenderize the kale and make it more pleasant for eating.
• Add the oranges, avocado, roasted cashews, green onion and sesame seeds to the kale.
• Give the vinaigrette another little shake to ensure it's well combined, then pour about ¾ of it over the salad and mix until everything is well coated in the vinaigrette. You can mix in more vinaigrette if you feel it's necessary or serve the remainder alongside for drizzling over. Serve and enjoy!

A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.

Keyword green salad, kale salad with fruit, sesame vinaigrette

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