Recipes Salads Green Salads Kale Salad Kale Salad with Cranberries, Almonds, and Goat Cheese 5.0 (4,935) 4 Reviews With dried cranberries, sliced almonds, and fresh goat cheese. this is a hearty salad for cool weather or any time of the year. By Emily Farris Emily Farris Emily Farris is a food and lifestyle writer whose work has appeared in Food & Wine, Food52, Country Living, CNN, The Daily Beast and many more. She has also written a cookbook, Casserole Crazy: Hot Stuff for Your Oven and appears in Women on Food by Charlotte Druckman. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on October 18, 2023 Save Rate PRINT Share Active Time: 10 mins Total Time: 15 mins Yield: 6 servings Jump to recipe We love a kale salad in the winter, when there’s no more juicy tomatoes and sweet corn. This kale salad dresses up the hearty greens with toasted almonds, dried cranberries, goat cheese, and a citrus-Dijon vinaigrette. Frequently asked questions How do you get the bitterness out of kale salad? Curly kale is more bitter than Tuscan or lacinato kale, so consider using that variety. Dressing the kale with something citrus-based, such as the orange vinaigrette in this salad, helps temper the bitterness. Why should you massage kale before eating it? Kale is a naturally tough leafy green, so massaging it will soften the leaves and make them easier to chew and digest. Use your hands to massage the leaves until they just start to wilt, then let them rest. If you overwork the leaves, they’ll turn soggy and lose their crunch. How long does kale last in the fridge? If stored properly, kale will last in the refrigerator for up to one week. Wrap the leaves in a damp paper towel, then place in a zip-close bag and store them in the crisper drawer. Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen To assemble the salad, toss the kale, toasted almonds, dressing, and cranberries together, massaging the dressing into the kale with your hands for about five minutes, until it begins to soften. Let the salad sit for about 10 minutes before topping it with the goat cheese and serving. Make ahead The almonds can be toasted and stored in an airtight container for up to a week. The dressing can be made and refrigerated for up to a week. Cook Mode (Keep screen awake) Ingredients 1/3 cup sliced raw almonds 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 2 tablespoons orange juice 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 1 teaspoon minced shallot 1 garlic clove, minced Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper 2 bunches of kale, rinsed and dried, ribs and stems removed, leaves thinly sliced crosswise 1/3 cup dried cranberries 4 ounces goat cheese Directions Maxwell Cozzi Gather the ingredients. Maxwell Cozzi Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Spread the almonds evenly on a sheet pan and bake for 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Maxwell Cozzi Whisk together the vinegar, orange juice, mustard, shallot, and garlic for the dressing. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Maxwell Cozzi In a large bowl, toss the kale, toasted almonds, dressing, and cranberries. Let sit for 10 minutes, then crumble with goat cheese and serve. Maxwell Cozzi Originally appeared: June 2014 Rate It Print