Summer Blueberry Kale Salad

A summery blueberry kale salad filled with lots of vibrant greens, blueberries, pomegranate and crunchy toasted almonds. Perfect for sharing at a BBQ, it pairs well with grilled meats but is also lovely as a vegetarian or vegan option! Gluten free, dairy free, grain free and paleo.

When the warmer weather hits it just feels naturally good to enjoy vibrant, refreshing salads for breakfast, lunch and dinner. All of the fresh produce available looks so appealing and I love coming up with different ways of using it. There’s so much you can do; I feel like “salad” often comes across as a boring word, but salads are so wonderful and diverse!

This summer blueberry kale salad has such glorious, deep colours. Plus lots of flavour and lots of texture! The sweetness of the berries and pomegranate arils against all those greens strikes the perfect balance. I love pairing fresh fruit with dark leafy greens, they go surprisingly well together (when they’re in season, blood oranges and kale make a great salad too).

The trick to making this into a super delicious salad really is to just MASSAGE that kale. It doesn’t take long at all – only a minute or two – but it makes all the difference to the end result. Using a combination of lemon juice (something acidic, to help tenderise it), extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt, massaging the kale will really soften it up, making it so much nicer to eat.

Serve this blueberry kale salad with your favourite grilled meats – it’s just perfect for a barbeque! I also love it with oven-baked or pan-fried salmon. For a more indulgent vegetarian option, top the salad liberally with creamy goats cheese or tangy, crumbly feta. All kinds of yum.

p.s. This recipe calls for a fresh pomegranate which you will need to de-seed. If you don’t know how to do this, here’s a link to a website showing you the method I use for de-seeding a pomegranate! How to Cut and De-Seed a Pomegranate

Summer Blueberry Kale Salad

A summery blueberry kale salad filled with lots of vibrant greens, blueberries, pomegranate and crunchy toasted almonds. Perfect for sharing at a BBQ, it pairs well with grilled meats. Gluten free, dairy free, grain free and paleo.

5 from 3 votes

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Course: Salads and Sides

Cuisine: dairy free, egg free, gluten free, grain free, paleo, vegetarian

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Servings: 6 to 8 people as a side, or more as part of a banquet

Ingredients

• 1 bunch curly kale (about 8-10 stalks of kale)
• 300 grams green beans
• 1 small cucumber (I used a lebanese cucumber)
• 1 punnet blueberries - 125 grams
• 1 pomegranate
• 3 stalks fresh mint
• 3/4 cup slivered almonds - 80-100 grams will do

For making the massaged kale

• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp honey *
• 2 small lemons
• salt

Salad dressing

• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• salt and pepper

Instructions

• Prepare the massaged kale. Wash and pat dry the kale leaves. Remove all the tough inner stalks, and roughly tear the leaves into small pieces. Discard the stalks and place the leaves in a large bowl.
• In a small bowl or mug, whisk together juice of the lemons, 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon of honey and a pinch of salt. Pour over the kale. Then, using your fingers, massage the mixture into the leaves so they are coated. The leaves should start to soften. Massage for 1-2 minutes, then place in the fridge while you continue with the rest of the salad.
• Prepare the rest of the salad ingredients. Trim the green beans and steam for 2 minutes or until just tender (you can do this on the stovetop or microwave). Set aside to cool. Slice the cucumber thinly. Rinse the blueberries. De-seed the pomegranate. Tear the mint leaves from the stalks and discard the stalks.
• Toast the almonds. Pop the slivered almonds into a pan (no oil) over a moderate heat on the stove. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the almonds turn a light golden brown and smell lovely. Once ready, slide them out of the pan and onto a plate right away, to avoid burning.
• Assemble the salad. Pile the beans, cucumber, mint, blueberries and pomegranate on top of the kale leaves and toss gently. Drizzle over the remaining 3 tbsp of olive oil and the balsamic vinegar, and a few shakes of salt and pepper. Scatter over the toasted almonds. Serve!

Notes

*To make this salad vegan you can swap the honey for maple syrup.

*You can swap the sliced cucumber for a spiralised zucchini, this is also really yum! You can also swap the green beans for asparagus, when they are in season they are also great in the salad.

*For a more indulgent salad, top this with a creamy goats cheese or rich feta.

Have you made this recipe?I love seeing your creations! Take a photo and then tag me @nourish.everyday on Instagram!