^{A perfect Fall kale salad that you’ll actually be excited about!}

I’ll be the first to admit that when I had all the ingredients left in my fridge to make a kale salad, I wasn’t too enthused. For someone who lives for vegetables in any form, there’s something about kale salads that just turn people off. It’s probably because that’s the one thing you immediately assume you’re eating when you kick off a new health food diet.

Let me just say – This salad actually is something special. It’s a perfect side dish to any meaty meal but it’s just fine on its own as a vegan option.

There is something so buttery and rich about this. I know you don’t believe me but the combination of the butternut squash, creamy avocado, roasted kale and the crunchy seeds is crazy delicious even for those with their noses in the air.

There are a lot of different ways to go about making this dish. You can really add or eliminate whatever you want but this mix of ingredients does work really well. In fact, it lasts for a few days so I enjoyed it for lunch and dinner without it wilting too much. How’s that for a make ahead salad?

Odd combination but I served it alongside my Chicken Sweet Potato hash and that was a perfect pair!

I’ve said it before – make your own salads at home! You’ll be able to control what you’re getting and adjust it to how you want without the worry. I do commit to you that I will not flood this site with kale salads. Just a few…and this one is a perfect start!

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Kale, Butternut Squash & Brussel Salad

Print Recipe

A perfect Fall kale salad that you’ll actually be excited about!

Prep Time:45

Cook Time:50

Total Time:1 35

Ingredients

6 cups curly kale removed from stems, chopped
6 cups baby kale salad mix
2 pounds butternut squash peeled, seeded, cubed
1 pound brussel sprouts halved
¾ cup less sugar dried cranberries
2 medium avocados sliced
¼ cup dry roasted sunflower kernels
2 tablespoons oilve oil extra virgin
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons balsamic reduction *
1 small lemon juiced
sea salt & black pepper to taste
nonstick cooking spray

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°.
Prepare butternut squash by peeling and scooping out the seeds and fibrous strands. Cut into cubes one inch or a little smaller.
Cut brussel sprouts in half. Lay both squash and brussel sprouts out on a foiled sheet that has been sprayed with non stick cooking spray or lightly coated with olive oil. Toss or spray with more cooking spray and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook for 18-20 minutes.
Remove the brussel sprouts. Leave the squash in for 6-8 minutes longer more and broil squash if not slightly golden for another 1-2 minutes. Let cool for 20-30 minutes. Combine squash and brussel sprouts in a large mixing bowl.
Keeping oven on, add chopped kale to the foiled baking sheets, spray with non stick cooking spray and roast for 5-7 minutes until slightly crispy and reduced in size. Let cool and add to the squash and brussel sprouts.
*For balsamic reduction, add 1 cup of balsamic vinegar to a small sauce pan. Turn to high heat and bring to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn the vinegar down to a low-medium heat. Continue to stir with a rubber spatula every minute. Cook for 4-6 minutes until the vinegar coats the spatula. Remove from heat. It will continue to cook for another minute or 2.
Add roasted vegetables into a bowl with olive oil, lemon, salt and pepper. Top with baby kale salad mix, avocados, dried cranberries and sunflower kernels. Gently toss and drizzle with balsamic reduction or a splash of balsamic vinaigrette.

Notes

Ingredients, Techniques, Tips & Tricks

If you want kale to be edible, I would highly suggest NOT eating kale straight off the stems or out of the bag. Here are some tips. After washing and patting the leaves dry, there are two really easy tricks I use to soften the kale.

Massage: Massaging the kale with a little olive oil and seasoning it with salt and pepper allows the leaf to become softer. Make sure that the leaves are broken into bite-sized pieces.

Roasting: My mom and I used to make big baking sheets of kale as a pre dinner snack to hold us over. Some would refer to these as kale chips. If you spread the kale out on a sheet it becomes crispier. If you cook in bulk for just a couple minutes then it won’t get completely crunchy but it’ll start to break down and crisp up while becoming soft. I wanted to keep the oven on in this recipe so I didn’t feel like rubbing down the kale. A quick roast (in bulk) was the route for this recipe.

If you don’t have butternut squash I would suggest a golden beet or a sweet potato as the replacement. I think the squash is delicious though and gives that buttery flavor that we all like in a salad. Roast all the squash cubes but make sure that they are spread out on the baking sheet. This will crisp them up and caramelize the natural sugars a little bit more.

If you don’t want to keep this vegan you can replace the avocado or the seeds with a feta or goat cheese. You just want to add some decadence to this overall recipe. Feel free to dress with a little tahini as well. This would be an awesome dressing!

Replacing the seeds with some sort of nut like a slivered almond, walnut or pecan would work super well. If you’re careful and you watch them cook you can also roast the preferred nut of your choosing in the oven while it is on.

I used dried cranberries because I usually have them on hand. But a dried cherry or even raisins would be fine. Chopped apple would be a great addition as well because they would hold up for a few days if you add acid to them first. You just need something with a little sweetness in this recipe.

For avocado, I would suggest adding enough for that day (preferably to individual plates) and then replenish for leftovers. I really didn’t have too much trouble with it going bad. If you add avocado to the whole dish, you need to keep it in a very sealed airtight container. The dressing and the acid will help preserve it.

Cheat: I bought the balsamic reduction already made and the butternut squash and kale already cut 🙂 It’s ok to take some shortcuts!

How long does it last and where?

If you don’t add the dressing at first then this salad will last for 1-2 days in the fridge.

Can you freeze it?

Nope!

Substitutions?

As stated above I wrote out some of the substitutions and the best way to cook them 😉

What to serve with it?

Since I still love having some sort of protein with my salad I would add a piece of salmon, chicken or even pair it with pork tenderloin for a comfy fall dinner!