Kale Salad with Pomegranate, Orange and Pine Nuts Recipe - Rachel Cooks® (2024)

FAQs

When should you dress a kale salad? ›

Drizzle most of the vinaigrette over and toss. Use your hands to toss the greens, massaging/rubbing the vinaigrette into the kale a bit as you toss. Taste and correct the seasoning with salt and pepper. Let the salad sit for at least 10 minutes before serving.

The easiest way to toast pine nuts is on the stove. Add them to a small dry skillet that fits them in a single layer. It doesn't really matter what kind of skillet you use. Turn the heat to medium-low and cook them, stirring occasionally or tossing the skillet, until they're golden-brown and smell quite nutty.

RELATED: Believe It Or Not, Kale Actually Lives Up To All Of Its Hype—Here's Why. Manganiello says you can eat kale every day, just don't overdo it. She recommends one to two servings maximum of kale per day, leaving room for other healthy foods that provide an assortment of nutrients.

Kale is fibrous and can be difficult to munch compared to other greens like romaine lettuce or spinach. The rubbing, kneading motion helps to tenderize the veg and make it easier to chew and digest. Try this for raw kale you are going to be serving or eating right away.

Pine nuts can be eaten raw or toasted. However, toasting enhances the rich flavor of pine nuts, or any other nut or seed. Should I toast pine nuts for pesto? You don't HAVE to toast the pine nuts but since toasting makes their flavor so much richer, you definitely WANT to toast them before adding them to your pesto.

The natural fats in the nuts means you don't have to oil the pan when you toast them. Pine nuts are delicate and can easily burn when toasted, so keep a close eye when you're at the stove.

Short-soak nuts (cashews, macadamias, and pine nuts) have the highest fat content and require only 2 to 4 hours soaking. Do not soak these nuts for longer than 4 hours. Soaking them for extended periods of time break down their health-promoting oils.

The kale leaves must be dressed at least 20 minutes (or up to 6 hours) before serving. We like to use curly kale in this salad because its curly edges help to hold on to the dressing.

It depends on your ingredients. Thin leafs like lettuces and spinach, you want to coat at the last minute, else the acidity in your dressing or vinaigrette will make them soggy. Not right away, but if you like crisp leafs, dress at the last minute. With firmer ingredients, you can dress them earlier.

Store massaged kale in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 to 3 days. You can skip massaging if you are using the kale in a salad with an acidic dressing. Just let the salad sit for a half hour or more before eating so the kale has time to soften.

Can you dress a salad the night before? ›

Dress half your salad with half your dressing the night before, and pack the other half of the salad and the dressing for lunch.