Kale and Wild Rice Salad Recipe

Kale and Wild Rice Salad-kale salad with wild rice, apples, avocado, dried cranberries, goat cheese, and almonds. This hearty salad is my absolute favorite!

I’ve been posting a lot of salads lately because I have been eating a lot of salads lately. We post what we eat and I am on a major salad kick. I hope you are ok with that, you should be since it is January and all:)

This Kale and Wild Rice Salad is my absolute favorite. It is inspired by a salad that I had at a restaurant. I loved it so much that I came home and recreated it. I was worried my salad wouldn’t be as good, but guess what? I think my version is even better. I love it when that happens.

I am seriously in love with this kale salad. It was love at first bite:) I would marry it if I didn’t already have a wonderful husband, ha! The flavors are outstanding!

The salad starts with chopped kale. I always give my kale salads a good massage to soften up the kale. It only takes a few minutes and is worth the extra step. A good kale massage is the secret to a perfect kale salad.

I add cooked wild rice to the kale to create a hearty salad. I have been cooking wild rice in our Instant Pot and it cooks a lot faster and comes out perfect every time. You can cook it on the stove if you don’t have an Instant Pot.

Next, I add chopped apples, avocado, slivered almonds, dried cranberries, and crumbled goat cheese. Before serving, I drizzle the salad with a balsamic maple mustard dressing that will knock your socks off. It is so good and will probably become your new favorite salad dressing.

There is a lot going on in this Kale and Wild Rice Salad, but trust me. All of the flavors really work well together. There is sweet, salty, crunchy, creamy, and deliciousness in every single bite. You will fall head over heels in love with this salad.

Can I get a KALE yeah? ? Enjoy!

Kale and Wild Rice Salad

Kale salad with wild rice, apples, avocado, dried cranberries, almonds, goat cheese, and a simple balsamic dressing. This is my favorite salad and goes great with any meal or can be the meal!

Yield: Serves 4

Prep Time:15 minutes

Total Time:15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 large bunch kale (I like to use lacinato kale)
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• Pinch of Kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1 cup cooked wild rice
• 1 large apple, chopped
• 1 avocado, chopped
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds
• 3 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• Dash of salt and ground black pepper

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, add the kale, olive oil, salt, and lemon juice. Massage the kale with your hands until the kale softens, about 2-3 minutes. Add the cooked wild rice, apple, avocado, dried cranberries, almonds, and goat cheese. Gently toss.
2. To make the dressing, combine the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, maple syrup, and mustard in a small bowl or jar. Whisk until smooth. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste.
3. Drizzle dressing over the salad and gently toss. Serve immediately.

Note-if you don’t have wild rice, brown rice will work too. If you don’t like goat cheese, feta cheese is also good. The salad is best the day it is made, but you can keep it in the refrigerator in a container for up to one day. I like the leftovers the next day.