Kale Salad with Cranberries and Pepitas

Glorious, glorious kale salad.

I know, it's been a "thing" for years now, but I honestly can't get enough!

This is the... fourth... kale salad recipe on the blog, and I'm sure it won't be the last.

The twist on this kale salad is the way the tender leaves are cut.

Rather than just tearing them up into pieces, the leaves are sliced cross-wise into thin strips, kind of like a thick chiffonade.

This makes the salad ultra tender and easy to eat.

You know what's even easier?

You don't have to whisk a dressing for this salad!

Simply drizzle with fresh lemon juice & olive oil, and call it a day.

The extra pops of flavor come from sweet-tart dried cranberries, salty pepitas, savory Parmesan cheese, and homemade buttery garlic breadcrumbs.

The flavor combos are amazing.

This kale salad with cranberries and pepitas is definitely going on my Thanksgiving menu this year!

Recipe

Kale Salad with Cranberries and Pepitas

5 from 1 vote

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Prep20 minutes mins

Cook5 minutes mins

Total25 minutes mins

Servings: 4

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Ingredients 

• 2 bunches lacinato kale, washed, stems removed, leaves cut crosswise into thin strips
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 ½ cups freshly ground sourdough breadcrumbs, made by pulsing sourdough sandwich bread in a mini food processor
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup shaved parmesan cheese
• ¾ cup dried cranberries (without sulfites)
• ¾ cup roasted salted pepitas
• juice of 1 lemon
• generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

• Add the thinly sliced kale to a large salad bowl and set aside. 
• Next, add the butter to a small nonstick skillet and warm over medium heat until melted. Add the fresh breadcrumbs, and cook, stirring frequently with a spatula, until the breadcrumbs are nice and golden brown and starting to crisp up. When fully golden and crisp, turn off the heat and stir in the garlic powder and salt. Then remove from the pan to a large plate to cool in one flat layer. 
• While the breadcrumbs cool, add the cheese, cranberries, and pepitas to the kale. Pour the juice of 1 lemon over the top, and drizzle the salad liberally with extra virgin olive oil. Toss well to combine. 
• When the breadcrumbs are cooled, sprinkle them over the salad and toss again to combine. Serve right away. 

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