Kale Apple Salad with Creamy Avocado Pesto
Massaged with homemade avocado pesto, slightly sweetened with green apples, and filled with crunchy cucumbers, this kale salad is filling and incredibly satisfying!
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 274kcal
Ingredients
To Make the Pesto
- 1 avocado
- 2 cloves garlic peeled
- 2 tablespoons roasted, salted sunflower seeds
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or 1 to 2 teaspoons dried Basil
To Make the Salad
- 1 large bunch Dinosaur Kale or more as preferred, finely chopped
- 1 green apple chopped
- ½ European cucumber peeled and chopped
- Sea salt to taste
- Optional: 2 chopped green onions and a handful of chopped walnuts
Instructions
Make the Pesto
- Place all the ingredients in a blender or food processor.
- Blend on high speed until you have a beautiful green paste, set aside.
Make the Salad
- Place the kale in a large bowl.
- Add the avocado pesto and start massaging the green paste into the kale to soften the vegetable until the pesto is evenly divided (less than one minute.)
- Add the cucumber and apples. Toss to combine.
- Taste test and season with a few pinches of salt, if preferred (optional.)
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
- Add only ½ apple if you prefer your salad to be less sweet.
- For raw salads, I use either baby kale leaves or the Lacinato, best known as the dinosaur kale, because I find their taste slightly sweeter than the curly or red kale.
Nutrition
Calories: 274kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Sodium: 8mg | Potassium: 434mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 447IU | Vitamin C: 26mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 1mg
