I want to share my newest obsession: baby kale!
It’s so much lighter, and less chewy than regular kale. I actually find that it’s closer to baby spinach. So if you’ve been scared or put-off by regular kale, this could be a great option for you. Is baby kale the “gateway drug” to regular kale? Possibly!
I normally toss baby kale into salads or stir-fries, but today I decided to come up with a special little salad…
I based it on a spinach-pecan salad that I used to make years ago, but instead of making candied pecans from white sugar, I just used pure maple syrup – a much healthier option…
The vinaigrette is made from pantry staples like olive oil, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup and Dijon mustard, so it’s easy to put together…
Recipe Notes
- This is more of side or starter salad, rather than a meal salad.
- If you can’t find baby kale, feel-free to substitute baby spinach or really any other salad greens.
- The raspberries can be swapped-out by strawberries or blueberries. Even peaches, nectarines or mandarin oranges would work.
Baby Kale Salad with Raspberries and Maple Pecans
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 25 mins
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Salad, Starter
Ingredients
Scale
- 142 g (5 oz) Baby kale (or substitute with baby spinach or other salad greens)
Maple Pecans
- 1 cup raw pecans
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
Maple-Balsamic Vinaigrette
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp maple syrup
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- salt & pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- In a large bowl, toss the pecans and maple syrup and coat well.
- Spread pecans on a baking sheet covered in foil. (Set bowl aside to make vinaigrette & salad.)
- Bake in oven for 15 minutes. Stir the pecans every 5 minutes so they roast evenly. Watch them carefully, as they can burn quickly!
- When done, remove the nuts from the pan and spread them out on a plate to cool. Don’t wait too long or they’ll stick to the foil.
- In large bowl, whisk all ingredients until blended.
- Toss baby kale into large bowl with vinaigrette. Add pecans and raspberries and gently toss before serving.
