Kale Salad with Fig, Pear, Pecans and a Cherry Balsamic Vinaigrette

Kale Salad with Fig, Pear, Pecan and Cherry Vinaigrette is the PERFECT salad to serve for Thanksgiving. Vegetarians and healthy-minded eaters will love it.  The bitterness of the kale is a lovely balance to the richness of a butter-laden turkey and gravy meal. My recipe for a Kale, Fig, Pear, Pecan Salad with Cherry Balsamic Vinaigrette is like Autumn on plate.

It uses dried figs, dried cherries and sweet-glazed pecans with fresh sliced pears. I also added some romaine lettuce to lighten up the hearty kale taste for those family member s who are not prone to eat kale.  The dressing is made with Cherry Balsamic vinegar, lemon juice and olive oil.  I added some sunflower seeds for a little extra crunch.  Keep some small bags of dried figs and tart cherries, and glazed pecans (the ones from Costco are perfect) in your pantry. This can be whipped up anytime you can get fresh pears.The balance of sweet and tart, crunchy and luscious makes this an amazingly delicious salad that can be a meal or a side entree.

You can buy Cherry Balsamic Vinegar at specialty stores or order it at Amazon here. Another substitute could be to use a combination of 100% cherry juice and balsamic vinegar.

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Kale Salad with Fig, Pear, Pecans and Cherry Balsamic Vinaigrette

Kale, Fig, Pear, Pecan Salad with Cherry Vinaigrette is like Autumn on plate. It uses dried figs, dried cherries and sweet-glazed pecans with fresh sliced pears. I also added some Romaine lettuce to lighten up the kale taste for those family member s who are not prone to eat kale. The dressing is made with Cherry Balsamic vinegar, lemon juice and olive oil. I added some sunflower seeds for a little extra crunch.

Course Salad

Prep Time 15 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Author Homemade Italian Cooking with Cara

Ingredients

• ¼ cup Cherry Balsamic Vinegar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• ½ cup olive oil
• ½ tablespoon salt
• ¼ tablespoon pepper
• 8 ounces kale washed and torn into bite-size pieces
• 1 head romaine lettuce washed, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 8 dried figs stems removed, sliced
• ½ cup glazed pecans
• ½ cup dried tart cherries
• ¼ cup sunflower seeds
• 2 pears peeled, cored and sliced

Instructions

• Add Cherry Balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper in a glass jar, cover with lid and shake for 1 minute to emulsify. Set aside.
• Mix kale and romaine lettuce in a salad bowl. Add the dried figs, sunflower seeds, pecans, dried cherries and pears to the salad and toss. Drizzle with the dressing right before serving and toss to coat.
• Serve immediately.