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Home » Recipes » Diet

honeycrisp apple and kale salad with maple thyme vinaigrette

September 24, 2021 Leave a Comment

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This is the perfect fall salad! Made with bright kale, sweet honeycrisp apples, crunchy bacon bits, juicy pomegranate arils, fresh figs, and a sprinkle of feta. Let’s not forget about the Maple Thyme Vinaigrette – it’s the magical elixir that comes together in seconds and takes the whole salad right over the top!

A bowl of salad with a white linen, apples, and serving utensils nearby. this recipe

This post is sponsored by our friends at Oster. All opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that make Blue Bowl possible!

If you think salads are generally boring, bland, and not your thing – this salad is sure to change your mind! Throw it together in a pinch, for an easy side dish or lunch on the go. You can also serve this with a protein to make it a meal!

A close-up of the sliced apples, feta, and pomegranate arils laying in a bed of kale.

How to Make Maple Vinaigrette: 

This is the easiest salad dressing ever! We’re using real maple syrup, fresh thyme, olive oil, and apple cider vinegar to make this magic elixir. Add everything to the Oster® 3-in-1 Kitchen System. It comes with one base that you can attach 3 different pieces to – a food processor attachment, a blender pitcher, or a blender cup! For the dressing, I used the food processor attachment to quickly blitz up our dressing – it’s one of my favorite kitchen hacks!

An Oster food processor with the dressing ingredients.

The 1200 watt motor quickly whizzes everything together in seconds, making the whole homemade salad dressing thing SO easy! And when you’re done, the food processor can be popped right into the dishwasher for easy cleanup. 

An oster food processor with the blended dressing.

How to Make Honeycrisp Kale Salad: 

This is the quintessential fall salad! And it comes together so quickly. Get your bacon cookign in the oven while you prep the other ingredients.

Thinly slice your kale into ribbons, and massage it a bit to make it a bit more tender. This is important when you’re not cooking kale, so that it’s not so chewy. Next, slice up your Honeycrisp apples, your fresh figs, and grab your pomegranate seeds and feta cheese. Layer everything on top of the kale in a serving bowl, and pour that gorgeous Maple Vinaigrette over the top just before serving!

A bowl of the salad with apples, serving utensils, a white linen, and the oster food processor in the scene.

This is a fall salad that truly everyone – even salad skeptics – will love. And, it’s the perfect way to use some of those incredible fresh apples that I know we all already have in our fridges from apple-picking outings. 

A close-up of the bowl of salad with a white linen tucked underneath.

Happy fall! And, snag your Oster® 3-in-1 Kitchen System at a Walmart near you!

Did you make this recipe? Snap a photo and leave a comment! 

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Honeycrisp and Kale Salad with Maple Thyme Vinaigrette

This is the perfect fall salad! Made with bright kale, sweet Honeycrisp apples, crunchy bacon bits, juicy pomegranate seeds, fresh figs, and a sprinkle of feta. Let's not forget about the Maple Thyme Vinaigrette - it's the magical elixir that comes together in seconds and takes the whole salad right over the top!
5 from 2 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Salad
Cuisine: Healthy Food
Keyword: Easy Salad Recipes, Fall Salad
Servings: 4 servings
Author: Stephanie Simmons

Ingredients

For the Maple Thyme Vinaigrette

  • 3 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 tbsp fresh thyme
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 1 tbsp dijon mustard
  • pinch of salt

For the Salad

  • 1 large bunch of lacinato kale
  • 3 medium honeycrisp apples
  • 6-8 fresh figs, halved
  • 6 slices bacon, cooked
  • 2/3 cup pomegranate arils
  • 1/2 cup feta cheese more or less, to taste

Instructions

  • Prep: Get your bacon cooking in the oven (my preferred method - just follow the directions on the package, and line your pan with foil for easy clean-up). This way, the bacon can cook while you prep the rest of the salad!
  • Make the Dressing: Remove the leaves from the thyme stems as best you can - if a few stem bits make it in, never fear - they'll be completely chopped up and you'll never know. Add all dressing ingredients to the food processor attachment of your Oster® 3-in-1 Kitchen System. Secure the lid, and blend on medium for about 30 seconds to combine everything into a creamy, delicious dressing.
  • Assemble the Salad: Remove the stems from the center of each kale leaf, and then slice the kale into thin strips. You can do this by piling a few leaves on top of each other, rolling them up and then slicing (almost like how you'd roll and slice cinnamon rolls). Add the kale to a serving bowl and add a squeeze of lemon juice, then massage with your hands to soften the kale a bit, so it's not so chewy.
    Add the sliced apples, figs, pomegranate arils, cooked + crumbled bacon, and feta. Toss to combine everything.
  • Serve + Store: Drizzle the dressing on just before serving. The salad can be made a few hours ahead, covered, and kept in the fridge. I recommend waiting to add the dressing until ready to serve. Enojy! Leftovers keep for a few days in an airtight container in the fridge.
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