Winter Salad with Kale | Whole30 | Paleo | Vegan | Keto

This Winter Salad is full of flavor and packed with yummy winter greens, and a homemade vinaigrette. Made with massaged kale, arugula, grape tomatoes, crunchy pecans, pumpkin seeds and pomegranate arils.

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Easy Salad Recipes

We make salads all-year round and I love adding seasonal vegetables and fruits to change things up. During the fall, we make this Harvest Fall Salad and in the summer it’s this Kale Salad with Avocado and Spinach Salad. 

This easy Winter Salad is one that we make often with what we have on hand during the cold winter months. It’s a balance of sweet, savory and loaded with texture.

Ingredients you need:

The best part about making salads for lunch or dinner is that you can customize them with whatever you have on hand. This winter salad uses:

• Kale – We like lacinato or dinosaur kale but feel free to use curly kale or any other kale you like
• Peppery arugula
• Red cabbage
• Sweet pomegranate arils
• Grape Tomatoes
• Toasted pecans
• Sliced almonds
• Pumpkin seeds / pepitas
• Sunflower seeds

What dressing goes with this winter salad:

For this homemade vinaigrette, we used:

• avocado oil OR extra-virgin olive oil
• tahini
• apple cider vinegar OR fresh lemon juice
• Lakanto sugar free maple syrup for keto, pure maple syrup for paleo or orange juice for Whole30
• fine sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

If you’re in a pinch and don’t have time to make your own dressing, you can grab your favorite pre-made dressing from the store.

One of our go-to brands is either Trader Joe’s Green Goddess Dressing or Primal Kitchen Green Goddess Dressing, Greek Dressing or Caesar Dressing. All of their dressings are made with Whole30 compliant ingredients.

How to make Winter Salad

1. MAKE THE VINAIGRETTE: Add the dressing ingredients to a bowl or a jar. Whisk or shake until combined.
2. PREP & MASSAGE KALE: Remove and discard the hearty stems and tear or chop the kale leaves into thin piece and place in a large bowl. Drizzle with oil & a pinch of salt and use your hands to massage until the leaves start to soften and wilt.
3. ADD DRESSING AND ASSEMBLE SALAD. Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl. Drizzle with dressing & black pepper. Toss lightly to coat and top with more nuts, seeds or pomegranate arils if desired.

WHAT TO EAT WITH WINTER SALAD:

This winter salad would be delicious on it’s own or with any protein of you choice such as:

Instant Pot Lemon Chicken

Oven Baked Salmon

Grilled Steak

If not Whole30 or Paleo, you can add some feta or grated Parmesan cheese. It’s also perfect as a healthier side to Thanksgiving, Christmas or a holiday potluck.

Can I make this ahead of time?

The great thing about kale is that it lasts much longer than traditional salad greens so it works great for meal prep.

You can prep the kale ahead of time and store it in a resealable bag or container for up to 5 days.

Is Winter salad healthy?

This delicious kale salad is not only delicious, it’s also low carb, paleo and keto friendly, Whole30 compliant, sugar free, vegan, gluten free. The nutritional info for one serving of this winter salad recipe is:

• 185 calories
• 3g Net Carbs = 5g Total Carbs – 2g Fiber
• 3g Protein
• 18g Fat

More salad recipes you might like:

Avocado Chicken Salad

Cobb Salad

5 from 3 votes

Print

Winter Salad

Prep Time

10 mins

 

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Keyword: christmas salad, kale, kale salad, low carb recipe, low carb salad, paleo, paleo thanksgiving side dish, thanksgiving salad, whole30, winter salad

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 185 kcal

Author: Kelly

Ingredients

For the dressing:

• 3 tablespoons avocado oil OR extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar OR lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon tahini
• 1-2 tsps sugar-free maple syrup (Lakanto) OR pure maple syrup for paleo OR orange juice for Whole30
• fine sea salt + freshly cracked black pepper , to taste

For the salad:

• 1 bunch kale stems removed, chopped (5–6 cups)
• 1/3 cup arugula
• 1/4 cup shredded red cabbage
• 4 grape tomatoes , sliced into halves
• 2 tablespoons toasted pecans
• 1 tablespoon sliced almonds
• 1.5 tablespoon pomegranate arils

OPTIONAL:

• 5 cranberries , for garnish
• freshly chopped parsely , for garnish

Instructions

Make the dressing:

1. Add the dressing ingredients to a bowl or a jar. Whisk or shake until combined. Taste and adjust seasonings.

For the salad:

1. CUT CITRUS: Wash the citrus skin and dry. Use a sharp knife to cut and remove the peel. Cut into round slices and set aside.

   

2. PREP & ASSEMBLE GREENS: Remove and discard the hearty stems and tear or chop the kale leaves into thin piece and place in a large mixing bowl. Drizzle with a little bit of dressing and use your hands to massage until the leaves start to soften and wilt.

   Add the baby spinach and cabbage to the bowl. Drizzle with dressing. 

   

3. DIVIDE: Place all the greens on large serving bowl or divide the salad into bowls. Arrange the citrus on top followed by the pomegranate seeds. Top with nuts, seeds, mint and dill, if using.

   Once you’re ready to serve, drizzle the dressing lightly over the salad, toss, and serve immediately.

   

Nutrition Facts

Winter Salad

Amount Per Serving (1 serving)

Calories 185 Calories from Fat 162

% Daily Value*

Fat 18g28%

Carbohydrates 5g2%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 1g1%

Protein 3g6%

* Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy using the WPRM recipe calculator. It is best to make your own calculations to ensure accuracy. We expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.