The kale salad with oranges and fennel is one of those dishes that encapsulates all the freshness of winter in just a few ingredients. It’s a light and quick vegan recipe, perfect when you want something healthy without compromising on taste. Raw kale retains all its nutritional richness — vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants — and its somewhat substantial texture gives character to the salad, along with a beautiful color contrast that makes it perfect even for the holiday table.
The oranges add a sweet and juicy note, the fennel provides freshness, while the walnuts complete the dish with their crunchiness. It’s a simple yet effective proposal: a dish that comes together in just a few minutes but will surprise you with its deliciousness!
Here are other ideas for you:
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: No Cooking
- Seasonality: Winter
Ingredients
- 7 oz kale (net of waste)
- 2 oranges
- 1 fennel
- 4 walnuts
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt
- pepper
Tools
- Bowl
- Citrus Juicer
- Cutting Board
Preparation
Clean the kale by removing the harder ribs; to do this easily without a knife, simply grab the base of the leaf with one hand, and tear in the opposite direction with the other hand.
Wash the leaves thoroughly, dry them, and cut them into very thin strips.
Clean the fennel by removing the green stalks and possibly a couple of outer leaves. Wash it and also cut it into thin slices.
Wash one of the oranges and slice it. If the orange is organic, you can leave the peel on; otherwise, remove the segments by cutting them away from the membrane.
Juice the second orange to obtain its juice.
In a small bowl, emulsify the orange juice with extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Open the walnuts and break them into pieces.
Combine the kale, fennel, orange slices, and walnuts in a mixing bowl. Pour the dressing over and mix well.
I recommend letting the salad marinate for 1-2 hours so that the kale softens.
The kale salad with oranges and fennel is ready, serve it chilled or at room temperature as a tasty side dish.
Tips and Notes
For this recipe, I recommend using the more tender inner leaves of the kale; you can then use the larger outer leaves to prepare a soup or a hot side dish.
If you find the dressing too sweet for your taste, you can add a few drops of lemon juice.
The walnuts are optional; you can omit them or replace them with hazelnuts or almonds.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
How can I enrich the salad?
You can add other dried fruits, sliced apples, pomegranate seeds. Or you can add feta cheese to have a complete main course.
