Shredded Beet and Kale Salad with a homemade vinaigrette is a healthy, vibrant, and colorful side dish that goes great with family dinner!
Shredded Beet and Kale Salad combines some of my favorite vegetables. First off, you know I love my beets! If you read my blog you’ll know that I never even tried a beet until I was about 33 years old, and I’ll never look back! Since then I’ve made all sorts of gorgeous beet dishes including heart beet pancakes, fresh beet soup, raw citrus beet salad, and beet brownies!
This kale salad is full of nutritional value. From the anti-aging antioxidants to the vitamins that reduce free radical damage, you’ll love how this salad not only tastes amazing, but its so good for your body. It is already vegetarian but can easily be made vegan and paleo by omitting the cheese.
You know that when you eat a beet and kale salad that’s this dark in color, you’re doing something great for your body! Even though this makes an outstanding side salad, I actually ended up eating it as my entire meal for lunch. Its the kind of salad that gets better each day, as opposed to getting soggy and gross. The kale salad simply marinates over time and the texture is best on the second or third day, so it is actually a great make ahead salad.
There are a lot of ways to modify this Shredded Beet and Kale Salad recipe if you want to keep things exciting:
- Use a variety of beets. Most people are used to the common red beet you’ll always find available in the grocery store. I love to mix it up and use golden beets or striped beets or a mixture of all three! No matter which kind you choose, the colors are always deep and vibrant.
- Use different kinds of kale. Kale has become the darling vegetable of the nutrition world. It is part of the Brassica group, which includes other cruciferous vegetables such as cabbages, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and broccoli. Kale has gorgeous – sometimes very curly – leaves that have a unique earthy, and slightly bitter, flavor to them, with tough fibrous stems. Choose from curly, lacinto, redbor, or (my favorite) Russian.
- Use a different kind of cheese. I love the tart creaminess that chevre adds to this salad, but a nice bleu cheese like gorgonzola or even a feta would taste great.
- Use a different kind of nut. I prefer the shape, taste, and texture of the raw slivered almonds that I used, but walnuts, pecans, or hazelnuts would lend some outstanding crunch to your salad!
Kitchen tools used to create this recipe:
MY OTHER RECIPES
Cutting Board: These are my go-to cutting boards. They are super easy to clean, never hold a smell (onion transferred to apple is gross), and because they are so thin, they are really easy to store.
Knives: There is nothing more frustrating than having to use a poor quality knife. I’ve been using this set for years. I found it to be affordable yet incredibly durable and versatile. Whether you’re filleting a salmon or slicing a super ripe tomato, these are great knives for the everyday chef.
Food Processor – I have a big one. Sure it’s heavy and can sometimes be a pain to clean depending on the recipe, but it does the job and it does it well.
Garlic Press – Having a good garlic press can make all the difference. I use this one because it’s not only easy to squeeze, but it’s easy to clean. Both are equally important, in my opinion.
Flexible Measuring Cups – My sister and I first found these at a cooking class and we thought they were just the best invention. Any time you are measuring and/or pouring liquid, these are simply the best to have on hand. They make a great gift for your favorite cook, too!
- 1 bunch of kale, stems removed and leaves sliced thinly
- 5 small (or 2 large) red beets, peeled and grated
- 1 red onion, peeled and sliced paper thin
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 ounces (just over 1/3 cup) apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon raw honey
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds
- 1/2 cup herb goat cheese, crumbled
- Place kale, beets and onion in a large mixing bowl and season with salt and pepper. Mix the vinegar and honey together and pour over the veggies, mixing thoroughly. Set aside. (This can be done up to a couple of hours in advance to marinate the veggies.)
- Whisk together the garlic, and olive oil. Toss the oil mixture with the kale, beets and onion. Add slivered almonds and goat cheese. Mix and serve.
- It’s best the next day as it has the most time to marinate, but it’s great either way!
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