APPLE & PEAR CHOPPED KALE SALAD

 Salads, I get it, they’re usually just the sidekicks on our plates and rarely win a prime time spot on your Thanksgiving table. But this Apple & Pear Chopped Kale Salad is here to break the rules and make you rethink your holiday menu pecking order. This isn’t your average salad either – it’s got greens finely chopped and shredded to perfection to make it super crave worthy and have you coming back for seconds, thirds, and maybe even fourths.

So, picture this: a mix of finely chopped kale and shredded Brussels sprouts, sweet apple and juicy pear slices. Now, throw in some creamy, apple-smoked cheddar cheese, a handful of rosemary Marcona almonds for that satisfying crunch, and a generous sprinkling of crispy fried onions for that extra zing. And then, there’s the dressing – a sweet and tangy Apple Crisp Dressing that brings the whole thing together in one big burst of flavor on your fork.

INGREDIENTS

1 bunch curly kale, stems removed and torn into 2-3" pieces (200 grams)

2 cups brussels sprouts, trimmed (150 grams)

1 large green apple, chopped (250 grams)

1 large pear, Anjou or Bosc variety, chopped (230 grams)

4 oz apple smoked cheddar cheese, chopped into ~3/8" squares

1/2 cup rosemary Marcona almonds (60 grams)

1/2 cup crispy fried onions (21 grams)

APPLE CRISP DRESSING

1/2 cup Homemade Apple Crisp Syrup (recipe follows) (4 fl oz)

1/4 cup olive oil (2 fl oz)

1/4 cup dijon mustard (2 fl oz)

1 lemon, zested and juiced

1 tsp salt

1 tsp Oh My Spice! Lemon Pepper Seasoning

INSTRUCTIONS

Prepare dressing. Add all dressing ingredients to a shaker and shake until well combined. Set aside.

Prepare kale and brussels sprouts. Add slicing blade to your food processor. Load trimmed brussels sprouts into the feeder tube, then pulse, gently pushing the brussels sprouts down toward the blade using your food processor's pusher. Repeat until all brussels sprouts are shredded. Remove the slicing blade from the food processor and remove the Brussels sprouts to a large bowl; set aside.

Add kale to the food processor, being careful not to overload the food processor bowl. Pulse the kale 5-10 times until the leaves are chopped into <1" pieces (many will be smaller). Repeat until all the kale is shredded, then remove to the bowl with the Brussels sprouts.

Assemble the salad. To the bowl with the kale and brussels sprouts, add chopped apples, pears, and cheese. Top with dressing and toss with tongs. Once the dressing has evenly coated the salad, top with Marcona almonds and crispy fried onions before serving.

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