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    Home > Recipes > AIP

    Blueberry Kale Salad with Cinnamon Honey Dressing (Paleo, AIP, GF)

    Published: Aug 16, 2020. Modified: Jun 1, 2022 by Arika | FoodCourage·This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking a link, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. · Leave a Comment

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    Some nights (or most nights), it's just nice to have something super easy to throw together at dinner time. This Blueberry Kale Salad is one of those "somethings". It is so simple, light, and fresh and takes minimal effort to make. Yay!  It makes a great side salad or main dish with a little protein thrown in. It's Paleo, AIP compliant, gluten-free, dairy-free, and easily made vegan by swapping out the honey for maple syrup. 

    I get such a kick out of the adorable little cucumbers you see in the picture.  A friend of ours brought us a gorgeous basket full of farmers' market veggies and these cucumbers were perfect for this salad.

    **Just a quick heads up- this post contains affiliate links which means if you click on them and buy something,  I will earn a small commission (at no additional cost to you) to help continue maintaining this site. 

    Kale the Superfood

    Kale is high in fiber, vitamins, and minerals making it good for you in so many ways. Plus it has about 3 grams of protein per cup! I love that you can get protein from veggies; I think that's easy to forget. I'm always in search of a new kale salad because it is just one of my absolute favorite veggies and I like to eat it in as many ways as possible.

    kale blueberry salad aip

    Types of Kale

    There are several types of kale- Lacinato Kale aka Dinosaur kale is by far my favorite. Lacinato kale is smooth-skinned with little bumps...basically like a dinosaur! Curly Kale is the other big type of kale- it's a little tougher with curly edges. This is the main type I usually find at my grocery store (I don't have any Trader Joe's, Sprouts, or Whole Foods near me that I can scout out for unique foods).

    Either works fine for this salad but if you're debating between the two, go with Lacinato! I think I just like it because it's a little smoother, softer, greener and prettier overall. 

    Tenderize Your Kale

    You'll want to tear the kale into teenie tiny pieces (you can tear it by hand or use kitchen shears) and add a little bit of the dressing, then massage it by hand for a couple of minutes. This gets it nice and soft before adding the other ingredients. It's also quite therapeutic! Kind of like a stress ball or something. 

    Baby Kale

    Sometimes I'm feeling lazy and I'll just get the pre-cut, pre-washed plastic container of baby kale and use that for our salads. It's fine if you'd like to go this route. If you do use baby kale for this recipe, you can probably skip the "tenderizing" step where you add a little dressing to the kale and massage it before adding the other ingredients.

    I say this because baby kale is so much softer than large kale leaves. It doesn't take much to soften it up, so it's ok to just toss all the salad ingredients together at once and add the dressing. Just make sure the baby kale is torn or cut into tiny pieces- even though it comes pre-cut, I still cut it further with kitchen shears.

    orange honey cinnamon dressing

    The Dressing

    The Cinnamon Honey Dressing is a super easy mixture of freshly squeezed orange juice, cinnamon, apple cider vinegar, avocado oil, honey, and pink Himalayan sea salt. It gives a slightly sweet and tangy flavor to the whole salad and pairs perfectly with the fruit. 

    Storage

    If you think you will have some salad left over, don't pour all of the dressing on the salad. Instead, set some aside for later. Store the dry salad and the dressing separately in the fridge for a day or two and eat it as leftovers for lunches or other dinners. 

    If you like this recipe, you may also like:

    Warm Kale Salad with Apples and Lemon Maple Dressing

    Raspberry Avocado Salad with Maple Balsamic Dressing

    Roasted Cauliflower Arugula Salad

    Simple Chicken Bacon Pasta Salad Recipe

    No Mayo Broccoli Salad

    Conclusion

    I hope you love this recipe. If you made it, leave a comment below and let me know what you thought. I'd love to hear from you.

    Also, don't forget to follow me on Instagram @foodcourage for the latest AIP/Paleo recipes and Food Courage happenings!

    This recipe is shared on the Paleo/AIP Recipe Roundtable. 

     

           

    kale blueberry salad aip 5a

    Kale Blueberry Salad (Paleo, AIP, GF, Vegan Option)

    Arika | FoodCourage
    This blueberry kale salad is so simple, light, and fresh and takes minimal effort to make. Yay!  It makes a great side salad or main dish with a little protein thrown in. 
    No ratings yet
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Total Time 15 mins
    Course Salad
    Cuisine American
    Servings 6 servings
    Calories 91 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 cups kale torn into small pieces, stems discarded
    • 2 cups brussels sprouts finely sliced
    • 1/2 cup cucumbers sliced
    • 1 orange peeled and separated into sections
    • 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
    • 2 tbsp avocado oil
    • 2 tbsp orange juice freshly squeezed, about half an orange
    • 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
    • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
    • 1/4 tsp sea salt
    • 3 tsp honey or maple syrup

    Instructions
     

    • In a small bowl, stir together the dressing ingredients. Set aside.
    • Add the kale to a medium-sized bowl. Make sure it is torn or cut into very small pieces. Massage 1-2 tbsp of the dressing into the kale for about 1-2 minutes. Reserve the remaining dressing for when it's time to serve.
    • Add in the brussels sprouts, oranges, cucumbers, and blueberries. Add remaining dressing, toss to distrubute the dressing evenly, and serve.

    Notes

    -If you think you will have some salad left over, don’t pour all of the dressing on the salad. Instead, set some aside for later. Store the dry salad and the dressing separately in the fridge for a day or two and eat as leftovers for lunches or other dinners. 
    -If you use pre-cut baby kale rather than mature kale, you can skip the massaging/tenderizing step and just mix all the veggies together at once.

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Facts
    Kale Blueberry Salad (Paleo, AIP, GF, Vegan Option)
    Serving Size
     
    1 cup
    Amount per Serving
    Calories
    91
    % Daily Value*
    Fat
     
    5
    g
    8
    %
    Saturated Fat
     
    1
    g
    6
    %
    Polyunsaturated Fat
     
    1
    g
    Monounsaturated Fat
     
    3
    g
    Sodium
     
    108
    mg
    5
    %
    Potassium
     
    232
    mg
    7
    %
    Carbohydrates
     
    12
    g
    4
    %
    Fiber
     
    2
    g
    8
    %
    Sugar
     
    7
    g
    8
    %
    Protein
     
    2
    g
    4
    %
    Vitamin A
     
    996
    IU
    20
    %
    Vitamin C
     
    49
    mg
    59
    %
    Calcium
     
    37
    mg
    4
    %
    Iron
     
    1
    mg
    6
    %
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Keyword aip breakfast, blueberries, dressing, easy, fruit, salad, vinaigrette
    Did you make this recipe?Mention @foodcourage or tag #foodcourage on Instagram!
    « Apricot Protein Bites (AIP, Paleo, GF, Whole 30, Coconut-Free)
    Super Easy Orange Cinnamon Dressing (AIP, Paleo, GF, Vegan Option) »
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    HI! I'm Arika and I'm a Nashville-based registered dietitian with Hashimoto's. I founded Food Courage in 2019 as a way to share delicious and practical AIP/Paleo recipes and strategies for thriving with autoimmunity. Check out my about page to read more.

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