Thanksgiving Kale Salad with Citrus Spice Vinaigrette

Use some of the goodies from this week’s PIP haul to add color and crunch to your Thanksgiving table! This salad is the perfect complement to all of your favorite Thanksgiving dishes. It’s bright, citrusy, lightly sweet, and packed with lots and lots of crunch. It’s also fantastic topped with leftover roasted turkey.

Kale and Brussels sprouts serve as the hearty base for this salad. Finely shredding the kale and thinly slicing or shaving the Brussels sprouts is key here. Then, massaging the salad with the vinaigrette using clean hands, or tossing it with utensils for at least a minute, helps to tenderize the greens and reduces any bitterness. Unlike with regular lettuce, this salad can sit dressed for at least an hour and gets better over time.

We can’t wait to see how you transform this week’s perfectly imperfect produce into delicious salads, sides, and desserts for your holiday feast! Be sure to snap a photo of your dishes, post it to social media, and tag us @perfectlyimperfectproduce. We love to see what you’re cooking for your family and friends!

Thanksgiving Kale Salad with Citrus Spice Vinaigrette

Active time: 20 Min.

Total time: 40 Min.

Servings: 6-8 side dish servings, 3-4 main dish servings

Ingredients:

Salad:

1 large Perfectly Imperfect sweet potato, peeled and diced

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper

1 bunch Perfectly Imperfect kale, thinly shredded

4 cups shaved or thinly sliced Perfectly Imperfect Brussels sprouts

1 Perfectly Imperfect pear, chopped

3-4 Perfectly Imperfect green onions, sliced

1 Perfectly Imperfect pomegranate, seeded

1 cup roasted, salted pepitas

Dressing:

⅓ cup fresh orange juice (from about 2 Perfectly Imperfect oranges)

¼ cup white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon maple syrup

½ tablespoon Dijon mustard

⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Large pinch of salt, or to taste

Pinch cayenne, optional

¼ cup neutral-flavored oil, like avocado oil

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss the sweet potato in the olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Roast for 20-25 minutes, or until tender; set aside to cool slightly before adding to salad.

In a large bowl, toss together the salad ingredients, including the roasted sweet potatoes. In a jar, combine the orange juice through cayenne pepper. Stir well to combine. Add the oil and shake well or whisk together to combine.

Dress the salad well, then use clean hands or utensils to toss the salad for at least 1 minute. This helps to tenderize the kale. Add more salt to taste and serve.

By Carolyn Hodges, MS, RDN