Baby Kale Salad with Raspberries and Maple Pecans

I want to share my newest obsession: baby kale!

It’s so much lighter, and less chewy than regular kale. I actually find that it’s closer to baby spinach. So if you’ve been scared or put-off by regular kale, this could be a great option for you. Is baby kale the “gateway drug” to regular kale? Possibly!

I normally toss baby kale into salads or stir-fries, but today I decided to come up with a special little salad…

I based it on a spinach-pecan salad that I used to make years ago, but instead of making candied pecans from white sugar, I just used pure maple syrup – a much healthier option…

The vinaigrette is made from pantry staples like olive oil, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup and Dijon mustard, so it’s easy to put together…

Recipe Notes

• This is more of side or starter salad, rather than a meal salad.
• If you can’t find baby kale, feel-free to substitute baby spinach or really any other salad greens.
• The raspberries can be swapped-out by strawberries or blueberries. Even peaches, nectarines or mandarin oranges would work.

Baby Kale Salad with Raspberries and Maple Pecans

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Prep time 10 mins
Cook time 15 mins
Total time 25 mins
Author: Angela @ Vegangela.com Recipe type: Salad, Starter Serves: 4
Ingredients

• 142 g (5 oz) Baby kale (or substitute with baby spinach or other salad greens)

Maple Pecans

• 1 cup raw pecans
• ¼ cup maple syrup

Maple-Balsamic Vinaigrette

• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tsp maple syrup
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• salt & pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. In a large bowl, toss the pecans and maple syrup and coat well.
3. Spread pecans on a baking sheet covered in foil. (Set bowl aside to make vinaigrette & salad.)
4. Bake in oven for 15 minutes. Stir the pecans every 5 minutes so they roast evenly. Watch them carefully, as they can burn quickly!
5. When done, remove the nuts from the pan and spread them out on a plate to cool. Don’t wait too long or they’ll stick to the foil.
6. In large bowl, whisk all ingredients until blended.
7. Toss baby kale into large bowl with vinaigrette. Add pecans and raspberries and gently toss before serving.

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