This Chopped Kale Salad with Cranberries is the rare green salad you can get almost entirely ready the day before. Finely chopped kale gets massaged in a maple apple cider vinaigrette until it's tender, then piled with toasted pecans, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, and goat cheese.
Add the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, mustard, and salt to a 16-ounce mason jar. Shake for 10-20 seconds, or until well mixed.
½ cup olive oil, ¼ cup apple cider vinegar, 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup, 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, ⅛ teaspoon salt
Pour the dressing over the kale in a large bowl, massaging the dressing into the greens. Let rest for 15 minutes.
1 bunch kale
Mix in the goat cheese, pecans, cranberries, and pumpkin seeds.
4 ounces goat cheese, ½ cup roasted pecans, ¼ cup dried cranberries, ¼ cup roasted and salted pumpkin seeds
Notes
Kale: Make sure to buy fresh kale, remove the tough stem, chop into small 1/2" pieces, massage well, and let rest for 15 minutes for the most tender, flavorful leaves.
Goat cheese: Feta cheese, blue cheese, or even Parmesan may be substituted.
Prep-Ahead: Make the dressing up to 3 days in advance and store in the refrigerator. The kale can be chopped and the pecans roasted up to 24 hours in advance.
Storage: The salad will last for up to 2 days in the refrigerator once tossed. The kale will become wilted after that.
Freezing: Not recommended. A dressed kale salad turns to mush once it thaws.