Pork Free Fig & Collard Green Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette
Raw collard greens can feel like a tough sell, but massaging them with salt transforms the leaves into something silky and almost sweet — a technique that makes all the difference here. The combination of fresh figs, jewel-bright pomegranate arils, and paper-thin red onion turns this into a salad that looks genuinely stunning on the table. A zippy apple cider vinaigrette spiked with fresh ginger and turmeric ties everything together with warmth and a little tang, and because it's whisked together from scratch, you know exactly what's going in it. Every single ingredient in this recipe is naturally free from pork and pork-derived products, so there's no label-reading stress or ingredient swaps required. Letting the dressed greens rest for ten minutes before adding the fruit is a small step that pays off big — the leaves soak up the vinaigrette and become even more tender. Finish with a handful of flat-leaf parsley if you have it on hand, and serve right away while the figs are still fresh and the colors are at their most vivid.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the salad
- 1 large bunch collard greens (about 10 oz), stems removed, leaves thinly sliced into ribbons
- ½ tsp fine sea salt, divided
- 8 fresh figs, stemmed and quartered
- ¼ small red onion, very thinly sliced
- ¼ cup pomegranate arils
For the vinaigrette
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
For serving
- 2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Place the collard green ribbons in a large mixing bowl and sprinkle with 1/4 tsp of the salt. Using both hands, massage the leaves firmly for 2–3 minutes until they darken, soften noticeably, and reduce in volume by about half.
- 2
In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the apple cider vinegar, honey, grated ginger, turmeric, and remaining 1/4 tsp salt until the honey is fully dissolved. Drizzle in the olive oil while whisking continuously until the vinaigrette is emulsified and slightly thickened.
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