Hazelnut Free Kale, Apple & Walnut Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing
This hearty salad is the kind of thing that converts skeptics — the kind of people who think kale belongs in a smoothie and nowhere else. Massaging the leaves with a pinch of sea salt is the secret move here: it breaks down the fibrous texture and turns the kale silky, tender, and genuinely pleasant to eat. The lemon tahini dressing is bright, creamy, and layered with warmth from turmeric and black pepper, and it soaks into the leaves beautifully during that short five-minute rest. Crisp apple slices, chewy dried cranberries, crunchy pumpkin seeds, and roughly chopped walnuts round everything out with a mix of textures that keeps each bite interesting. For anyone navigating tree nut allergies, it's worth noting that this recipe calls for walnuts specifically — no hazelnuts appear anywhere in the ingredient list, so you're not working around any substitutions or workarounds. The dressing is built entirely from tahini, fresh lemon, olive oil, honey, and spices, which means no hidden nut pastes or blended oils to second-guess. It's a genuinely satisfying main-course salad that earns a permanent spot in the weeknight rotation.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the salad
- 1 large bunch curly or lacinato kale (about 8 oz), stems removed, leaves torn into bite-sized pieces
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- 1 medium apple, cored and thinly sliced
- ½ cup dry-roasted walnuts, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup dried cranberries (unsweetened or lightly sweetened with fruit juice)
- ¼ cup pumpkin seeds
For the dressing
- 3 tbsp tahini
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice (from about 1 large lemon)
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp raw honey
- 1 small garlic clove, finely grated
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- 2–3 tbsp water, to thin
Instructions
- 1
Place the torn kale in a large mixing bowl and sprinkle with the sea salt. Using clean hands, massage the kale firmly for 1–2 minutes until the leaves darken, soften noticeably, and reduce in volume by about half.
- 2
In a small bowl, whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, honey, grated garlic, turmeric, and black pepper until smooth. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking after each addition, until the dressing is pourable and coats the back of a spoon.
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