This is my FAVORITE salad to make! It’s great for the winter time, but I would make it anytime of year too! This is also the perfect salad for meal prep as I created it with large portions (you can always halve the recipe if you want less!). It’s plant-based, gluten free, and packed with nutritious ingredients. The sweet potatoes add some heartiness, the chickpeas add plant protein, and the red onions add a burst of flavor. This is also a great recipe to make for a holiday gathering!
Dressing Options
This recipe includes the directions on how to make a maple rosemary vinaigrette that goes well with this salad. However, I’ve also made this salad with other dressings that are great as well – one of them being a recipe for maple tahini dressing that I found online (yes, I search for recipes too!). This would also go well with a green goddess dressing (recipe here). Other dressings could be: a vegan ranch, honey mustard, or italian dressing.
Meal Prep for Days!
This is a great salad to meal prep on the weekend and eat all week long. One recipe creates 8 large servings of salad. Plus, this salad has a great deal of nutrients, making it a super healthy meal prep. It has plant protein from the chickpeas, a BUNCH of veggies, and healthy fats from the olive oil and pistachios.
What Equipment Do I Need?
For this recipe, you will need a baking sheet to bake the sweet potatoes and chickpeas on. You can grease the pan with extra virgin olive oil or use a silicone baking mat. Additionally, you will need a fry pan to sauté your onion and a mixing bowl or mason jar to create the dressing.
Ingredients
Salad
- Chopped Kale
- Sweet Potatoes
- Chickpeas – If it’s available at your grocery store, I always prefer to buy the cans with no salt added.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Red Onion
- No Sugar Added Craisins
- Pistachios
Dressing
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Balsamic Vinegar
- Dijon Mustard
- Minced Garlic
- Maple Syrup
- Rosemary Sprigs
Substitutions
Salad
- Chopped Kale – Spinach or mixed greens would also work well with this salad.
- Sweet Potatoes – If you aren’t a fan of sweet potato, this would also taste great with roasted butternut squash or delicata squash.
- Red Onion – You can always omit this if you aren’t an onion fan.
- Pistachios – There are plenty of other nuts that would go well in this too – pecans, walnuts, sliced almonds, even cashew pieces.
Dressing – As mentioned above, you can always make a different type of dressing for this salad. You can also buy one although I typically find homemade dressings to be healthier than store bought.
Recipe
Winter Kale Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- 20 oz chopped kale
- 3 sweet potatoes
- 3 cans of chickpeas
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 red onion
- 1 cup no sugar added craisins
- 1 cup pistachios
Dressing
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 rosemary sprigs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425℉. Grease a baking sheet or line with a silicone baking mat.
- Chop the sweet potatoes into 1" cubes. Add to a large mixing bowl.
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Add to the mixing bowl.
- Pour 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil over sweet potatoes and chickpeas and mix together to coat them.
- Pour sweet potatoes and chickpeas onto baking sheet, ensuring they are spread out evenly. Cook in the oven for 40 – 45 minutes.
- While those are cooking, slice the red onion. Add extra virgin olive oil to a fry pan and sauté the onion slices on medium heat until browned/softened.
- Combine all of your dressing ingredients in a bowl along with the needs of the rosemary sprigs. Whisk together and store covered in the fridge.
- Massage your chopped kale with extra virgin olive oil. Top with cooked chickpeas, sweet potatoes, red onion, raisins, pistachios, and dressing. Serve your salad right away or store in the fridge to consume throughout the week!
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