Holiday Salad

Your holiday table will be so festive with this Kale, Persimmon and Hazelnut salad. Celebrating the bounty of fall, we dress up kale with seasonal favorites to create a refreshing salad everyone will love. The bright orange persimmon slivers and ruby-red pomegranate jewels herald holiday cheer!

My sister Andie always laughs at me: when I say persimmon I mean pomegranate, and when I say pomegranate I mean persimmon. I perpetually (but at least consistently!) confuse these two wondrous wintery fruits. And lucky sister, she has both of these trees in her yard. From one kale-addict to another, who is always delighted to find new ways to dress up kale: Andie, this holiday salad is for you! And I can’t get the name wrong, because both fruits are in the salad!

Here in Oregon, I don’t have the fruit trees that my sister does, but I’ve still got kale in the garden. When I come to yours for Thanksgiving, Andie, I’ll bring Oregon farmer’s market filberts (hazelnuts), because here they’re fresh (and the best!)

This is the perfect salad to make if you’re invited to Thanksgiving and asked to bring a side dish: kale is the super salad leaf that doesn’t wilt. It will look perky and tempting all day long. Even leftovers will look lovely! Personally, I’m not one for some of the typical Thanksgiving dishes. Sweet potatoes and marshmallows? I’d rather crunch on kale any day. Since Andie and I are invited to a friend’s this year, we’ll pack a huge bowl of this salad and cover our bases. Also on our list to pack: Roasted acorn squash with panko. How gorgeous this table shall be!

Go ahead, create some Kale-converts this season! My sister and I  support you!

Kale, persimmon & hazelnut salad

Print Recipe

 : serves 6 as a side salad Prep Time: 30 minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 2 voted )

Ingredients

1 large bunch kale, washed, de-stemmed and torn (TJs makes an easy job of this!)
olive oil (a few swirls will do)
juice of a lemon
Maldon salt, to taste
1 Fuyu persimmons sliced crosswise and in half
1 generous handful of pommegranate seeds
1 cup hazelnuts, freshly toasted
½ a red onion, thinly sliced and soaked in vinegar for about an hour

Instructions

In a large salad bowl, massage the olive oil into the kale. Let your fingers do the working! As you rub the kale, it will turn bright green, and become tender.

Dress the kale with the lemon juice and salt and taste. Turn into the serving bowl or platter and adorn with the hazelnuts, persimmon slices, pommegranate seeds and red onion.