Kale and Broccoli Salad with Poppyseed Dressing is loaded with tart dried cranberries, roasted pumpkin seeds, pine nuts and vibrant shredded cabbage. Your taste buds won’t even care it’s a salad!
If you’ve noticed a trend of semi-healthier recipes lately, it isn’t by accident. I’ve been trying to eat a little healthier for this summer, and hopefully be able to rock a bikini. Hey, it’s the 21 century, don’t judge me. I don’t believe in diets, I don’t believe in trendy meal replacement shakes, and I don’t believe I have enough money for liposuction. I believe in eating real food like this Kale and Broccoli Salad with Poppyseed Dressing.
There isn’t a real secret to weight-loss. You simply need to consume less calories than you burn. Eating healthy foods like vegetables is a great way to get the nutrition you need to fuel your body while limiting calories, and there is no better way than exercising to burn excess calories.
Kale and Broccoli Salad
Making frequent appearances on my dinner table, Kale and Broccoli Salad is likely my favorite salad. It is considerably heartier than you would imagine, along with a great variety of textures. I often enjoy it as a meal by itself.
I really think the dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds are what make this salad sing! The cranberries add bright punches of sweetness, while pumpkin seeds give the salad a nice salty chew. You can certainly customize it with your own favorite ingredients, like almonds, but I really think this is a winning combination.
The best dressing for Kale and Broccoli Salad is Poppyseed Dressing. (Cheater alert!) I’ll be honest, sometimes I just buy a bottle of store-bought dressing, but making poppyseed dressing from scratch really isn’t much work, and it tastes phenomenal.
How to Make Poppyseed Dressing
To make the poppyseed dressing from scratch, you will need a blender. I own and love my KitchenAid blender (affiliate link) and highly recommend it if you are looking to add one to your kitchen. Since vinegar and oil do not mix, you will use the blender to create an emulsion. Don’t worry, it is easier than it sounds. Basically, you add the vinegar and seasonings to the blender first, and combine, then slowly drizzle in the oil. The oil droplets will disperse among the liquid, creating a perfect poppyseed dressing!
Plus, you can impress your friends by using fancy culinary terms like emulsion! Make sure you say it nonchalantly, so you sound extra pretentious.
- 8 cups roughly chopped Kale (stems removed)
- 4 cups Broccoli Florets
- 2 cups shredded cabbage
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup roasted pumpkin seeds
- 1/2 cup pine nuts
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tsp dry mustard
- 1 tsp grated onion
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp poppy seeds
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Combine all ingredients into a large bowl.
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Pour entire poppyseed dressing mixture over the top and toss to combine.
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Serve immediately.
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Add vinegar, sugar, salt, dry mustard, and onion to a blender and process till combined, ~20 seconds.
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Place blender on high and slowly drizzle in oil to incorporate.
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Turn off blender, pour into a dish and stir in poppyseeds.
I got this poppyseed dressing recipe from Allrecipes.com. It is the perfect compliment to this salad's flavors, but you are welcome to substitute a vinaigrette if you are looking for a healthier option.
If you don't have a large enough bowl, this recipe can easily be cut in half.
IF YOU LIKED THIS RECIPE be sure to try my Mexican Street Corn Salad too!
This recipe was orginally published on FoxValleyFoodie.com June 17, 2016.
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Wow, this was a lot more flavorful than I expected!