Kale Apple Slaw with Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing
An easy, gorgeous kale apple slaw with a perfect balance of earthy and sweet flavors from shredded kale, sliced apples, sweet pecans and lemon poppy seed dressing.
This salad looks pretty and keeps well in the refrigerator, making it a good choice for meal prep, lunches and also holidays.
- Prep Time: 15
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: salads and bowls
- Method: toss
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 4 to 8 ounce bag of chopped kale OR 1 large bunch of curly kale. Or instead, you can buy a bag of pre-shredded kale slaw.
- 1 apple (any variety), thinly sliced
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon poppyseeds
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 1/3 cup sunflower oil (or any type of vegetable oil)
- Optional: 1 cup roasted pecans or other nuts, including candied nuts
Instructions
A bag of pre-shredded kale slaw is ready to use. But if you’ve bought a bag of chopped kale, or a bunch of curly kale, you’ll need to shred the kale first.
Bag of chopped kale: Fill the food processor bowl to the top with leaves. Pulse on and off for 10 to 20 seconds, until the leaves are finely chopped/shredded to your liking.
Bunch of kale: Run your hand down the stem to pull off the washed leaves. Put the leaves in the bowl of the food processor until finely chopped/shredded to you liking.
- In a large bowl, combine shredded kale and sliced apples.
- In a small bowl or jar, combine shallot, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, poppy seeds, sugar and salt. Slowly pour in the vegetable oil, whisking as you pour.
- Pour the lemon poppy seed dressing over the kale and apples. Toss well.
- Add nuts, if using.
Notes
The flavor and texture of this slaw stays fresh for 2 to 3 days in the refrigerator. However, if you want the apples to stay fresh (and not brown) you'll need to use the salt soaking method before adding the apples to the salad.
Apple salt soaking method (to prevent apples from browning): First, combine 1 cup water and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir until the salt dissolves. Add apple slices and let soak 5 minutes. Rinse very well with cold water. Pat dry.
Nuts will start to lose their crunch if left in the slaw for more than a day, so I recommend adding nuts right before you eat the salad.
For instructional photos of kale shredded in a food processor, see blog post above.
For photos and instructions of the easiest way to slice an apple, see the blog post above.