My Honeyless Honey Mustard Kale Salad with Oranges and Cashews is as delicious as it is colorful. It’s a gorgeous and impressive dish that comes together in minutes and will please even the pickiest of eaters – my kids are obsessed with it! Plus it’s plant-based, oil free, dairy free, and refined sugar free.
This is definitely one of my top favorite salads. I love the combo of savory and sweet with so many great textures. Juicy oranges and pomegranate seeds add sweet freshness and, of course, color, while the red onion contrasts with the perfect amount of sharpness and bite. The pomegranate seeds are wonderful but optional – I have made this salad without them, and it’s still super delicious. The dry-roasted cashews seriously take things over the top with an incredible richness and depth. Kale provides a perfect, sturdy base here, while adding loads of superfood goodness, though arugula would be a great alternative, too – really any kind of salad greens will do the trick. My Honeyless Honey Mustard Vegan Dressing is the perfect thing to top it all off – creamy with just the right hint of sweetness, umami, and tang, it ties everything together.
This is an awesome beginner recipe because it requires very little effort or skill yet sill looks and tastes special. It is also perfect for serving to guests because it’s so beautiful. It’s great to bring to a lunch, brunch, or dinner party as a side salad, though I’ve definitely eaten it as a light lunch by itself.
Special Dietary Needs
This salad is suitable for many diets, such as:
Clean eating
Dairy free
Gluten free
Grain free
Oil free
Keto
Kosher
Natural
Nutritarian inspired (Fuhrman Eat to Live/ETL)
Oil free
Paleo
Plant based
Refined sugar free
Soy free
Unprocessed/minimally processed
Unrefined
Vegan
Vegetarian
WFPB (whole foods plant based)
WFPBNO (whole foods plant based no oil)
Whole 30
Check out my FAQ and Resources pages for more on the philosophy behind this recipe and whole-foods-plant-based eating.
Ingredients
(available for purchase* and delivery via links below)
Chopped kale – for superfood nutrition, a sturdy green that can hold up well to thicker dressings
My Honeyless Honey Mustard Vegan Dressing – for creamy goodness with a hint of umami and natural sweetness
Dry-roasted unsalted cashews – for a protein-packed nutty, buttery, rich crunch with healthy fats (instructions below for how to roast them yourself)
Red onion – for a hint of light sharpness
Clementine oranges – for sweet citrus juiciness
Pomegranate arils (optional) – for little crunchy punch of vibrant fruitiness
Equipment
(available for purchase* and delivery via links below)
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Instructions
If you only have raw cashews, you can roast them in the oven in a parchment-paper-lined baking dish at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 15-20 minutes until they are fragrant and deep golden brown in color. Monitor the cashews towards the end so they don’t burn. Allow to cool before using.
Peel and segment your clementine oranges, slice your onion to your preference (I think they’re prettiest sliced as pictured, but it’s fine to dice them, as well), and give a rough chop to your cashews.
Combine all salad ingredients in a large serving bowl – or you can opt to keep the dressing on the side and dress only individual portions so that leftovers stay dry and fresher for longer.
Toss thoroughly and enjoy!
Love fruit in salads? Try these:
Sweet, Sour, and Hot Roasted Curry Chickpea Salad
Summery Grapefruit Arugula Salad
Grapefruit Romaine Salad with Roasted Chickpeas and Lime
5-Minute Sweet Tropical Broccoli Slaw Salad
Kale Grape Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette
New Post Draft
Ingredients
- 5 oz chopped kale about 6 1/2 loosely packed cups
- 1/3 c dry roasted unsalted cashews
- 1/4 pomegranate arils optional
- 1/4 medium onion ½ cup slices, loosely packed
- 1/3-½ cup Honeyless Honey Mustard Vegan Dressing
- 4 clementine oranges
Instructions
- If you only have raw cashews, you can roast them in the oven in a parchment-paper-lined baking dish at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 15-20 minutes until they are fragrant and deep golden brown in color. Monitor the cashews towards the end so they don't burn. Allow to cool before using.
- Peel and segment your clementine oranges, slice your onion to your taste, and give a rough chop to your cashews.
- Combine all salad ingredients in a large serving bowl - or you can opt to keep the dressing on the side and dress only individual portions so that leftovers stay dry and fresher for longer.
- Toss thoroughly and enjoy!
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