Kale Couscous Salad with Apples and Cherries
A delicious main dish salad with massaged kale, pearl couscous, sliced apples, dried cherries, pistachios, parmesan, and more!
Ingredients
Dressing
- 1/2 Shallot minced; I used a small shallot
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
- 3 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
- 1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
- 2 tsp Honey
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salad Ingredients
- 1 cup Pearl Couscous uncooked
- 12 oz Shredded Kale remove any hard stems
- 1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1 Granny Smith Apple thinly sliced; or the apple of your choice
- 1/2 Shallot thinly sliced
- 3 tbsp Dried Bing Cherries roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp Pistachios roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese shaved; I used a vegetable peeler to shave into thin strips
- 2 tbsp Capers optional
Instructions
Dressing
- Combine all dressing ingredients except for the extra virgin olive oil in a small bowl and whisk together. Once all of the ingredients are combined, continue to whisk as you drizzle in the olive oil. Whisk together until emulsified. Taste and add more of any ingredient as desired.
Salad
- Cook the pearl couscous in a saucepan according to package instructions. Once cooked, remove to a bowl to cool down.
- Meanwhile, add the shredded kale to a large bowl. Make sure to discard any remaining hard stems before massaging the kale. Add 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil and 1/4 tsp of salt. Massage with your hands for about 3 minutes until the kale is tender and soft.
- To the same bowl, add the thinly sliced apple, roughly chopped cherries, roughly chopped pistachios, shaved parmesan cheese, cooked pearl couscous, and capers if you are using them. Toss everything together well.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss again so the entire salad is evenly coated in dressing.
- Divide among plates or large bowls to serve. Optionally, top with the protein of your choice as desired.
Notes
Note: I served this salad with a piece of crispy-skin salmon on top. This would also be great with Air Fryer Parmesan Crusted Chicken.
Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!