A bright, vibrant massaged kale salad with blood oranges, minneola tangerines, and pistachios. This lacinato kale salad is best when massaged with the citrus vinaigrette 4-5 hours before serving.
*This post is sponsored by Sunkist®. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands I love!
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A Healthy Massaged Kale Salad
Kale is one of my favorite options for salads. It’s bursting with nutrients, and is perfect for meal prep because it can be made ahead of time and just gets better as it sits and marinates in the dressing (in fact, I recommend you make this salad at least 4-5 hours ahead of serving!).
They are also versatile. Kale can be swapped for lettuce in just about any salad recipe. If you love kale salads like I do, try this Vibrant Winter Kale Salad (use Minneola tangerines here!), this Kale Salad with Blueberries and Quinoa, or this Raspberry Golden Beet Kale Salad.
My favorite type of kale to use in salads is lacinato kale. It’s smooth, super dark green leaves don’t have the “scratchy” feeling a lot of people complain about when eating raw kale. The flavor is deeper and more earthy. It tastes like the Cadillac of kale!
Ingredients in this Kale Salad with Blood Oranges
- Lacinato Kale (grab 2 bunches!)
- A Citrus Vinaigrette, with Minneola tangerine juice, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, and olive or avocado oil. This dressing is super simple yet super flavorful!
- Sunkist® Blood Oranges
- Sunkist® Minneola Tangerines
- Pistachios
How to Make a Massaged Kale Salad
- About 4-5 hours prior to serving this salad, massage your kale in the dressing! If you’d like, destem your kale, although I rarely do this. I just trim the stems off the bottoms of the leaves, make sure it’s thoroughly washed and dried, and then add it to my salad bowl.
- Add dressing ingredients (minneola tangerine juice, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, and either olive oil or avocado oil) to your kale. I don’t premix these since they are all liquid ingredients. Use your hands to rub the dressing into the kale. Don’t be afraid to get in there are press on the greens! They are sturdy and rubbing the dressing into them helps them soften and absorb the dressing.
- Refrigerate greens until ready to serve.
- Top the greens with slices of Sunkist® Blood Oranges and Minneola Tangerines. Sprinkle with toasted pistachios for some extra crunch and texture. I was toying with adding goats cheese, so if that’s your thing, sprinkle it on!
The Best Citrus Kale Salad
I adore salads with fruit added, and this time of year, citrus brightens up meals!
I’ve been using blood oranges and minneola tangerines in a lot of recipes, and just snacking on them for a burst of freshness in my day. You’ll be seeing more citrus recipes this spring because I am hooked!
Look for Sunkist® Blood Oranges, Minneola Tangerines, and Cara Cara Oranges at your local Alberton’s store.
Right now, these delicious bags of sunshine are on sale. If you download the Albertson’s App, you’ll have instant access to a discount when you buy Sunkist Citrus.
Layer them in salads, use the juice in dressings, or add to marinades. Snack on them, add them to your kids’ lunch boxes! Oranges are so versatile and a great option for the winter months!
Other Orange Recipes
Try these delicious recipes with Sunkist® Blood Oranges, Minneola Tangerines, or Cara Cara Oranges, for a fresh burst of flavor and color!
- Orange Julius Smoothie, by Sunkissed Kitchen
- Asian Orange Zoodle Salad, by Sunkissed Kitchen
- Orange Dreamsicle Green Smoothie, by Sunkissed Kitchen
- Addictive Asian Cabbage Salad, by Sunkissed Kitchen
Kale Salad with Blood Oranges
Ingredients
- 2 bunches lacinato kale (about 10 cups chopped kale)
- 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/3 cup avocado oil or olive oil
- 2 tablespoons Minneola Tangerine Juice freshly squeezed
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 Sunkist® Blood Oranges peeled and sliced
- 2 Minneola Tangerines peeled and sliced
- 1/3 cup pistachios roasted and salted
Instructions
- Wash the kale, and then dry it well.
- Chop the kale into bite sized pieces. Destem the kale if you'd like, but I just trim the bottoms and leave the stems on.
- Add the kale to a salad bowl, and then drizzle with balsamic vinegar, avocado oil, orange juice and lemon juice. Massage the dressing into the kale. Allow the kale to sit in the dressing refrigerated for 4-5 hours prior to serving. It's okay to serve the salad right away, but allowing the kale to soak in the dressing makes it softer and more flavorful.
- Top the salad with sliced oranges and pistachios.
- This salad makes wonderful leftovers and stays fresh tasting for 2-3 days, so it's a great option for meal prep! If I do this, I keep the pistachios separate so they stay crunchy.
One of our families very favorites!!
I love hearing that 🙂 It has such a bright and fresh flavor!