Honey Roasted Pear Kale Salad

Let’s talk about this Honey Roasted Pear Kale Salad for a minute. My favourite thing to eat currently! It’s sweet thanks to the pecans and pears, crunchy from the onion and pecan, tangy from the dressing and the allergy friendly feta, and just plain mouthwatering! This is the best salad you’re going to make and eat!

Until I dream up another version! :D But until then, I promise you’re going to love this recipe.

Time to learn how to make this salad!

Honey Roasted Pear Kale Salad

This salad was inspired by my fairly recent outing with my husband. He took me out for my birthday and this is the salad I got. Except I asked for them to hold the dairy since I don’t like to eat what my kids are allergic to, even when they’re not around. Their salad came with candied walnuts which were unbelievably good! I felt ok eating them since thankfully Sofia’s allergies are to cashews and pistachios (and eggs).

I don’t know how they candied their walnuts – they had a hard white coating on them so it tasted more like candy than nuts. The rest of the ingredients were pretty straight forward. Kale, spinach, red onion, blue cheese (omitted), mint, and the walnuts.

I totally analyzed and dissected everything I ate that night, hah! Maybe that’s why my husband doesn’t care to go out to dinners … hmm, now I got myself thinking….

In any event, I loved the salad so much and could envision the saltiness of the blue cheese balancing out the sweetness from the candied walnuts and roasted pears. I had to make it at home.

And I did. 4 times in 3 days!

It’s no secret I’m a huge fan of salads. We have to have one daily with our dinners. And oftentimes, I end up having salad as my main meal. I started out liking it because of its health benefits, but quickly fell in love with the idea of experimenting with different ingredients and dressings. Some of my favourites are: 5-minute Caesar,  Sweet Potato Kale, Berry Fig Salad

What’s in this salad

You’ll find fresh wholesome ingredients like:

• Pear – honey roasted. Gives the salad the perfect hint of sweetness.

• kale – slightly peppery, slightly crispy, it holds the dressing well and doesn’t get soggy (a huge plus!)

• spinach – if it’s good enough for Popeye it’s good enough for us!

• red onion – perfect in salads because of its crispy, more mild flavour. Plus it adds a beautiful red purple colour!

• mint – this herb elevates any dish.

• allergy friendly feta style cheese – if you don’t have something like this available to you, omit or think of adding something slightly salty, like maybe some black olives, to help balance out the sweetness from the pears and pecans.

• delicious dressing – so creamy and takes minutes to make. You’re going to love this dressing!

• candied pecans – I literally eat these every time I’m in the kitchen… which is often. If you’re allergic simply omit, or sub with your favourite nut like almonds or walnuts, which you’ll cook the same way. If you can’t have nuts, try adding some seeds like pumpkin to give you the crunch factor.

All these ingredients come together to make the tastiest salad to date! (I have another one coming your way and it’s also soooo good!!!!)

FAQs

What can I use instead of coconut sugar?

I love coconut sugar because it’s healthier and it has a caramel-y taste to it. If you don’t have it on hand or prefer to use something else, substitute equal amounts with brown sugar.

I’m allergic to nuts. What do you recommend I use instead?

As I’ve mentioned above, if you’re allergic to pecans but can have another nut like almond or walnut, then substitute with either one of those and cook the same way you’d cook the pecans in the recipe card. If you’re however allergic to nuts in general, I’d add some pumpkin seeds just to give you a nice crunch when you’re eating the salad. Although it’s totally optional and you can simply omit it :)

Can I use dry mint instead of fresh?

I recommend fresh because the flavour will be better. But you can definitely use dried mint and I would add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon.

What are shallots?

Shallots are like baby onion! They’re a bit sweeter and their taste is more subtle. I like using them a lot. You can use regular onion though, and I would sub with 1 medium onion or 1/2 large onion.

Can I make this salad ahead of time?

Yes! Just make sure you don’t combine the dressing and pears. Have everything prepped (kale chopped, onion sliced, etc), dressing can be made ahead of time as well. Everything can be prepped 2-3 days ahead and once you’re ready to serve, combine everything and make sure to add the pecans last so they stay nice and crunchy and don’t become soggy.

If there’s anything I’ve missed that you’re wondering about, let me know in comments and I’ll be more than happy to help answer any of your questions!

Why you’re going to love this Honey Roasted Pear Kale Salad

This salad is perfect any time of the year but I especially am loving it during the warmer weather. I think it’s the pears and candied pecans that make me think of summer and all the goodness it has to offer.

I love that it’s free from most allergens, except for pecans which can easily be substituted with what you are able to have. It’s a forgiving salad that tastes great, perfect for small and large gatherings, and can be made any time of the year.

I can’t wait for you to make this Pear Kale salad and please when you do, come back and leave a comment and rate this recipe whatever you think it deserves. Commenting and rating helps Google find my blog and spread it to more readers like yourself so that they can enjoy my recipes and hopefully benefit from them :)

I’ll be posting a short video on my instagram page on how to make this salad so be sure to follow me there so you don’t miss it!

Until next time, happy salad making! xx, Laila