Kale and Chard Green Power Salad

bowl of kale and chards with bleu cheese crumbles, apple slices, and raisins on cutting board with salad dressing in mason jar and apple in background


I spent some time with my family this weekend, and as per usual, my grandpa sent me home with some home grown goodies. During the winter his trees are bursting with tons of citrus like tangerines, grapefruits and lemons  and my car gets loaded up with plenty of gorgeous fruit, but this time around I came home with a huge bag of Swiss chard. He must have known I’ve been craving greens lately. This Kale and Chard Green Power Salad with Maple Vinaigrette definitely satisfied that craving.

Kale and Chard Green Power Salad with Maple Vinaigrette | Aggie's Kitchen

I’ve been craving greens in the worst way. I am pretty sure I felt the same way this time last year, because I remember making and eating a super salad like this one every day for lunch for almost a month. I have to say, I’ve never tried Swiss chard raw in a salad before, at least not that I remember. I usually eat it sauteed in olive oil with lots of garlic, in soup or in tomato sauce over pasta. Swiss chard is one of my favorite greens, and I have a hard time resisting picking it up every time I pass by it at the produce market. As excited as I am to have so much Swiss chard in my possession (only half is shown in the picture above), I’m slightly concerned I may run out of ideas of how to cook it up in the next week.

Have you tried Swiss chard? What’s your favorite way to cook it up?

bowl of kale and chard salad topped with apple slices, walnuts, raisins, and bleu cheese crumbles

This salad is riff off a classic that you’ve surely seen before. It’s been made with spinach, even with kale alone, but this time I bulked it up with even more nutrition from the raw chard. What makes this salad a little more special is the maple vinaigrette. I normally use honey to sweeten up my homemade vinaigrettes, but this time around I thought the maple would really complement the heavy greens, walnuts and blue cheese, and you know what – it did. It added such a warm mellow sweetness to the salad, and with a little extra brightness from the sweet paprika added I threw in at the last minute.

maple vinaigrette in mason jar with spoon in it on cutting board next to apple and bowl of salad

I am picturing this salad topped with a nice piece of broiled spicy-sweet salmon as a perfect “entree” salad. That might just have to happen for dinner tonight.

Enjoy!

bowl of kale and chard salad topped with apple slices, walnuts, raisins, and bleu cheese crumbles on cutting board

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Kale and Chard Green Power Salad

  • Author: Aggie's Kitchen
  • Category: Salad

Ingredients

For the salad:

  • lacinato kale, thinly sliced
  • Swiss chard, thinly sliced
  • crumbled blue cheese
  • chopped walnuts
  • dried cranberries
  • thinly sliced or chopped apple (I used Pink Lady – so crisp and perfectly sweet)

Maple Vinaigrette


Instructions

  1. Combine your greens in a bowl. Pour a couple of tablespoons of Maple Vinaigrette over your greens and toss to combine. Massage gently with your hands, or let sit for a few minutes to tenderize the greens.
  2. Add your blue cheese crumbles, walnuts, cranberries and apple to salad, gently toss and drizzle additional vinaigrette if desired.

More kale and chard recipes to enjoy:

Kale, Mushroom and Bean Soup

Sesame Noodles with Edamame and Kale

Winter Kale Salad with Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette

Citrus Sesame Kale | Oh My Veggies

Chopped Kale Salad with Pomegranate & Avocado | Cookin’ Canuck

Swiss Chard with White Beans in Tomato Sauce over Pasta

Rainbow Chard Tortilla Pizza

Swiss Chard, Mozzarella & Feta Egg Bake | Kalyn’s Kitchen

Quick Chicken Soup with Carrots, Beans & Chard | Everyday Maven