I have long been a fan of Todd and Diane, the dynamic duo of gardening, cooking, and photography at the blog White on Rice Couple. I remember first seeing their blog when they began to join in with the Grow Your Own event several years ago, and I was so envious of their gorgeous garden! They had fruit trees, a rosemary hedge, beautiful tomatoes, and Michael and I followed their garden work closely, hoping to pick up some helpful tips. I remember in 2008 when Diane surprised me with a little box of fresh passion fruit in the mail, which I promptly used to prepare a curd that made my toes curl, it was so delicious. And when I had a chance to spend a weekend in Boulder learning more about photography with them, Jen Yu, and Helene Dujardin, well I just could not pass that up.

They are wonderful; two of my favorite people in the world. And they have a beautiful cookbook, Bountiful, that is full of recipes inspired by their garden. Choosing just one favorite recipe from the book isn’t easy, but I have to say this warm kale salad is definitely on the list. It’s simple to prepare, with just a few seasonal ingredients, and perfect for cold winter evenings. I love the combination of the cinnamon, apple, cranberries, and kale, and could eat this several times a week.

If you haven’t seen their book yet, check for it at your local bookstore or at one of the online retailers. Both the photography and the recipes are stunning.

Recipe Notes

The recipe works with both mature kale and baby kale, just shorten the cook time for baby kale.

📖 Recipe

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Warm Kale Salad with Dried Cranberries and Apples

Adapted from Bountiful: Recipes Inspired by Our Garden, by Todd Porter and Diane Cu.

Prep Time5

Cook Time10

Total Time15

Course: Salad

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Keyword: apples, autumn, cranberries, gluten free, kale, vegan, vegetarian, walnuts, winter

Servings: servings

Calories: 229kcal

Author: Andrea Meyers

Equipment

large frying pan

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter (or coconut oil)
1 large apple (chopped)
⅓ cup dried cranberries
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon sea salt
8 ounces fresh kale (ribs and tough stems removed, leaves chopped)
½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)

US Customary - Metric

Preparation

Melt the butter or coconut oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Once melted, add the apple, cranberries, cinnamon and salt.
Fry until the apples are soft, stirring frequently – about 8 minutes. Add the walnuts and stir for another minute.
Add the kale and cook until it becomes tender. Serve warm or chilled.