Growing Chefs! Ontario Kale Salad with Roasted Beets and Pumpkin with Maple Garlic Vinaigrette

Kale Salad with Roasted Beets and Pumpkin with Maple Garlic Vinaigrette

This sweet and savoury salad will make you a kale lover, and makes a great side salad. Add a protein, like grilled chicken or chickpeas, to make it a meal!
Difficulty
Intermediate
Yield
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
1 bunch of kale, veins removed and finely shredded1 apple, diced2 beets, roasted and diced1 pie pumpkin, peeled and diced1 cup pea shoots, trimmed1/4 cup pumpkin seeds1/2 log goat cheese, crumbled

Dressing

Ingredients
1 clove garlic, minced2 tablespoons maple syrup1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard1/4 cup red wine vinegar3/4 cup grapeseed oil1/4 teaspoon cinnamon Salt to taste
Equipment
Cutting boardChef's knifePeelerMeasuring cupsMeasuring spoonsTongsAluminum foilBaking sheet line with parchmentForkBowls of various sizesBlenderWhiskDish towel

Get Organized!

Gather your mise en place; get together all of the equipment needed for the recipe and gather your ingredients.

Get Prepped!

Preheat the oven to 400Ā°F.

Peel the pumpkin and then cut in half. Remove the seeds, then cut the pumpkin into 2 centimeter cubes. Toss with some olive oil and place onto a baking sheet lined with parchment. Roast in the oven for 10ā€Šā€“ā€Š15 minutes until lightly browned and soft all the way through.

Place the beets onto a baking sheet lined with parchment and wrap in tinfoil. Bake in the oven for 30ā€Šā€“ā€Š45 minutes until the beets are soft all the way through. Peel while still warm, then cut into quarters or sixes, depending on the size of the beets.

To prepare the vegetables for the salad, start by removing the vein from each kale leaf. Bunch a couple of leaves together and shred the kale into thin slices with your chefā€™s knife.

Roughly chop the pumpkin seeds using a chefā€™s knife or safe chopper.

Cut the pea shoots close to the soil with scissors.

Cut your apple around the core of the apple, and then dice the apple into approximately 1 centimeter cubes.

Get Cooking!

To make the dressing, add dijon mustard, garlic, maple syrup, red wine vinegar and cinnamon to a blender. Blend for 10 to 15 seconds to ensure it is all well mixed. Continue to blend and slowly add the oil in a thin stream until salad dressing is well mixed together. Season with salt to taste.

In a large bowl, combine shredded kale, pumpkin, apple, goat cheese and pumpkin seeds. Add dressing and toss together.