I almost had the privilege of staying at the renowned Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City when I was a senior in high school.
Unfortunately, due to lots of picketing and some sort of boycott, my classmates and I had to change locations and stay at a different hotel during our senior class trip to the Big Apple. Oh well!
The salad I’m sharing today originated in the Waldorf Hotel in the late 1800s and is often a potluck favorite due to the combination of creamy dressing, crunchy celery and walnuts, and sweet, crisp apples.
A bunch of healthy ingredients go into this salad recipe
One of the things I like to do when preparing meals is make some upgrades. “Upgrades” are little changes that basically boost the nutrient score of a particular food or dish. The more nutrients we get in our food, the more our bodies will thank us by staying well and feeling energized!
I made this salad, which puts a healthier spin on the class Waldorf Salad, for a friend’s baby shower last summer, and it was a big hit.
The sweetness comes from apples and raisins instead of the white sugar used in the traditional recipe, and the Dijon mustard, apples, and walnuts blend together to create a creamy dressing without using mayo.
The main “upgrade” to this recipe is the addition of dino kale (a superstar vegetable!). This is a great way to introduce friends and family to kale. It has lots of different textures and great flavor. Bring it to your next potluck!
“Upgraded” Kale Waldorf Salad
Ingredients
- 4 cups packed finely chopped raw kale, preferably dinosaur kale
- 1 large red apple, such as Fuji or Honeycrisp, chopped, divided
- 1 cup thinly sliced celery
- 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped, divided
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons raisins, divided
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons water, more if needed
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
- Optional: 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
The dressing will be pretty thick, but I just massage it into the kale. If you find that you need more than 2 tablespoons of water to thin it out, feel free to add in one tablespoon of fresh lemon juice instead of adding more water.
Click here for the full recipe from Whole Foods Market Recipes (one of my favorite recipe apps!).
athleticavocado
yum! i love how kale is used!
racheldruck
Thanks so much! Let me know if you decide to make it and what you think 🙂
Jan Sullivan... Joe's Aunt
LOVED this! The dressing amazed us. It was so sweet and yet no sugar or honey! We both ate our salad completely before we ate anything else– just couldn’t stop. Can’t wait to make these recipes for our friends in Florida. As you will see in the FB photo, we used red leafy kale as that is all our store had.
racheldruck
Jan, I’m so glad! Isn’t it surprising? I thought the same thing the first time I made it. Somehow it just works! Love that you used what was available – red leafy kale is so pretty anyway, so it looks like it added another pop of color! Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for taking the time to leave your feedback 🙂