We love kale, passionately. It's almost the only bright spot of green in the winter, and we're gearing up to eat a lot of it this year! Well, we just found the absolutely best way to eat kale all winter long: a crunchy, salty, slightly sweet slaw, with peanuts and cider vinegar. It's kale heaven!
We discovered this recipe via a recent kitchen tour; Steve mentioned that he was cooking kale slaw this week. We were interested and went poking around for the recipe. Well, it's originally from Martha Stewart, and that version is a gorgeous mess of kale, red and yellow pepper, and chopped carrots — all tossed with salted peanuts and a salty sweet dressing.
We ate this for three days straight, and then we went back in for more.
We did want to adjust the recipe a little bit, though; it felt too heavy on the dressing, and we tweaked the textures too. Here's the recipe we ended up with: a completely addictive kale slaw, and the right thing to carry us through our salad cravings this fall and winter.

Kale Slaw with Peanut Dressing
serves 6 to 8
2 large bunches curly or lacinato kale, about 2 pounds
2 red bell peppers, cleaned and cut into fine strips
1 large carrot, peeled
3/4 cup roasted, salted peanuts, divided
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon packed light-brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
Pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
Fold each leaf of kale in half lengthwise and slice out the center rib. Discard ribs. Roll a stack of the leaves up and slice in half lengthwise, then crosswise into very fine ribbons. You will have 10 to 12 cups of finely chopped kale in the end. Wash and rinse thoroughly in a salad spinner.
Toss the kale with the sliced bell peppers. Slice the carrot very thin, either by creating curls with a peeler, or by running the halved carrot lengthwise down a mandoline. Toss with the kale, red pepper, and 1/2 cup of the peanuts.
In a chopper or small food processor, briefly puree the remaining 1/4 cup peanuts, oil, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper flakes. Pulse it just a few times; the peanuts should be partially pureed, but with some nibs and nubs still left in the dressing. (The texture difference between the whole peanuts, ground peanuts, and pureed peanuts in the sauce is one of the things that makes this slaw so wonderful.)
Toss the dressing with the slaw and let it sit for at least a few minutes before serving.
Adapted from Martha Stewart Living, August 2009
Related: Recipe: Crunchy Peanut Slaw
(Images: Faith Durand)
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Comments (17)
I would never think of eating kale in a salad. This looks delicious and a novel way to eat one of my favorite greens.
oh, this is so exciting, i just got a grocery sack full of kale from my organic farmer friend, just picked yesterday. i had no idea how to eat it. thank you!!!
I can't believe I never thought to just fold it over to take the ribs out. All these years I've been slicing on both sides and cutting it out from the top.
I usually just make kale chips or use it in my broths, but this look excellent. Thanks!
That looks so good! A perfect Winter salad.
ABreadADay.com
I've been making this salad since I saw it in Martha's magazine -- I make it with a toasted sunflower seed dressing instead of peanut (our son's allergic):
http://wellfedeveryone.wordpress.com/2009/08/10/kale-slaw-with-toasted-sunflower-seed-dressing/
In the section that starts, "In a chopper or small food processor, briefly puree the oil, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper flakes," we should also add the remaining peanuts so that they are pureed? This would give us the "texture difference between the whole peanuts, ground peanuts, and pureed peanuts in the sauce?"
Oh yes! Oops - will correct that - thanks.
This is an excellent recipe.
If I can't find kale in the grocery stores now in summer, what other greens can I use? Thanks.
I just cannot eat kale raw. I love it cooked but raw it sets my teeth on edge.
Can this dressing be made one day ahead?
What a festive looking salad. I can't wait to make this for Christmas.
Staceyann Dolenti
Just made this for a post-TG dinner party and it was a huge hit, very fresh tasting and not at all "ugg, here I am, munching raw kale". I dressed it at least 30-45 minutes before eating and it was just fine.
Super tasty dressing! I made less salad, so for the dressing I used 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons raw cider vinegar, 2 teaspoons brown sugar, 3 tablespoons peanuts, a shake or two of red pepper flakes, and plenty of coarse salt.
I think I may play around with this using peanut butter. It would be good on a slaw of red cabbage, yellow peppers, and carrots...
I have developed such a deep trust in this site-- I have yet to try a recipe that I haven't found to be delicious and worth the effort! This one is positively addictive from the moment it's tossed. I didn't think I would like raw kale, but slice this thin enough and use enough red pepper and carrot, and it's fantastic-- a perfect chewy green against the earthiness of the peanuts. I want my husband and daughter to try this, but they won't be home until tomorrow and I don't know if there will be any left!
I've been eating kale salad for a really long time and this is what's key to its deliciousness when it's raw-- chop it into fine bits and for a more simple dressing than above: use rice vinegar, soy, ginger, olive or flaxseed oil all mixed up, no chopper or anything required. At the end add anything else you want as a topper. I use sunflower seeds, walnuts, almonds, feta, apple slices (very good in counterpoint to the sharpness of the greens) avocado cecci bell peppers -- it's the best salad in the world!