Did you know that the first week of May is National Raisin Week? Well, now you do! I challenged myself to find something new and unique to make with raisins this past week, and I wasn’t just happy with my results. I was thrilled. Blown away. My taste buds were dancing.
When I think of raisins, I typically think of a few things: little kid snacks (I loved eating raisins out of those little boxes when I was little!), yogurt-covered raisins (a more grown-up snack that I LOVE), and oatmeal-raisin cookies (Yum!). I wanted to stretch myself just a little and try something totally, completely different than oatmeal raisin cookies (or cinnamon-swirl raisin bread or Cinnamon-raisin rolls, etc. Not that there’s anything wrong with any of those things!). I had recently purchased some baby kale for salads, and I thought I’d try adding some raisins to a salad with kale. Super healthy and hearty and delicious!
Side note: I have had kale plenty of times before, and I always picture it as being very coarse and tough. But baby kale is much more reminiscent of fresh spinach. I love it!
Baby Kale and Golden Raisin Salad with Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette
- 5 ounces baby kale, with stems cut off
- ⅓ cup golden raisins
- ¼ cup goat cheese, crumbled
- 2-4 tablespoons sliced almonds (I used "salt and pepper" flavored almonds)
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Place kale, raisins, goat cheese, and almonds in a large bowl.
- Add all dressing ingredients to a mason jar. Tighten lid on jar and shake to combine ingredients well. Drizzle over salad and toss to coat everything (note: you will probably have extra dressing. Don't drown the kale...a little goes a long way!).
- Serve immediately...and enjoy! Sprinkle with extra raisins, cheese, and/or almonds, if desired.
That’s it! This salad recipe is so easy and comes together in just a few minutes. If you make the vinaigrette ahead of time and store it in the fridge, then you can whip up this kale salad for lunch in no time at all. Because kale leaves are pretty hearty, it’s ok to toss the kale with the dressing ahead of time (the kale in the pictures had been sitting in the vinaigrette for nearly an hour when I took the pictures because I had a friend come over and we started chatting.
The next day, I tossed the salad and dressing and ate it right away. Both salads were delicious. The only thing I’d warn is that the goat cheese is very soft and will soak up the dressing and get mushy. However, it still tasted fabulous!
For more delicious recipes featuring raisins for National Raisin Week, visit a few of my favorite blogs:
I think I may be trying a few of these delicious raisin recipes during National Raisin Week!
- Arroz con Leche (Mexican Rice Pudding) by Confessions of an Overworked Mom
- Raisin Cinnamon Swirl French Toast by Adventures in All Things Food
- Chewy, Delicious Oatmeal Raisin Coconut Cookies by Our Family World
- Oatmeal Raisin Muffins by Wife Mom Geek
- Carrot Raisin Salad by Thrifty Jinxy
- Make a Simple Cinnamon Raisin Bread by Day by Day in Our World
- Orange Raisin Muffins with Orange Glaze by Mom Does it All
- Chai Raisin Donuts by Upstate Ramblings
- Oatmeal Raisin Apple Muffins by My Sweet Sanity
- Carrot Cake Cookie Recipe – Sneak Fruits & Veggies in for Your Kids! by Frugal Novice
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I have never tried fruit in a green salad before. Sometimes I think it’s a bit strange, but then when looking at the salad it looks pretty good.
Yum! That looks so good. My husband will really love this! Thanks for the recipe!
That is definitely my kind of salad! Love it – and it looks delicious.
Yep! Totally different! It’s much softer and more similar to spinach.
I don’t think that I’ve ever tried baby kale before. Is it a lot different from the adult variety?