This refreshing summer kale salad is packed with seasonal superfoods and topped with creamy goat cheese and crunchy candied pecans.

Kale salads. How do you feel? I was a little suspicious back in the day, but if I give the kale a good massage and add a lot of different toppings, I can now get pretty excited about them. If you’re not into kale salads yet, let me see if I can sell you: we’re adding juicy peaches and blueberries, creamy goat cheese, and perfectly salty-sweet candied pecans.

CANDIED PECANS! Sorry to shout, but they’re so good, and they’re super easy and quick to make on the stovetop in less than ten minutes. No fuss, no oven. And you may want to make a double batch, because it’s hard to stop snacking on them. I ate a lot of mine before the salad even got dressed!

In other news, I have a serious peach problem. Last summer, we got down to Chattanooga at the end of peach session, right after The Peach Truck had left town. I was so mad I had missed out. All year I waited and checked the schedule. And when they came to East Ridge a little over a week ago, I was there. I bought a 25-pound box of peaches and a one-pound bag of pecans.

Since then, it’s been all peaches all the time. In addition to eating an embarrassing number of them out of hand, juice dripping everywhere, I’ve made a peach dutch baby, peach margaritas (I shared the full recipe on Insta–they’re so good!), peach muffins, and peach ice cream.

I have a few more peaches stashed in the fridge, and finally got around to a savory application: this summer kale salad. It’s pretty much an all-local salad because the kale is from my Big Sycamore Farm CSA and the peaches and pecans are from Georgia (I live in TN but I’m just a few minutes from the GA border).

I picked the blueberries this weekend up at my friend Lindsey‘s family’s place on Lookout Mountain, and they gave me this amazing goat cheese they made themselves with milk from their own goats. I’m pretty sure I live in the best, most delicious place on earth!

This summer kale salad is so easy and so fast, and you’ll feel a wonderfully healthy glow after eating it. Happy summer!

Summer Kale Salad with Peaches and Candied Pecans

Name: Summer Kale Salad with Peaches and Candied Pecans
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 2 large or 4 small servings
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar or white balsamic vinegar; 1/2 teaspoon stone ground mustard; Freshly ground black pepper; 5 cups lightly packed torn kale leaves (center stems removed); 1 ripe peach, sliced; 1/2 cup blueberries; 2 ounces crumbled chèvre; 1 tablespoon butter; 3/4 cup pecan halves; 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon maple syrup; 1/8 teaspoon bittersweet smoked paprika

Yield: 2 large or 4 small servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

This refreshing berry peachy kale salad is packed with summer superfoods and topped with creamy goat cheese and crunchy candied pecans.

Ingredients

For the candied pecans:

1 tablespoon butter
3/4 cup pecan halves
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon maple syrup
1/8 teaspoon bittersweet smoked paprika

For the dressing:

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar or white balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon stone ground mustard
Freshly ground black pepper

For the salad:

5 cups lightly packed torn kale leaves (center stems removed)
1 ripe peach, sliced
1/2 cup blueberries
2 ounces crumbled chèvre

Instructions

To make the candied pecans, heat the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the pecan halves, maple syrup, smoked paprika, and a couple of pinches of sea salt. Cook, stirring constantly, until the pecans are coated in a sticky glaze and no liquid remains in the pan, about 8 minutes. Transfer the pecans to a parchment-lined plate and spread them out in a single layer to cool.
Mix all the dressing ingredients with a fork in a large bowl. Add the kale leaves, toss to coat them with the dressing, and massage them by hand until reduced in volume, darker green, and tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the kale to a platter or divide it between individual serving plates. Top with the peach slices, blueberries, crumbled goat cheese, and candied pecans.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1 small serving
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 372 Total Fat: 31g Saturated Fat: 7g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 23g Cholesterol: 14mg Sodium: 127mg Carbohydrates: 21g Fiber: 6g Sugar: 10g Protein: 8g

The nutrition label provided is an estimate for informational purposes only and may not be accurate. I am not a nutritionist or medical professional.

I’ll take an extra side of the candied pecans!

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Comments

Kathy Nun says
July 5, 2018 at 11:58 am

This recipe is great! We have been getting a lot of kale in our CSA bins this summer and were looking for something new to make. Your recipe really fit the bill the week we got kale, blueberries and peaches! Not being kale lovers, we were skeptical about RAW kale paired with fruits but we fell in love with it. I’m actually heading off to make another batch after typing this comment! Thank you for your creativity!

- Becky says
  July 10, 2018 at 8:51 am
  
  Yay, so happy you’re enjoying it! It can be hard to use up all that CSA kale! 🙂
  
Meagan says
July 4, 2018 at 12:26 pm

Simply amazing! The fruit paired beautifully with the kale.

- Becky says
  July 4, 2018 at 12:39 pm
  
  So glad you liked it!
  
Becky says
August 22, 2017 at 9:49 pm

My family really enjoyed this–which is good for a family who doesn’t like kale! It’s past blueberry season here, so I used home-dried sweet cherries and substituted a little bit of warmed ricotta for the goat cheese. The dressing is lovely with the kale, and the peaches round the whole salad out to a sweet and lovely experience. The pecans were super easy to make and a delicious addition to the salad!

- Becky says
  August 26, 2017 at 11:09 am
  
  Thank you, Becky (great name, right?!)–I’m so happy you and your family enjoyed this. I love your changes, and now want to try it with ricotta and dried cherries myself! Lately I’ve been making these pecans to put in other things or just to eat for snack, but your comment has me inspired to make the whole salad again.
  
Get Inspired Everyday! says
July 27, 2016 at 10:42 pm

I love the touch of spice in the candied pecans, smoked paprika is a favorite and I’m always looking for new ways to use it. I have everything I need to make this except goat cheese which just went on the grocery list, thanks for the awesome salad inspiration!

- Becky says
  July 29, 2016 at 8:48 am
  
  You’re welcome! I love smoked paprika, too. I actually used the last bit on these pecans and now I need to get more…it might be my all-time favorite spice!
  
Spoontang Kitchen says
July 23, 2016 at 5:04 pm

So beautiful! I never thought to add sweet items to kale before.

- Becky says
  July 23, 2016 at 5:25 pm
  
  Thank you so much! I think kale goes really well with fruit 🙂
  
Sarah | Snixy Kitchen says
July 19, 2016 at 2:00 am

25lbs of peaches doesn’t sound like a problem to me – that sounds like HEAVEN. I’m all about kale salads and this one with candied pecans and peaches sounds AMAZING.

- Becky says
  July 19, 2016 at 7:39 am
  
  Thank you, Sarah! It’s definitely a delicious problem :).
  
Julia Mueller says
July 18, 2016 at 10:41 am

Such a gorg kale salad! I’m loving the combo of flavors here – the fresh fruit + cheese+ candied nuts always makes for such a mouth-watering salad. Definitely a beautiful way to dress up kale!

- Becky says
  July 19, 2016 at 7:37 am
  
  Thank you so much, Julia!