Kale Waldorf Salad – A Healthy Recipe Redo

Growing up, my Mom used to make Waldorf Salad.

I remember how the creamy coolness of the mayonnaise-based dressing was mixed all around crisp apple bites, crunchy walnuts and sweet juicy grapes. Mom always put baby marshmallows in her salad and the kid in me loved those little treats.

Recently, however, I have been trying to add more and more kale to our diets, and mayonnaise tends to, well, stick to all our hips a little, so I set out to make my childhood salad a little healthier for my grown-up metabolism. Here’s how I did it.

Start by mixing your dressing in a large bowl.

I added 1/4 cup each of light mayo and fat-free Greek yogurt. I also added a tablespoon of honey, one tablespoon of Dijon mustard and a teaspoon of red wine vinegar, a pinch of salt and pepper and a teaspoon of dried tarragon.

Mix this up with a whisk.

Then pour either 4 cups of finely shredded cut kale on top or do like I did and use baby kale.

Chop up one apple (I like Honeycrisp) and one cup of grapes. Pour them on top of the kale.

This step is optional but I toasted my walnuts and I like to keep them large so I don’t chop them. Just put them into a small skillet over medium heat just until you smell them, around 5 minutes. Stay close and stir or flip them so they won’t burn!

Let them cool a bit (you actually may want to do the tasting the walnut thing before making the dressing to allow them cooling time).

Then add them to the salad and toss it all up and spoon it out onto plates.

Now that I’ve lightened up the dressing on this salad, I MAY just try the marshmallows again, just for old times’ sake.

Other fabulous bloggers are using apples this week for Food Network’s Fall Fest. Check them out below for their scrumptious recipes!

The Lemon Bowl: Whole Grain Pancakes with Warm Apple Topping
In Jennie’s Kitchen: Homemade Apple Breakfast Bars
Jeanette’s Healthy Living: Almost Crusted Cinnamon Apple Grilled Cheese
Dishing With Divya: Fresh Apple Salsa
Virtually Homemade: Potato Apple Gratin
Weelicious: Apple Almond Cake
Dishin & Dishes: Kale Waldorf Salad (A Healthy Recipe Redo)
Domesticate Me: Apple Cinnamon Baked Doughnut Holes
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Applesauce with Maple and Cinnamon
Red or Green: Apple and Green Chile Crustless Pie
The Sensitive Epicure: Toaster Oven Cinnamon Apple and Walnut Muffins with Almond Flour and Maple Syrup
And Love It Too: Apple Pie Cookies
Taste With The Eyes: The Culinary Legend of Apple Tarte Tatin
The Heritage Cook: Gluten-Free Apple Crisp
FN Dish: Early Morning Apple Recipes