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Crunchy Kale Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette with a Comforting Soup

With a sweet-tart dressing, this Crunchy Kale Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette is a perfect accompaniment for your favorite soup — like a soothing potato soup. This post is sponsored by Idahoan® Foods.

restaurant-style-crunchy-kale-salad-and-potato-soup

Going out to eat is one of life’s joys. From the moment you walk in, and are ushered to a table, to the moment you leave, everything is so easy. There’s the menu, filled with appetizers and entrees that sound so good. And there’s the server, who gets everything you need. And then there’s the meal, skillfully prepared — by someone other than me — and served at the perfect temperature, cooked just for you.

I love to cook. I love crafting new recipes that allow you to enjoy big flavors with minimal fuss. And I love the feeling that comes with feeding my family a nutritious and delicious dinner. But sometimes, I just want dinner to be easy (and still delicious and nutritious).

That’s when soup and a salad is the answer. But it can’t be just any soup or salad. It needs to be rich, flavorful and nuanced — like a good home cooked meal or a tasty restaurant meal.

idahoan-creamy-potato-soup

A creamy, flavorful soup like Idahoan Premium Steakhouse® Creamy Potato Soup totally hits the spot and does just that. It has the rich, slow-cooked flavor of restaurant-quality soups but is ready super-fast at home.

Have you tried Idahoan® Premium Steakhouse® Potato Soups? They take just minutes to prepare — just boil water, whisk in the soup packet and then simmer. These hearty soups come in four flavors — Creamy Potato, Loaded Potato, Cheddar Broccoli and Three Cheese Chipotle — and retail for about $2.79 per pouch (each one serves 4).

making-crunchy-kale-salad

Try pairing the soup with a good salad. Something that’s a step outside the ordinary. Something with big flavors — like Crunchy Kale Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette. This crunchy salad combines earthy kale with sweet carrots and dried cranberries, meaty pecans and zesty shallots. It’s tossed with a sweet-tart cranberry vinaigrette for a bold, flavorful salad.

crunchy-kale-salad-and-potato-soup

Honestly, the combination of Idahoan® Premium Steakhouse Potato Soup and this salad allows you to recreate the steakhouse experience in the comfort of your home, and tastes just as good! Just add fancy napkins, plates and perhaps a signature drink -— pomegranate juice with ginger ale is a favorite ’round these parts. And don’t forget the bread basket -— it’s always a must.

How do you create restaurant experiences at home?

For more information, follow @IdahoanFoods on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook using #IdahoanSteakhouseSoups.

Crunchy Kale Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette

Crunchy Kale Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 bunch kale, (recommended: lucinato)
  • 1 carrot, , small chopped
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/4 cup chopped pecans
  • 1 shallot, , finely chopped

Dressing

  • 2 tbsp cranberry sauce
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • salt and pepper, , to taste

Instructions

  1. Remove the kale leaves from the stems, discarding the stems. Chop the leaves into bite size pieces and place in a salad bowl. Add the carrot, dried cranberries, pecans and shallot. Toss to mix.
  2. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the cranberry sauce, red wine vinegar and olive oil. Taste, and season with salt and pepper, as desired.
  3. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Let sit 5 minutes, then toss again before serving. Enjoy.

Prateek Dasgupta

Saturday 17th of December 2016

Not a huge fan of Kale but I love the vinaigrette! Will try it out with lettuce!

Tandy | Lavender and Lime

Saturday 17th of December 2016

The dressing sounds perfect! I have never paired soup and salad together before :)

Evelyne CulturEatz

Friday 16th of December 2016

SoundS like a great dinner and I couls use a bowl of that potatoe soup right now it is like -30C where I am lol.

Kirsty

Saturday 10th of December 2016

The soup sounds delicious, but I can't say I've ever paired a salad with soup! Toasted sandwich full of cheese.. yes, too often to count ;)

Sarah Walker Caron

Sunday 11th of December 2016

No? I love pairing soups with salads. Whenever I go to Panera, I order a soup and salad for lunch.

Kate

Thursday 8th of December 2016

Soup and kale salad is one of my favorite lunches.

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