Fall Kale Salad with Garden Pesto Salmon
I am in love with this meal, guys! First, fall salads with butternut squash (my favorite squash), apple slices, cranberries and pecans are just the best. And then there’s the salmon. If you’ve read Kim’s Cravings very long, you already know what a fan I am of salmon. Served together – dinner doesn’t get any tastier than this, folks!
This meal is actually really easy and comes together with very little hands on time. All of the yumminess is in the texture and flavor combinations.
The base is roasted, slightly crispy, gorgeous bunch of kale.
Quinoa gives the salad a satisfying heartiness.
The fruit is juicy, fresh apple. I also added starfruit for visual effect. (totally optional)
Dried cranberries add a slight chew and tartness.
Pecans add crunch and nuttiness.
And it’s topped with Bumble Bee SuperFresh® Salmon with Garden Pesto to give this dish so much flavor with no preservatives and all natural ingredients.
Creating this salad was my first time experimenting with Bumble Bee SuperFresh®. I’m so looking forward to coming up with more easy and oh so tasty seafood recipes. The Bumble Bee SuperFresh® Salmon with Garden Pesto is richly satisfying with Parmesan cheese, basil, almonds, and a touch of garlic. Next up, I can’t wait to try the Bumble Bee SuperFresh® Seared Ahi Tuna. You also have your choice of Tilapia with Lemon, Pepper & Herbs, Tilapia with Garlic and Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Salmon with Garlicky Black Pepper and Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Salmon is one healthy food my picky kiddos will eat and it is so refreshing that Bumble Bee SuperFresh® smells and tastes amazing. No fishy smells here. Because you prepare Bumble Bee SuperFresh® straight from the freezer, there isn’t any smell associated with thawing fish. And the frozen protein stays that way from harvest to the oven, unlike most of the “fresh” fish you find at the seafood counter. That means it is fresh tasting, and fresh smelling.
Bumble Bee SuperFresh® makes cooking up seafood so easy with no mess, and no fuss; just pure perfection, time after time. Premium Salmon and Tilapia come with their own parchment paper baking pouch and go from freezer to table in under 25 minutes. High in protein, richly seasoned with pure and simple ingredients that let the fish shine through!
This is the perfect entrée when you want something healthy but filling!
If you give this meal a try, let me know! Leave a comment and be sure to tag a picture #kimscravings on Instagram. Enjoy, friends!
Fall Kale Salad with Garden Pesto Salmon
Ingredients
- 1 large bunch of kale, torn from stems and torn into pieces
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons fresh apple cider
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 1/2 to 2 cups chopped butternut squash*
- 1/2 cup dry quinoa
- 1 medium apple
- 1/4 cup pecan halves, or other favorite nut (I used a candy pecan mix.)
- 3 tablespoons dried cranberries
- Salt + pepper to taste
- 2 fillets Bumble Bee SuperFresh® Salmon with Garden Pesto
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place kale in a large bowl and massage olive oil, apple cider, 1/8 teaspoon salt, nutmeg and pepper into for 1-2 minutes. Spread on a baking sheet in a single layer and roast for 10 minutes. Toss well and roast for 5-10 minutes more, until slightly crispy but not golden. Remove from oven, set aside and increase the heat in oven to 400 degrees F.
- Toss the chopped butternut squash in one tablespoon of olive oil in a medium bowl and add pepper for extra flavor. Place the coated squash on a baking sheet and let them roast for 30 - 40 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- Once you flip the squash, start your quinoa. Bring 1 cup of water to boil, add your dry quinoa and let simmer for 8 - 10 minutes.
- While the squash and quinoa are cooking, prepare other ingredients. Core the apple and chop it into mini bite size pieces.
- Once butternut squash has cooked and been removed from the oven, pop the fillets of salmon in the oven and cook according to package instructions.
- Allow quinoa and squash to cool for about 10 mins and while fish is cooking before assembling salad. Once cooled, combine kale with squash, quinoa, apples, pecans and cranberries. I don't find this needs any sort of additional dressing (the kale will not stay crispy) but feel free to add some if you'd like.
- Serve salad in a large bowl with salmon on top or serve salmon, plated, with salad on the side.
Notes
**This recipe makes for two large salads. By adding another piece of fish, you could easily feed 3 people or feel free to double the recipe to feed a family of four.
***It is not necessary to cook the kale, however, I enjoy it slightly crispy and warm, but this step can be skipped if you would prefer the kale be fresh.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @kimscravings on Instagram and be sure to subscribe to our mailing list to receive more healthy and delicious recipes straight to your inbox!
This looks AND sounds amazing!!
This looks amazing! SO delicious (and healthy too!)
Interesting! I didn’t realize that the salmon was going to be pre-packaged like that. I love pesto!
Hi Kim, Recipe sounds like a fall treat!
Is their salmon wild caught? No way I would eat talipia though so I won’t be trying that one in their brands. It’s on the list of 17 worse fish.
Thanks, Jann! I know their available tuna is wild-caught. I’m not so sure about the salmon, though.