This beautiful massaged kale salad provides a gorgeous burst of color for every day or special occasion meals (festive enough to include in a vegetarian/vegan Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner menu). It’s so luscious that I consider this the salad equivalent of candy. 

Serves: 6 to 8

• 1 good-sized bunch curly kale (10 to 12 leaves)
• 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced radicchio or red cabbage
• 2 medium bosc pears, quartered lengthwise, cored, and sliced
• 2/3 cup chopped toasted pecans
• 2/3 cup dried cherries, cranberries, or raisins
• 1/2 cup store-bought salad dressing fruity
  (such as raspberry vinaigrette or papaya poppy seed), or more, as needed

Strip the kale leaves away from the stems (kitchen shears are good for this). Discard the stems, or slice them very thinly.

Cut the kale leaves into narrow strips. Rinse well and pate dry. Place in a large bowl.

With a little olive oil rubbed into your palms, massage the kale for a minute or less, until it becomes bright green and softens a bit.

Combine the kale with the remaining ingredients in a serving bowl. Toss together and serve.

• Here are more recipes for using pears. ^[1]
• Explore more of VegKitchen’s Super Savory Salads. ^[2]
• Return to A Colorful Vegan Christmas (Vegetarians Welcome!) ^[3]
  for a complete listing of holiday dinner recipes, menus, and desserts.