Crunchy Spinach Cranberry Almond Salad (in 15 mins)

Name: Crunchy Spinach Cranberry Almond Salad (in 15 mins)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Ingredients: 1 cup kale; 3 cups spinach; 2 cucumbers (cut into cubes); 3/4 cup feta (cut into cubes); 1/2 cup dried cranberries; 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar; 2 tsp sea salt flakes; 1 tsp black pepper powder; 1 tsp dried basil; 1/4 cup olive oil; 5 garlic cloves (thinly sliced); 5 shallots (thinly sliced); 4 tbsp almonds (thinly sliced); 3 tbsp sesame seeds

The simplest but tastiest salad you will make. It is packed with all wholesome and nutritious ingredients that make it filling and healthier for you. The addition of sweet dried cranberries makes it even more yummy! A quick meal to mix together in little time.

If you don’t know I love a good salad. I think they get a bad rep as a lot of people believe it is boring, insipid and tastes like grass. However I continue to share some of the salads we make at home which aren’t really salads as we eat them as part of our main course meals. There are many elements to a salad, the leaves, the herbs, the veggies/add ons, the dressing and the garnish. Each element builds on the next making it even more delicious.

I usually make this salad recipe with dates but when NCH (New Country Healthcare) sent me a delicious valentines day care package I was inspired to make it with these sweet, plump, dried cranberries. They were so good! A very nice substitute and option to the salad. The flavors of balsamic, spinach, feta, dried cranberries, olive oil, almonds garlic and onion works so well together. The recipe is some thing that you can make in 15 minutes and honestly the reason that it even needs 15 minutes is the garlic onion almond olive oil crunch which is SO GOOD!

What ingredients do you need to make this Crunchy Spinach Cranberry Almond Salad (in 15 mins)?

For the leaves I have used kale and baby spinach. For the add ons I have used cucumber, feta, dried cranberries. For the dressing we need balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, dried basil. For the crunch we need olive oil, garlic, shallots, almonds and sesame seeds.

What equipment do you need to make this Crunchy Spinach Cranberry Almond Salad (in 15 mins)?

I have mixed the salad in a plate that I am going to serve it in. For the crunch we need a chopping board and knife to cut the garlic, onion and almonds. We need this to be very thinly sliced hence you can use a mandolin as well if you are comfortable with it. The almonds need to be sliced or you can just buy sliced almonds. The crunch is made in a small sauté pan.

How to make this Crunchy Spinach Cranberry Almond Salad (in 15 mins)?

Finely slice the garlic, shallots and almonds. You can use a mandolin to do this and buy pre sliced almonds. In a sauté pan add the above oil, garlic, shallots and place on low heat. We want this to cook very gently hence make sure the heat is on its lowest. While that is cooking, we get on with the kale, massage it with a little salt on the serving platter and set it aside to soften. Cut the cucumbers, feta and get all the other ingredients ready. I like leaving the cranberries whole but you could chop them up if you prefer. Keep an eye on the garlic mixture on the stove and stir it every now and then. Once it is golden and bubbling gently add the sliced almonds and continue to cook, it will foam up a little. Take off the heat and let it cool down. Into the kale add the spinach, balsamic vinegar, more salt, pepper, dried basil and toss together. Add the cucumber, feta and cranberries on top. Drizzle over the warm garlic almond olive oil crunch generously. Serve immediately.

Serving and storing this Crunchy Spinach Cranberry Almond Salad (in 15 mins)?

This salad is best served immediately, you can pair it with grilled chicken, battered fish, tofu or steak to balance out the protein in the meal. I would not suggest storing the salad as it will get soggy and wilt away with time.

Looking for more salad recipes?

Now that we have covered how to make this crunchy spinach cranberry almond salad, you can have a look at the recipe video on my socials but let’s get to it. Don’t forget to follow along for more fun recipe inspiration.

If you try this recipe out, don’t forget to share it with me on pinterest & instagram so I can see how it turned out. I’d love nothing more than to chat with you on your cooking/baking.