Crunchy Detox Mandarin Kale Salad with avocado, mango, and lemon poppy seed dressing makes for a vibrant superfood meal.

Crunchy Kale and Mandarin Salad with Avocado, Mango, and Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing | TheRoastedRoot.net #superfood #vegan #recipe #paleo

I have such a crush on this salad.

Admittedly, I’d take a bowl of vegetation over a bowl of mac n cheese any day, so stranger confessions have been made on The Roasted Root, but this is by far my favorite wintertime salad.

Just lookit how vibrant the thing is.

The kale-cabbage-carrot trifecta makes for some serious crunch, while the mandarin-mango-avocado trifecta softens it up, creams it out, and is responsible for explosions on your tongue buds.

And yes, we are still talking about salad.

Crunchy Kale and Mandarin Salad with Avocado, Mango, and Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing | TheRoastedRoot.net #superfood #vegan #recipe #paleo

Citrus fruit! Itโ€™s in season. Do you adore them?

The grapefruit, mandarins, lemons and limes, oh my? I absolutely love little bitty mandarins poked all spunky and vibrant-like in my salads.

Lemon poppy seed dressing? So fine!

Because it’s citrus season, I’m enjoying my salads with anything orange-like, and salad dressings lately have been all about the simple lemon juice and oil combo.

Those avocado slices? They make this ish real.

I recommend you mash them up with your fork and stir them into the salad so that the creaminess coats a bit of the crunchy kale.

The lemon poppy seed dressing is super simple, yet super perfect for making all the componentry come together into one big love boat.

Be sure you don’t skimp on the avocado and the dressing! And be sure to stir. The more you toss this salad, the better it is.

Recipe Adaptations:

  • If you can’t handle the high-octane snap crackle pop or kale, you can halve the amount of kale and add in some spring or field greens so that you’re not constantly chomping through this thing.
  • You can turn the lemon poppy seed dressing into an orange poppy seed dressing.
  • Add some sliced grilled chicken for a protein infusion. Add some roasted walnuts or almonds, you vixen, you.

All ingredients added together, youโ€™re looking at a vitamin-filled superfood salad packed with crunch. Vegan and paleo-friendly, too, though!

Crunchy Kale and Mandarin Salad with Avocado, Mango, and Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing | TheRoastedRoot.net #superfood #vegan #recipe #paleo

Crunchy Kale Mandarin Salad with Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing

5 from 2 votes
Crunchy Kale Mandarin Salad with avocado, cabbage, carrots, and Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing is a blast of color, flavor and nutrients!
Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings: 4 Servings

Ingredients

Mandarin Kale Salad:

  • 2 bunches lacinato kale thinly sliced, tuscan
  • ยฝ small head red cabbage thinly sliced
  • 2 cups grated carrot
  • 1 bunch green onion chopped
  • 1 large ripe mango chopped
  • 4 to 6 mandarins peeled and separated
  • 1 large ripe avocado peeled and sliced
  • Slivered almonds and sesame seeds for serving

Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing

Instructions

Prepare the salad dressing:

  • Add all of the ingredients for the salad dressing except for the poppy seeds to a small blender. Blend until completely smooth. Stir in the poppy seeds and set aside until ready to use.

Prepare the salad:

  • Add all of the ingredients for the salad to a large serving bowl. Drizzle desired amount of dressing over salad and toss well to ensure everything is coated. Serve with sliced almonds and sesame seeds.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Serving ยท Calories: 358kcal ยท Carbohydrates: 40g ยท Protein: 8g ยท Fat: 21g ยท Fiber: 16g ยท Sugar: 20g
Author: Julia
Course: Lifestyle
Cuisine: American
Keyword: detox kale salad, healthy salad recipes, kale mandarin salad, lemon poppy seed dressing
Did You Make This Recipe?I want to see it! Tag @the.roasted.root on social media!
6 Healthy Ways to Eat Citrus Fruit

This month for our healthy recipe roundup, Alexis, Sarah, Arman, Kylie, Lindsay and I decided to hone in on the citrus fruit group. In honor of the sweet, tangy, vitamin and antioxidant-rich fruit, the gang and I are dishing up healthy recipes using various citrusy items to keep you eating in season. 

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Julia Mueller
Meet the Author

Julia Mueller

Julia Mueller is a recipe developer, cookbook author, and founder of The Roasted Root. She has authored three bestselling cookbooks, – Paleo Power Powers, Delicious Probiotic Drinks, and The Quintessential Kale Cookbook. Her recipes have been featured in several national publications such as BuzzFeed, Self, Tasty, Country Living, Brit.co, etc.

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5 from 2 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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Questions and Reviews

  1. This salad is soooo good! Thank you for it! I made it last week and again tonight. Can’t get enough of it.

  2. I would use spinach instead of kale, but I love this recipe! Great post. Check out my new blog healthyheatherblog.wordpress.com
    You can also find me on IG @heatherwhite_lv

  3. I’ve been a citrus FIEND lately, and loving it in salads, which is new for me! Love that this is dressed with all that lemony goodness and the sweet bursts of mandarin slices just can’t be beat.

  4. Ju, I have to be honest with you. I’ve never seen a salad more beautiful than this one you post today! WONDERFUl!!

  5. This is what my salad dreams are made of. It’s everything!! It’s definitely happening my kitchen soon.

    Have a great weekend, love! <3

  6. Girrrrrl, I totally have a crush on this salad, too! LOVE all the colors going on in this salad!!

  7. Wow, this might be the most gorgeous salad I’ve ever seen! Loving all the flavors (and colors) here. Citrus is so good this time of year!

  8. This is absolutely stunning! Kale is always my green of choice, and I’m such a fan of the mandarin, too ๐Ÿ™‚

  9. That lemon poppy seed dressing sounds amazing! I love salads with a lot of flavor and add-ins and this one doesn’t disappoint ๐Ÿ™‚

  10. This is one of the most beautiful salads I’ve ever seen! The colors are just perfect!

  11. Oh my gee. This salad would make me reconsider my hatred of kale!!! That dressing would make even cardboard taste appetising.

    Also, this is amazing because you called them Mandarins and not CUTIES. What kind of a dumb name is that? cuties. cuties. cuties.

  12. I love everything about this salad! And that dressing! It’s so hard to find a good poppyseed dressing recipe that isn’t full of junk. I will definitely be having this for lunch today!