This refreshing cherry salad recipe features lacinato kale, black rice, fresh mint, toasted hazelnuts, and creamy goat cheese in a tangy red wine vinaigrette. It is vegan-adaptable.
Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon? Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?
Mary Oliver
Why You’ll Love This
- Fresh summer cherries! A delicious way to enjoy this summer staple.
- A filling, satisfying salad. Thanks to black rice, you can serve this salad as a main or side dish!
- Perfect for summer parties. A beautiful, colorful dish for al fresco summer potlucks.
- Incredibly nutritious! Packed with antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, and rich in fiber.
Cherry Salad Ingredients
- Fresh cherries: A juicy, tart, delicious summer staple! The star of this salad.
- Kale: Lacinato, curly, or baby kale.
- Olive oil and salt: For massaging the kale to achieve tender texture.
- Red wine vinegar dressing: Red wine vinegar, olive oil, maple syrup, dijon mustard, black pepper, and salt.
- Black rice: Or sub wild rice. Gives the salad substance and protein, making it a filling, stand-alone salad.
- Red onion: For hints of sharp, pungent flavor. Complements the tartness of the cherries.
- Fresh herbs: Italian parsley and fresh mint, for even more fresh summer flavor.
- Garnishes: Toasted hazelnuts and goat cheese, if desired. Hazelnuts add warm and toasty flavor and crunchy texture, while goat cheese gives this salad a bit of extra tanginess!
How to Make Cherry Salad with Kale and Black Rice
Step 1: Massage kale. Add kale to a large bowl and drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and salt. Use your hands to massage the kale until tender. (Baby kale takes less time.)
Step 2: Make the dressing. In a bowl, whisk remaining olive oil, red wine vinegar, maple syrup, dijon mustard, pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
Tip: Double or triple the dressing and store in a jar to use throughout the week!
Step 3: Assemble salad. To the bowl, add cooked black rice, red onion, parsley, mint, and dressing. Toss!
Step 4: Garnish. If desired, garnish with toasted hazelnuts and goat cheese just before serving.
Recipe Variations
- Greens: Instead of kale, try making this salad with arugula! (Skip the massaging step and it is best enjoyed immediately.)
- Vinaigrette: You could swap red wine vinegar for sherry vinegar, apple cider vinegar or use balsamic vinegar to make a balsamic vinaigrette.
- Rice: Instead of black rice or wild rice, you could use quinoa or couscous.
- Herbs: Instead of parsley try a mix of mint and basil!
- Hazelnuts: Any toasted nuts would work here, such as slivered almonds, toasted walnuts or pecans.
- Cheese: Goat cheese pairs beautifully with the sweet cherry flavor, however feta cheese could also work. Or skip the cheese to keep the salad vegan and add avocado!
FAQs
This salad tastes great the next day! I don’t recommend storing it beyond that. You can always store the dressing separately, as well as the nuts and goat cheese to preserve texture.
Spread hazelnuts out on a baking sheet and place in a 350F oven for 10-12 minutes. Bring to room temperature before adding to the salad.
Absolutely! Grilled Chicken would make a nice addition. Or try Grilled Salmon, Baked Salmon, or Grilled Tofu.
Health Benefits of Fresh Cherries!
- Rich in antioxidants: Cherries are loaded with antioxidants, including vitamin C and polyphenols, which help combat oxidative stress and reduce inflammation. They also contribute to healthier skin by combating free radicals, reducing signs of aging, and preventing skin damage from the sun and pollution.
- Anti-inflammatory properties: The compounds found in cherries can help reduce inflammation, which is beneficial for preventing chronic diseases and reducing muscle soreness after exercise.
- Support heart health: Consuming cherries has been linked to reduced risk factors for heart disease, such as lowering bad cholesterol levels and reducing blood pressure.
- Promotes better sleep: Cherries, particularly tart cherries, are a natural source of melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep. Consuming cherries can help improve sleep quality and duration.
- Boosts immune system: The high vitamin C content in cherries helps strengthen the immune system.
On the homefront: During the last years of my mother’s life, she would often call me from Pasadena to “confess” that she purchased another tiny bag of $14 cherries from Whole Foods and proceeded to devour them all in 10 minutes.
I could hear the bubbling delight in her voice over the phone, masked by a tinge of guilt over the cost. Being frugal the whole of her life, this was a luxury, one she felt needed justifying. By the end of the conversation (and as I mentioned, this same conversation happened repeatedly, several times a summer and over several summers), I would talk her down, easing her guilt. Eventually, she would feel some reassurance that this was, in fact a very reasonable purchase. After all, anything that could give her that much delight, was, as Visa so perfectly put it…. priceless.
To this day, I can not look at a cherry without picturing my mom devouring them… and feeling a little of that pure delight they brought.
Enjoy the cherry salad- xoxo
More Summer Salad Recipes!
Cherry Salad with Kale and Black Rice
- Prep Time: 20
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 5
- Category: Salad
- Method: Tossed
- Cuisine: Moroccan
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This refreshing cherry salad recipe features lacinato kale, black rice, fresh mint, toasted hazelnuts, and creamy goat cheese in a tangy red wine vinaigrette. It is vegan-adaptable.
Ingredients
- 2 cups lacinato kale, packed – chopped and de-stemmed
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper to taste
- 1 1/2 cups black rice, cooked (or use wild rice)
- 2 cups fresh cherries, pitted and cut in half
- 1/4 cup red onion, small dice
- 1/2 cup Italian parsley, chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh mint, chopped
Garnish with toasted hazelnuts and goat cheese if desired.
Instructions
- Place kale in a large bowl, and drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and salt. Massage leaves with your hands for a few minutes, to tenderize the kale. (Baby kale takes less time.)
- Whisk together the remaining olive oil, red wine vinegar, maple syrup, dijon mustard, pepper and a 1/4 teaspoon salt.
- Add cooked black rice, red onion, parsley, mint, cherries and dressing, toss. This salad is really good the next day as well.
- Garnish with toasted hazelnuts and goat cheese just before serving.
Notes
Dressing can be made ahead. Leftover salad is good the next day- or store without dressing for up to 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 387
- Sugar: 8.4 g
- Sodium: 156.8 mg
- Fat: 10.4 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 52.3 g
- Fiber: 2.9 g
- Protein: 5.9 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
THIS IS THE GREATEST SALAD EVER.
I also shared this recipe with my 70 year old mom who seems to know, or have, the best recipe for everything. Ever since I sent her the recipe, every single phone call, she talks about waiting for cherries to be back in season so she can make this salad again. I don’t know if I’ve ever sent her a recipe she considered adding to her mix. I think I’ve cemented in my number one position s the favorite child solely due to this amazing salad.
And I’m also excited for cherries to come back into season as well so I can eat this again too!
Aw, that’s awesome! Love that connection with your mom. And haha… yay for favorite child. 🙂
This is divine!
Glad you enjoyed!
Such a fresh, delicious salad with pops of surprise flavors: cherries instead of red grapes and hazelnuts! I didn’t have the mint and I substituted feta for the goat cheese. I’m having it for dinner on a hot summer day. Marvelous
Glad you adapted and enjoyed this Pam!
I love the quote at the top. What I’m going to do is make this salad even though I don’t love kale (but I want to). And even though the other members of my family may not like it. I’ll make it for me. Life’s too short to not try the yummy things.
Lisa :), you could use arugula if you want? Or even mixed greens…
I used the kale, everyone loved it! I used a mix of Jasmine/brown/wild rice, had a hard time finding the black rice. I do have two questions. 1. I didn’t see where to add the cherries so I assumed I just am supposed to stir in with everything else, correct? And do you use 1.5 cups raw rice and cook it, or 1.5 cups cooked rice? I cooked 1.5 cups raw rice, and put in probably 2 c cooked rice. It was delicious, especially with the local cherries.
Opps, thanks for these catches! Recipe card updated. Rice measurement is for cooked rice and cherries in with everything just like you did it!
So glad everyone liked it! You just never know.:)
Delicious and toothsome. The mint and hazelnut really elevate the flavor combos. Thanks again for another fantastic recipe
Great to hear! Thanks so much for the review!
I made this salad and loved it! I used crumbled feta cheese, but when I make it again, I will use chèvre instead. The feta was too salty. Next time I will pare back on the salt a bit. Otherwise, I kept strictly to the recipe and thought it was delicious! I think this site has some of the most exciting and innovative recipes. Turning me into a vegan! Thank you!
Glad you gave it a try Donna!
Fabulous salad! Didn’t have black rice but it was great with couscous.
So happy you enjoyed Aline!
I made this yesterday and it was fantastic! I did use baby kale for this and black wild rice. The mint was such a lovely addition. Love the story about your mother and the cherries!!
Awesome and thank you for the great review!💛
This is so delicious, healthy and refreshing on a hot summer day
Glad you enjoyed Judy!
Just made this and I really liked it! I used feta, wild rice, tart cherries (yum), slivered almonds and added some lemon. So good. Def will make this again.
Great to hear Jenifer!
Found this and made the Kale Salad- substituted feta for the haloumi as that is what I had on hand. Delicious!
Rest…I love that word. Your pictures are wonderful. I love the many facets of cherry. This is a nice read. Bookmarking the page…
Myfudo here…Normally we’d never put a shameless plug back to us, but we just launched our new site and we would love for you to be a part of it. I’d love to share our newest launch with you, I hope you don’t mind? Now that we are getting a new look…Myfudo is moving to a new domain http://www.yumgoggle.com This has been a project we have been working on for almost a year now. We just launched our new gallery submission site, and we are just thrilled. We’d be proud to have your work as part of our growing collection to continue to have a larger reach and further inspire all fellow food lovers out there! Please sign up and check us out (it’s free) http://www.yumgoggle.com/gallery
We look forward to seeing your wonderful pictures, as always.
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Thank you and I will defiantly check it out. 🙂
lovely and saliva glands activated …… per usual!
So many delicious cherry recipes in one post! That black rice salad looks heavenly!
Thanks Angie!
Hi Sylvia, Love the poem, and the cherry recipes! Have you tried grilling the kale? We did the other day and it’s transformative! The Lacinato variety works well, as the curly edges of the more common type burn too easily.
Thanks! I’ve never tried grilling kale…but I will! Sounds delicious.