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Easy Kale Apple Slaw with creamy honey mustard dressing will become your new obsession. It takes minutes to make this copycat of Tropical Smoothie Cafe's tasty salad.

We loved the tangy, fresh taste of Tropical Smoothie Cafe's Kale and Apple Salad so much that we created a copycat version. Now, we too can serve it alongside our favorite sandwich...or even inside a sandwich...anytime we want!

The flavor is amazing and addictive and uses just a few simple ingredients that I almost always have on hand.

To round out the meal, we whip up a Simple Strawberry Smoothie with Yogurt (another copycat from the same place) and sit back enjoy a fake-out, take-out dinner without driving anywhere!

How to Prep Kale

Kale takes center stage in this Kale Apple Slaw! Young and tender leaves are best, such as baby kale. We used curly kale because it presents so well in this recipe and doesn't require tenderizing first either. See Massaged Kale Salad - The Secret to Tender Leaves if you happen to use a heartier variety of kale or want to take the extra step to marinate the leaves.

To prepare the kale, remove and discard woody stems and then chop or tear the leaves as small as you possibly can to achieve a slaw-like appearance.

Tip: Use kitchen shears to quickly "snip" torn kale leaves into even smaller pieces. Simply place the torn kale into a bowl and then snip away.

Creamy Honey Mustard Dressing

The dressing for Kale Apple Slaw starts with the Honey Mustard Sauce used in our Alice Springs Chicken Recipe. The ingredients in the dressing are:

Mayonnaise - any type that you have in the refrigerator or see notes on substituting below.
Honey - use agave nectar for a vegan version
Dijon mustard - not yellow mustard
Apple cider vinegar - to thin the dressing plus it helps soften the kale leaves.
Celery seed - gives the dressing a coleslaw twist.

Whisk all the ingredients together or add them to a small jar with a lid and shake to combine.

Note: A salad oil, like Canola oil or a mild tasting olive oil, may be substituted for the mayonnaise for a less creamy, but still very tasty, dressing.

Putting it together

In addition to kale and salad dressing, you'll need to prep apples and carrots for this salad.

Note: Any type of apple will work, including green. We used a sweet Ambrosia apple. (We are big fans of this apple which really has staying power and doesn't quickly brown in dishes like this.)

For a consistent appearance, dice the apples and carrots into small pieces too! Or, julienne them for a different look altogether.

To assemble the salad, just toss all of the ingredients in a large bowl and it's ready to serve.

Variations: Top with slivered almonds, use dried cranberries or raisins instead of apples.

To make this recipe ahead of time, prepare kale, carrots, and dressing and store separately until ready to enjoy.

Some types of apples can be prepped and stored overnight as well. If you're not sure that the apples will keep, lightly toss them in a lemon juice. It will not detract from the final dish.

Since kale is naturally hearty, it will hold up well if you have leftovers! Add it to fish tacos or top Carolina Style Burgers like these by Sugar Dish Me the next day!

Please rate this recipe and tag @DinnerMom or #DinnerMom on social media. We love to see what you are cooking up!

📋 Recipe