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A delicious and fresh tasting Grilled Pineapple, Coconut and Kale Salad that will become your new summer favorite. Served with an Asian inspired dressing with flavors of soy sauce and toasted sesame oil, topped with toasted coconut.

A wood bowl of green and red kale topped with grilled pineapple, shaved carrots and toasted coconut

This is an eating al fresco in the warm weather type salad. Serve it alone in its natural vegan way, or pair it with grilled… anything really. Shrimp, chicken, steaks, kabobs and veggies are all good options.

If you’re not familiar with it, grilling fruit may sound strange, but it really isn’t. Grilling sweet fruit, like pineapple and peaches just enhances their already sweet and delicious flavors.

Pouring soy sesame dressing over a bowl of grilled pineapple coconut kale salad

This salad comes with an easy dressing with Asian flavors of soy sauce, toasted sesame oil and rice vinegar and ginger. The lettuce I chose is a hearty kale (a mix of green and red) which is firm enough to stand up to the dressing and pineapple without becoming wilted and flat. 

I added carrots for crunch and color, but shaved them thinly with a potato peeler, this way they are easier to eat and hold onto the dressing nicely. Whenever I can find purple carrots (which are yellow in the center), I buy them and this is what I used for this. 

A closeup of the colorful shaved carrots in the salad

The finishing touch, a lovely sweet topping is unsweetened, toasted shredded coconut. A full fusion of Asian and tropical elements.

When it comes to the pineapple, I like to buy a whole one and cut it myself, which is easier than you think. I cut off the stalk, then stand the pineapple upright and peel it using a sharp knife from top to bottom. Then I slice in the shape and size I want. 

Grilled pineapple coconut salad in a wooden bowl with grilled shrimp in the background

If cutting a whole pineapple is not for you, you can buy it already cut in the vegetable/salad section of the supermarket. I don’t recommend using canned pineapple because it is too wet and will not grill very well.

If you’ve made this Grilled Pineapple Coconut Kale Salad, please leave a comment (or question) below. I love to hear from my readers.

More Salad Ideas:

Yield: 4

Grilled Pineapple Coconut Kale Salad

Slices of grilled pineapple on a bed of kale with shaved carrot and toasted coconut

Sweet grilled pineapple is served on a bed of kale with shaved carrots and toasted coconut, served with a soy and sesame dressing.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • For the salad:
  • 8 large pieces of pineapple
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 cup (60 grams) unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1 head of kale
  • 2 carrots, shaved using a potato peeler
  • For the dressing:
  • 1/4 cup (60 ml) low sodium soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
  • 1 small garlic clove, peeled and grated
  • 1/2 cup (118 ml) olive oil

Instructions

  1. Preheat grill.
  2. Brush the pineapple pieces with vegetable oil. When the grill is hot, grill on both sides until caramelized with grill marks. Remove and set aside.
  3. To a small frying pan add the coconut over medium-low heat. Toss every couple of minutes until evenly light brown and toasted. Transfer to a bowl.
  4. Add the dressing ingredients to a bowl and whisk well, or add to a storage jar and shake, set aside.
  5. Once the pineapple is cooled, cut into bite-size pieces.
  6. To a large bowl, add the kale and carrot slices. Drizzle with the dressing and toss well. Add the pineapple and top with the toasted coconut.

Nutrition Information

Yield

4

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 264Total Fat 16gSaturated Fat 6gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 9gCholesterol 0mgSodium 141mgCarbohydrates 30gFiber 5gSugar 14gProtein 3g

This nutrition calculation is provided by Nutronix that is only a guideline and not intended for any particular diet.

© Janette
Cuisine: American / Category: Salad