This beautiful kale salad is so quick and easy to prepare and it always impresses with its vibrant colours and delicious flavour. Unlike most salads, this one actually gets better if it sits in the dressing for a bit, so feel free to store it in the fridge for twenty or thirty minutes before serving. It also makes great leftovers the next day after marinating overnight.
Prep time: 20 minutes
Tools: High speed blender (optional)
Yields 4 servings
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 medium bunch kale (about 4 cups), finely chopped
- 1/4 purple cabbage (about 2 cups), finely chopped
- 2 medium carrots (about 2 cups), peeled and grated
- 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
Dressing:
- 3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons Bragg’s liquid aminos (or soy sauce of your choice)
- 1 tablespoon tahini
- 1 small clove garlic
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Finely chop the kale and cabbage, grate the carrots, and combine all three together in a large salad bowl.
- Lightly toast the pumpkin seeds. You can do this on a dry pan on medium heat on your stove, in your toaster oven or in your oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Make sure to watch them closely, as nuts and seeds very quickly go from perfectly toasted to overdone. Pumpkin seeds make a bit of a popping noise as they near completion.
- Add the dressing ingredients to your high speed blender and mix well. I pretty much always use my Nutribullet to make salad dressings. It is compact, easy to clean and works perfectly for this purpose. If you prefer, you can simply mix the dressing ingredients together in a jar, making sure to mince or grate the garlic very finely before adding it. Screw the lid securely onto the jar and shake to mix.
- Stir the toasted seeds and the dressing into the veggies, and the salad is complete. So quick and easy!
- Enjoy!
Note: I typically serve this salad as an appetizer or a side dish. If you would like to make it into a main course, I would recommend doubling the dressing and adding about 1 cup of cooked quinoa, a can of chickpeas and some fried tofu (fry the tofu in toasted sesame oil, finished with a splash of lime and a sprinkling of salt).
Tip: Make sure to use toasted sesame oil, as it adds beautiful flavour that you will not find with regular sesame oil.
Substitution: Feel free to use sunflower seeds instead of or as well as pumpkin seeds. Pine nuts are also fantastic (but a little pricey).