This creamy vegan kale salad is full of color and nutrition. Enjoy as a side dish or add beans and grains for an entree salad. Free from oil, gluten, and nuts, with savory flavors of lemon, miso, and garlic. Ready in 30 minutes!
1large bunchcurly kale - approx. ¾ to 1 pound with stems.
½largered onion, thinly sliced - for milder flavor, soak in water while preparing other ingredients, then drain and pat dry.
½largeEnglish cucumber, sliced into half moons
1largecarrot, peeled and chopped or cut into matchsticks
1largeyellow or orange bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
8 to 10ouncesgrape or cherry tomatoes, halved
lemon juice, to taste
salt and pepper
Garnish:
roasted sunflower seeds, optional
Instructions
First, tap this link to make the creamy dressing. TIP: I recommend adding an additional clove of garlic to the dressing because you want it to be EXTRA flavorful for kale salad. You may also want to increase the miso slightly. You can taste and decide while blending the dressing.
Next, wash the kale leaves and pat dry. Remove the thick stems, cut into bite-size pieces, and place half of the kale in a large bowl. Sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt, then drizzle about ⅓ cup of dressing over the kale. Use your hands to squish, squeeze, and massage the dressing into the kale. Transfer that kale to a new bowl, and massage the other half of the kale in the same way. After massaging the kale, its total volume should be reduced by about half.
Toss the other vegetables with the kale, and add more dressing, to taste, about ½ to ¾ cup. Season with a generous squeeze of lemon juice plus salt and black pepper to taste.
Cover and refrigerate the kale salad until ready to serve. Garnish with roasted sunflower seeds, and serve cool.
Notes
StorageKale salad keeps in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Best enjoyed the day it's made. Serve cool but not ice cold.Leftover DressingIf you prepare the full batch of sunflower seed dressing, you'll have some leftover after preparing the salad. The dressing keeps in the fridge for up to 1 week. It's easy to use and tastes great on everything from potatoes to grain bowls to sandwiches.