It is time to expand the kale salad repertoire. I hope you have tried (and LOVE) this Easy Raw Kale Salad with Garlicky Dressing – I enjoy it about once a week. One of its benefits is the low number of ingredients – ingredients that I tend to always have on hand and ready to go {hence the “easy”}. Although I sometimes struggle with finding the right salad accessories, this colorful, healthy combination of toppings and the tangy Asian-inspired dressing – with ginger, honey, toasted sesame oil, and garlic – are a great match.
I served this salad last night to some colleagues who are in town for work for an extended stretch. When I travel for work, I have to try so hard to eat just one serving of fruits and vegetables each day. I mean, if wine counted as fruit, I would be all set … but I digress. Suffice it to say, I know how hard it can be to eat healthy when you are traveling or just out of your routine. So when I was planning the dinner menu and had a bunch of kale and a pint of blueberries from my vegetable delivery burning a hole in my refrigerator, this seemed like a good choice to serve.
This salad makes a great colorful addition to any entertaining table. If your guests are healthy or gluten-free (or both!), or if you have a heavier main course, give this a try as your side salad. And I don’t mind the leftovers, for packing my lunch for work tomorrow!
- For the Dressing:
- 4 T extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 T c balsamic vinegar
- 1 T low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 T honey
- 1 T peeled, minced ginger
- ½ t toasted sesame oil
- 1 T water
- For the Salad:
- 1 bunch lacinato kale, washed and chopped into thin strips (discard the tough ends of the stems)
- 1-2 t fresh lemon juice
- 1 c cooked quinoa
- 2 carrots, cut in to thin discs
- handful of grape tomatoes, cut into slices
- handful of blueberries
- ½ c sliced almonds, toasted
- Combine all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl, and whisk well.
- Place the washed, sliced kale in a large mixing bowl, and sprinkle the lemon juice on it; massage the lemon juice into the kale with your hands for a minute.
- Add 2 T of the dressing, and massage that in for a minute as well.
- Let the dressed, massaged kale sit for 5 minutes {use this time to toast the almond slices!}.
- Add the rest of the ingredients (quinoa, carrots, tomatoes, blueberries, and almonds).
- Add more dressing if you would like, and serve with the remaining dressing.
Adapted from: http://www.fitsugar.com/Sesame-Ginger-Kale-Quinoa-Salad-Recipe-28512826
I can’t wait to try this recipe – it looks delicious! Gorgeous photos too!
Thanks Lisa! It’s a great salad variation and the kale is hearty enough to dress in advance – it won’t wilt if you dress it lightly, it will just break down to a good texture for raw kale.