Chopped Veggie Kale Salad with Sesame Dressing

With the warmer weather settling in, I am craving all the veggies. And not roasted veggies or steamed veggies, I want all the fresh and crunchy summery raw vegetables on my plate all at once. And salads are my favourite way to satisfy this craving.

 MORE ABOUT THIS CHOPPED VEGGIE KALE SALAD RECIPE

Curly kale is the type of kale I use for all my kale salads (mostly because that is the only kind I can ever find at my local farmer’s market or grocery store). Curly kale can be tough so it’s best served in salad form when torn into small pieces and given a real good massage.

This dressing really steals the show. I have to admit I have been holding on to it for a while trying to find the perfect salad to showcase all of its deliciousness. A little bit of sesame oil goes a long way in most recipes, but especially dressings. My rule of thumb is 1 part sesame oil to 4 pars non-sesame oil. I’ve been obsessed with flax seed oil lately for dressings (that might have something to do with me forgetting to put EVOO on my shopping list for multiple weeks in a row now).

But the sesame together with a little bit of tamari (or gluten-free soy sauce), lime juice and honey make for an explosion of Asian-y flavours that taste just too good drizzled all over veggies.

I used a variety of different vegetables for this chopped veggie kale salad (if we’re being real, the salad was inspired by a fridge clean out). You can really use any combination of vegetables you’d like (or have to use before they spoil) but I found the combination of onions, snap peas, peppers, fresh herbs, carrots all chopped, sliced or grated and layered on top of the massaged kale like a rainbow to be the best.

This salad is best served the day it’s made. The flavours are the brightest, the freshest, the bestest (sorry, not sorry) on day one. If this salad, somehow, survives until day 2 I would make a little extra dressing to add on top as the sesame and honey and lime flavours get lost as the kale starts to break down even further after sitting in the fridge overnight.

This is the perfect side salad for 4 people when served beside any dinner or also makes a great meal course for 2 people when you add some protein like chicken or shrimp, chickpeas, steamed edamame or even baked tofu.

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Chopped Veggie Kale Salad with Sesame Dressing

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• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: Serves 2-4 1x

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Description

A Chopped Veggie Kale Salad recipe that has lots of crunch, texture and flavour all topped with a homemade sweet sesame-ginger dressing. A healthy and nutrient-rich salad perfect for lunch or beside any dinner.

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Ingredients

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For the Sesame Dressing:

• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice
• 1/2 tablespoon tamari (or use other gluten free soy sauce)
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger root

For the Salad:

• 6 (heaping) cups kale, torn into small pieces
• 1 cup shredded Brussels sprouts or cabbage (or use more kale)
• 1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped (or use parsley instead)
• 1 cup bell pepper (any colour), thinly sliced or chopped
• 1 cup sweet snap peas, chopped
• 1/2 cup carrot, grated or chopped
• 1/4 cup onion (red, white or green), thinly sliced
• Optional for Serving: sesame seeds, chopped peanut or cashews, steamed edamame, baked tofu

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Instructions

1. In a small mixing bowl or mason jar with a tight fitting lid, add the oils, honey, lime juice, tamari and ginger and whisk well or shake vigorously until smooth. Set aside.
2. Add chopped kale and Brussels spouts or cabbage, if using, into a very large bowl. Pour about 4-5 tablespoons of the dressing over the kale. Using your hands, ‘massage’ or rub the dressing into the kale pieces to help break down the toughness of the kale. After about a minute of ‘massaging’ the kale, it should look soft and wilted. Stir in cilantro.
3. Transfer massaged kale to your serving bowl and top with chopped veggies – peppers, snap peas, carrot and onion – and then any other optional toppings you’d like.
4. Drizzle of the remaining dressing over top of the salad and serve immediately.

Notes

This salad is best served the day it’s made.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes