Kale, Black Bean and Sweet Potato Salad with Spicy Avocado Dressing

Kale, black bean, onion, sweet potato salad with spicy avocado dressing!

Kale, black bean, onion, sweet potato salad with spicy avocado dressing!

I was going to make guacamole, but decided to make a creamy and spicy avocado dressing for a kale salad. (I’m trying to be good and eat lighter dinners. We’ll see how long that will last. wink). I also added a can of black beans and half of a diced sweet potato. I think this salad would also be good with some corn and roasted pumpkin seeds, but I didn’t have either on hand.

For the salad:

  • 1 head of lactino kale
  • 1/2 of a roasted sweet potato
  • 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1/4C. minced white onion
  • 1/2 of a red/orange/yellow bell pepper, chopped

For the Dressing:

  • 1 ripe avocado
  • juice of one lemon
  • handful of chopped cilantro
  • 1/2tsp chili powder
  • 1/4tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/4C olive oil (eyeball it, you may want to use more to have a thinner dressing, or use water to have a thinner dressing
  • 2TB water

Make the dressing: I used my mini food processor (which is an awesome addition to my kitchen). Add avocado, oil, lemon juice and spices and blend until creamy. You may have to add a little bit more oil (or water) to thin out the dressing. Adjust spices to your taste.

Thoroughly rinse and pat dry kale leaves. Fold leaves in half, then cut into strips a few times so the kale is in bite-sized pieces. Add chopped kale to large bowl, drizzle with dressing and massage into the kale until it’s well coated. Add remaining ingredients and toss. Add some crumbled Bulgarian feta too…that might be good. I wish I had thought of that when I made the salad!

Kale, Chickpea and Shaved Pecorino Salad with Lemon

Firstly, I realize that I have several kale recipes on my website. BUT, in my defense, they are all delicious. Though, in having so many recipes, I think I’ve become a Brooklyn stereotype. But, hey, I don’t care because my appetite at lunch yesterday while working from home was sated.

  • 1 bunch of dinosaur kale, thinly chopped
  • A handful of raw almonds, toasted, then chopped
  • 1 can of chickpeas, rinsed*
  • 2-3 tsp of olive oil
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • shaved pecorino
  • salt and pepper to taste

Note, I find that if I massage the kale with the oil I use less oil. So, then, massage olive oil into the kale leaves until they are well-coated, add remaining ingredients and toss. You can add some lemon zest too, but, for me, the juice was just perfect.

*Now that I think of it, this would kick it up a bit if the chickpeas were roasted in the oven and then cooled slightly. Hmmm…next time!

Another take on raw kale salad

I entered a local online bake sale via Instagram yesterday. I baked my mom’s Toffee Bars recipe. Fingers crossed! In order to counter the amount of sugar I consumed yesterday, I needed something savory and, a bit more nutritious (hey, I had to sample the bars!). Enter, my go-to lunch when working from home: raw kale salad with random raw vegetables and toasted spicy hazelnuts (these are the DuChilly variety which don’t have that bitter taste and are quite addictive. I got them in Seattle at Pike Place Market last Fall when I was there with Mary). The key is after chopping the dino kale, massage the olive oil into the mix so you can evenly coat the kale and not use so much oil.

A Few Notes

In this instance, I used a orange pepper. Previously, I used red and yellow, just because I’ve been hooked on the sweetness of peppers lately and, for color. (Yea, I’m weird like that). I’ve also used the florets of the broccoli before, but tend to like using the stalks instead because I like their crispness. Lately, I’ve used roasted, spicy hazelnuts in this salad, but, raw ones or almonds work too. Overall, I want a crisp, light, and colorful salad to remind me of warmer days. As for the olive oil and red wine vinegar, use your best judgment. I tend to like a lighter, not heavy dressing on the salad.

Raw Kale Salad

  • 1 bunch of Lactino Kale, washed, chopped
  • 2 carrots, sliced
  • 1 broccoli stalk, trimmed, sliced
  • 4-5 radishes, chopped
  • 1/2 of a orange pepper (or red or yellow for color), diced
  • 1 Half of an avocado, diced
  • 1/4 C. toasted hazelnuts (or almonds), chopped
  • 1/3 C garbanzo beans
  • 1 TB, plus a splash of extra virgin olive oil
  • A few dashes of red wine vinegar

Rinse the kale and then finely chop it, add to your bowl. At this point I add a few dashes of olive oil and then massage it into the kale leaves so they are coated. Add remaining ingredients, toss with more olive oil if needed and another dash or so of red wine vinegar.

Kitchen Sink Kale Salad

Sometimes I just want a crunchy salad for dinner. I know, I’m SO exciting that way. I realize that kale is pretty much played out around here, but it’s still nutritious and I still love it. So, sue me. This salad comes together quickly and is best with a nice glass of white…or red, or whatever you prefer.

Salad

  • 1 pkg. mixed kale
  • 1/2C sugar snap peas
  • 1/2C radishes, thinly sliced
  • 1/2C carrots, thinly sliced
  • 1 ear grilled corn, cut off cob
  • 1/2 avocado, cubed
  • 1/4C toasted almonds, chopped
  • 1/2C chickpeas
  • 1/8 – 1/4C finely grated Pecorino (optional)
  • 1TB Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Dressing

Juice of one lemon, a couple quick drizzles of extra virgin olive oil (if needed) and a splash of white balsamic vinegar—all to taste.

I find it helps if I massage the olive oil into the kale leaves before adding the other ingredients, that way, you use less oil and all the leaves are evenly coated. If you find you need more olive oil, then add sparingly before tossing the salad. Oh, and I’ve been “grilling” an ear of corn directly on my gas stove burner. Brilliant, I tell you!

Easy Raw Kale Salad with Preserved Lemons

Wow, seems I’ve not posted in a long time. I’ve still been baking and cooking, but apparently too lazy to write up posts for the blog. I need to write more! Anyway, ever since Xmas dinner–where my sister-in-law made this salad, I’ve been making it about once a week (my friends make fun of me for my kale consumption). It’s super simple and flavorful. You should be able to find a jar of preserved lemons a most gourmet food stores.Or, and I’m not sure why this never occurred to me until now: you could make your own! I’ve been wanting to make my own pickles (cue Portlandia’s skit, so I should also get some Meyer lemons and preserve them too. Now I have a project.

  • 1 package of cut kale
  • 2-3 TB of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1 TB minced preserved lemons
  • dash of salt (optional)

Put kale in large mixing bowl (I use my glass Pyrex one) and massage oil into the leaves until they become tender. Add minced lemons and mix together. That’s it. I also tend to add a little (1 tsp.) of the liquid from the jar of lemons too.) If you’re like me, try to not consume the entire container of kale in one day. That’s not a bad thing, is it?