I suppose I wouldn’t be a good vegan if I didn’t offer you a recipe for kale salad; and to indulge the stereotype even more, I used hemp seeds on it this time around (I’ll save the hemp noodles recipes for another day too!). If you were to take something that was previously used solely as a garnish on every salad bar and buffet line in sight, and put it in the spotlight, you’d have kale.
Dubbed with the infamous title ‘superfood’, there’s even a book dedicated to it. There are many ways to use this increasingly popular green, from a simple saute, to a crispy chip, to raw salad, it has the potential to please everyone; that is, if you can pull away from your face bacon.
For this recipe, break out your fresh farmer’s market kale. Using raw kale straight up means you’re going to get the full force of it, both flavor and texture- You don’t need any limp, sad kale harshing your super food buzz. If you’re afraid, or have delicate (intestinal) sensibilities, let the salad marinate in the dressing for a few hours to break down a bit. It will intensify the flavors, obviously, and is hardy enough to stand through an overnight rest.
Kale Salad
- 1 Bunch curly kale (stemmed and torn into manageable bits)
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1-2 Tblsps Toasted sesame oil
- 1 Avocado (cubed)
- Salt to taste
- Toasted sesame seeds (or hulled hemp seeds, if you’re feeling sassy. Really any seed or nut will do)
This one requires your bare hands, so roll up your sleeves. Assemble all the ingredients, minus the seeds, in a large salad bowl. The kale is very springy and will fill the bowl with its jubilant goodness, hiding the other ingredients. To even the playing field, your going to squeeze the kale like a stress ball at quarter close, finals, mid-morning rush, or whatever stress-y metaphor floats your boat. The lemon juice will start to break down the kale, and the sesame oil and avocado will begin to sort of emulsify into a coherent dressing the coats each leaf in lusciousness. Mix in your seeds/nut of choice and that’s all there is to it! You can eat it right away, or set it aside to relax and meld for as long as you feel you need. If you’re feeling extra fancy, you can dice up some fresh mango and toss it in as well!