About this recipe
This super-easy kale salad recipe makes eating healthy fun and delicious. It’s the best way to prepare a kale salad that the whole family will love; just add your family’s favorite toppings! This salad is vegan, gluten-free, and flavorful. It’s perfect as an entree or side dish, or you can pair it with your favorite protein for a light and energizing lunch.
This salad is vegan, gluten-free, and flavorful. It’s perfect as an entree or side dish, or pair it with your favorite protein for a light and energizing lunch.
Why kale?
Kale is rich in antioxidants and contains many other nutrients that protect us from various types of cancer. It has a significant amount of iron, even more than meat. Kale is high in fiber, which helps cleanse and detoxify our bodies. Kale’s omega-3 content provides our brain with the nutrients it needs for optimal performance, and if that isn’t enough, it also reduces our risk of type 2 diabetes.
Kale’s omega-3 content gives our brain the nutrients it needs for top performance, and if that isn’t enough, it also lowers our risk of type 2 diabetes.
Tips and tricks to prepare this salad
- Choose smaller leaves for freshness and milder flavor.
- Look for crisp, green leaves without yellow spots or holes
- Cut off the stems, but do not toss them away. You can use them for juicing or soups.
- If your family does not like kale at all, start slow. Add less kale and more veggies, or combine it with spinach or other greens.
- For this salad, I prefer green kale. I also sauté or bake Tuscan kale, dinosaur kale, or purple kale.
- Here is the recipe for my kale pesto, which is so good you need to try it. You can make it with almonds, walnuts, or even pecans.
Some variations for the salad
- First, mix the lemon juice, soy sauce, and oil in a large bowl. Then, add the curly kale or lacinato kale leaves and massage them until soft.
- You can finish the salad with your choice of seeds and nuts; toasted almonds, walnuts, or pumpkin seeds work best here.
- You can even add cooked or toasted quinoa to boost vegetable protein. A good pinch of freshly grated black pepper will enhance the flavor. Alternatively, use other grains like farro, brown rice, edamame, or beans.
- Or use other grains like farro, brown rice, or even edamame or other beans.
- If you want it to be more flavorful, consider using lemon zest, thinly sliced red onions (or pickled red onions), or crumbling some tofu or vegan feta cheese.
Kale Salad
Equipment
- Salad bowl
Ingredients
- A bunch of kale
- 1 teaspoon olive almond or avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2-3 carrots peeled and julienned
- 2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 2 Tablespoons sunflower seeds
- 1 avocado diced
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 radish thinly sliced
Instructions
- In a large salad bowl, add the torn kale leaves into bite-size pieces. Then, add the salt and a teaspoon of olive oil, and massage them; this helps to soften them up.
- When the leaves appear to be slightly wilted, add the remaining ingredients. Gently mix and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
information
Nutritional information of this recipe is only an estimate, the accuracy for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
What are the benefits of kale?
Kale has protein and a perfect balance of magnesium and calcium, and adding a little lemon juice to it helps absorb the calcium.
And it also has vitamin A, K, and a lot of vitamin C. Why kale?? Because kale is delicious! Just look at the picture. Don’t you wish you could have a bowl of this salad right in front of you to taste it?
- About the Author
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I’m Ale Graf, a Mexican living in Texas and the creator of AleCooks and Piloncillo&Vainilla. I share easy, family-friendly recipes—some Mexican, mostly plant-based—that can be enjoyed all day, every day. My focus is on recipes that bring people together around the table, making mealtime simple, delicious and meaningful. I’m also the co-author of Yo Cocino Latino, and my recipes have been featured in numerous online magazines and publications.
Follow along on my social accounts for daily inspiration, tips, and delicious recipes! I’d love to hear about you! Send me a DM on Instagram, and let’s talk all things food 🍽️✨