Confetti Kale Slaw {gluten-free, vegan}

We whip this up all the time and scarf it down almost as quickly.  This kale slaw also makes a great addition to any Tex-Mex spread like enchiladas, fajitas, tamales, etc.

CONFETTI KALE SLAW

Kale is a tricky dark, leafy green to eat raw because it can be quite bitter and tough.  That’s where the avocado and lemon juice come in.  By massaging the guacamole-like dressing into the kale, the heat from your hands along with the lemon juice break down the tough, bitter leaves, resulting in a much more mellow flavor.  The avocado adds creaminess and you punctuate the newly tender green with sweet bell pepper and the warmth of a little onion. All these ingredients work together to make a pleasantly tangy, creamy, sweet and spicy salad.

Serves 6-8 as a side

  • 2 bunches of kale, chopped into thin 1/4″ x 1″ strips
  • 2-3 ripe avocados
  • juice of 1 lemon, plus more to taste
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more to taste
  • 1 small red onion, diced
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 yellow bell pepper, diced

In a large bowl mash up the avocados with the lemon juice, olive oil and a little salt and pepper until you achieve the consistency of a somewhat smooth guacamole.

Add the chopped kale and massage into the avocado spread, continue working in the avocado until the salad has shrunk by about half and the kale is flexible.

Add the bell peppers and onion, mixing thoroughly with your hands. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary. I usually end up adding more lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.

You can serve immediately. We like to let ours sit in the fridge a few hours and allow the flavors marry.

Carrot, Kale and Nori Salad with Sesame Dressing

Sometimes I don’t particularly enjoy the writing portion of this whole bloggy blog thing, especially after a long (debatable), hard (even more debatable) week of work. 

So, I’ll be breif. 

I’m longing for Spring: light, bright, fresh, FRUIT, strawberries, asparagus.

Helloooo! Let’s get on with it already.

CARROT, KALE AND NORI SALAD WITH SESAME DRESSING
This was a surprisingly successful clean-out-the-fridge lunch.  So good, in fact, I made the same exact salad for dinner served along side perfectly grilled salmon.  Adam made no complaints.

Because this is a salad and not, say, cupcakes, the recipe is quite loose. By all means improvise. Also, I like tricking myself into eating raw kale. I love kale any way it is cooked, but in its raw state it is very bitter and harsh for my tastes. 

Salad:

  • 1 verdant (lush/green) head of romaine lettuce, rinsed, dryed, and thinly chopped into strands
  • 2-4 sturdy leaves of kale, prepped like the romaine lettuce
  • 6 carrots, grated by hand or in a food processor
  • green onions, sliced on a bias
  • 1/2 sheet of nori seaweed, sliced or crumbled
  • 1-2 tablespoons lightly toasted sesame seeds
  • Dressing:

  • 1/4 cup sesame seed oil
  • juice of 1 lemon (approx. 2 tablespoons)
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1- 2 teaspoons honey, agave nectar, or sugar
  • pinch of red pepper
  • Mix the romaine and kale together and place on a plate.  Top with grated carrot.  Then garnish with green onion, nori strips and lastly, the toasted sesame seed.

    Whisk the dressing together in a seperate bowl and drizzle over the top of the salad.  Serve immediately.