Kale Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing

Submitted by: Rick

Attributed to: Rick

Category: Salads

Description: Tasty, healthy, colorful, crunchy, vegan ... this one has it all!! I usually double the dressing recipe so there's more than enough

Prep time: 15 minutes

Total time: 25 minutes + overnight chill of dressing

Servings: 4

Difficulty rating: 2

Ingredients:

Carrot Ginger Dressing 

1/2 Cup chopped, roasted carrots (from 3/4 cup raw carrots)

1/3 - 1/2 Cup water

1/4 Cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 Tablespoon rice vinegar

2 Teaspoon minced ginger

1/2 Teaspoon salt

Salad

1 Can (15.5 ounces) roasted chickpeas

1 Bunch curly kale, stems removed, leaves torn

1 Teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 Teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 Small carrot, grated

1 Small red beet, grated

1/2 Watermelon radish (can also used a regular radish), very thinly sliced

1 Avocado, cubed

2 Tablespoons dried cranberries

1/2 Cup pepitas (salted pumpkin seeds), toasted

1 Teaspoon sesame seeds

Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

Special tools/utensils needed: large baking sheet or air fryer, blender, large bowl, grater

Directions: 

Make the dressing & roast the chickpeas. 

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and use a large baking sheet or use an air fryer to roast the carrot pieces and chickpeas. 

2. Toss carrots and chickpeas in olive oil, salt & pepper. Roast for 25 minutes in the oven or in the air fryer until the chickpeas are browned and crisp and the carrot pieces soft. Set the chickpeas aside. 

3. Put carrots, water, olive oil, rice vinegar, ginger and salt in a blender and blend until smooth. Chill in the fridge until needed, overnight is best.

When ready to prepare salad

1. Put the kale in a large bowl and drizzle with lemon juice, olive oil & few pinches of salt. Use your hands to massage the leaves until they become soft and wilted. Stop massaging when the volume is reduced by 1/2.

2. To the kale in the bowl, add the carrot, beet, (watermelon) radish, half of the cubed avocado, cranberries, pepitas, a few pinches of salt & a grind of pepper. Toss. Drizzle generously with the carrot ginger dressing. Top with the remaining avocado, more dressing, the roasted chickpeas and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Voila!