Kale Salad with Chickpeas and Orange-Ginger Dressing
(Serves 4) WF, SF, NF
Looking for a tasty way to get more greens in your diet? Kale is one of the most nutrient-dense foods available, and it can be used in a variety of salads. This one is satisfyingly crunchy, with a touch of sweetness. Don’t worry if you can’t find all these ingredients. Like many salads, this one’s pretty flexible. In fact, here we’ve cut a couple of ingredients from the original recipe–adapted from Becoming Raw by Brenda Davis, RD and Vesanta Melina, RD (Book Publishing Co.)–and added chickpeas.
- 1 bunch kale (any kind), stemmed and thinly sliced
- 1 large or 2 small carrots, grated or julienned
- 1 cup red cabbage, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup daikon, grated or julienned
- 1 red sweet bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 14-15 oz can chickpeas or white beans, drained and rinsed
- Dulse flakes (optional)
- Sesame seeds or black sesame seeds (optional)
Ingredients (dressing)
- 4 pitted dates
- 1 cup orange juice (optional: fresh-squeezed)
- 2 tbsp tahini
- 2 tbsp fresh ginger, chopped or grated
- 2 tbsp miso
- 2 tbsp cider vinegar or freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tbsp tamari or Nama Shoyu
- 2 tsp sesame oil (optional)
- 1 pinch cayenne or ground black pepper
Directions
- Soak the dates in half of the orange juice for at least 1 hour.
- While soaking, thoroughly combine the prepared vegetables in a large bowl and toss well with the chickpeas, sprinkling in the dulse flakes and sesame seeds, if desired.
- Transfer the dates and the orange juice to a blender.
- Add the tahini, miso, and ginger. Process until smooth.
- Add the remaining half of the orange juice and all of the vinegar, tamari, optional sesame oil, and cayenne. Process until smooth.
- Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.
- To serve, pour the dressing into the large bowl of salad and toss to combine.
- Let marinate for at least 20 minutes before serving.