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.

Ingredients (salad)

  • 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

  1. Soak the dates in half of the orange juice for at least 1 hour.
  2. 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.
  3. Transfer the dates and the orange juice to a blender.
  4. Add the tahini, miso, and ginger. Process until smooth.
  5. Add the remaining half of the orange juice and all of the vinegar, tamari, optional sesame oil, and cayenne. Process until smooth.
  6. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.
  7. To serve, pour the dressing into the large bowl of salad and toss to combine.
  8. Let marinate for at least 20 minutes before serving.