Vegan Kale Salad with Sesame Dressing and Crispy Kale Chips
Wait a minute, kale salad and kale chips? Is this the point where our blog turns into a healthy-vegan-living direction? No, no worries. But contrary to popular belief, we don't just live on carbohydrates but eat a salad every now and then. And when kale season starts in winter, the crispy leaves also end up on our plates. You can already find our recipe for a hearty kale stew here, but today we will prepare something fresh and crunchy.
This salad, which is prepared in less than 30 minutes, even provides you with a double portion of kale – once fresh and once baked as crunchy chips. But massaged both times. Sorry, what? Yes, you read right, we'll open a spa for our kale today because if you eat kale raw, you should usually massage it first.
Kale is quite tough, and that's great for warm dishes like stews, as this means that the leaves won't wilt directly but can simmer for a longer time. But when you want to eat kale raw, this texture can become problematic because kale is then also quite difficult to digest. By massaging the kale leaves, you break up some of the tough fibers, which result in a more tender kale that's easier to digest. Before we get to this step, though, you should first remove the really tough stems. You can do so by either cutting them out with a knife or by grabbing the stem and then pulling the leaves off by hand. Afterward, add the kale leaves and the dressing to a bowl and massage it for about 5 minutes, or until you notice that the leaves soften.
However, there are exceptions to the wellness program: if you prepare this kale salad in advance and let it sit for a few hours, the dressing will soften the leaves on its own. So, in this case, there's no need for massaging.
Last but not least, here are a few last tips on how to adjust this salad to your taste: we love to add grapes here to add a crisp, sweet-ish freshness, but you could also add apple or pear slices. The almonds can of course, be replaced by any other nuts and if desired, kick the garlic powder when seasoning the kale chips and instead use za'atar or any another spice mixture.
Vegan Kale Salad with Sesame Dressing and Crispy Kale Chips
Ingredients
For the kale chips:
- 150 g (5.25 oz) kale
- 1 tbsp (0.5 oz) sesame oil (or olive oil)
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- 0.25 tsp garlic powder
- salt
For the salad:
- 150 g (5.25 oz) kale
- 200 g (7 oz) red cabbage
- 100 g (3.5 oz) fennel
- 150 g (5.25 oz) grapes
- 50 g (1.75 oz) sliced almonds
For the sesame dressing:
- 3 tbsp (1.5 oz) olive oil
- 2 tbsp (1 oz) tahini
- 1 tbsp (0.5 oz) apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp (0.5 oz) orange juice
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 150 °C/300 °F (convection). For the crispy kale chips, separate the kale stems from the leaves. Tear the leaves into smaller pieces, wash, and dry them thoroughly. Then place them in a bowl, drizzle with sesame oil, and massage the oil in well for approx. 5 minutes so the kale softens. Add sesame seeds, garlic powder, and a good pinch of salt and mix. Spread the kale leaves on a baking sheet and roast for approx. 15 minutes until crispy. Feel free to flip them once halfway through the baking time.
Meanwhile, for the salad, separate the remaining tough kale stems from the leaves and tear the kale leaves into smaller pieces, wash, and dry them. Cut the red cabbage and fennel into thin strips and place all three ingredients in a large bowl. Halve the grapes and set them aside.
Toast the sliced almonds in a fat-free pan until golden brown.
For the dressing, whisk together olive oil, tahini, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, and orange juice and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Toss the fresh kale, red cabbage, and fennel with the dressing and massage the dressing in well for at least 5 minutes so the kale softens. Place the salad on plates and distribute the grapes, sliced almonds, and crispy kale chips on top.
