Gluten-free · Nut-free · Soy-free

 

Let’s be honest, lots of kale salads are boring. Usually, the kale is dressed in olive oil and vinegar or lemon juice and it only has a few sad veggies or fruits in it. Who wants to eat that? Not me.

The key to a great kale salad is a creamy dressing. Kale leaves themselves, especially curly kale, are thick on their own, so they have to go with a thick sauce that will get stuck in and around the leaves so that every bite will be flavorful.

But then what kind of dressing are we talking about? Your typical (vegan) Caesar dressing? Cashews and nutritional yeast? Hummus? Those aren’t the only options. You can make a creamy sauce without nuts or tofu or beans. You can use vegetables! But it has to be the right vegetable of course, and cauliflower is perfect. It’s super versatile, the flavor isn’t too strong (so you can flavor it however you’d like), and most importantly it becomes super creamy when blended. The dressing for this salad is only made up of steamed cauliflower, garlic, and fresh ginger. It’s thick like mayonnaise and incredibly delicious! Apart from this salad, you can serve it on top of roasted vegetables, on your rice, or even in your tacos. It won’t last long, trust me.

In addition to the great dressing, this salad is full of anti-inflammatory ingredients. Inflammation is the body’s response to injury or illness, but if we’re continuously exposed to inflammatory triggers, we can experience chronic inflammation. Anti-inflammatory ingredients such as kale, cauliflower, garlic, ginger, onion, extra-virgin olive oil help reduce, block, and prevent inflammation in the body. They also boost and modulate the immune system so that it responds properly. They’re also rich in antioxidants that help repair damage in the body. In short, the more anti-inflammatory ingredients we can eat, the better! And this salad is a great (delicious) way of getting a bunch in!

Equipment

• 1 medium pan

• High-speed blender

• 1 large bowl

• 1 small bowl

Uses

You can serve this salad as a side, a starter, or even as your main meal. You can always add beans, tofu, tempeh, or other vegetables for extra protein and to round it out.

 

 

Watch the recipe video here:

 

Serves 4 as a side/appetizer

Ingredients

Pan-fried cauliflower

1/2 head cauliflower

30ml extra-virgin olive oil

Sea salt, to taste

1/2 cup vegetable broth or water

cauliflower Dressing

1/2 head cauliflower

4 cm fresh ginger, peeled and cut into rounds

3 cloves garlic

40ml extra-virgin olive oil

Sea salt, to taste

Quick-pickled onion

1/4 large white onion, sliced thinly

3 pinches sea salt

1/4 head yellow cauliflower, cut into small florets (optional)

Juice of 2 limes

Toppings

1 large bunch curly green kale

Zest of 2 limes

Fresh parsley leaves

Fresh sorrel leaves

Method

Pan-fried cauliflower

1. Preheat a medium pan on medium-high flame. Cut the 1/2 head of cauliflower in bite-sized florets. Add olive oil to the pan along with the florets and a pinch of salt. Cook for 5-8 minutes, then add vegetable broth. Bring to a boil and cook for another 7 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Cauliflower dressing

1. Cut the 1/2 head of cauliflower into small pieces, they don’t have to be even. Place in a large steamer and steam for 25-30 minutes, or until soft. Remove from steamer and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, add garlic and ginger to the pan with the other cauliflower. Sear until golden brown, then remove and set aside.

3. Add the steamed cauliflower and ginger and garlic to a high-speed blender along with olive oil and a pinch of salt. Blend on high until smooth, stopping and scraping the sides of the blender when necessary. The texture should be completely smooth and thick like mayonnaise. Taste and adjust seasoning. Set aside.

Quick-pickled onion

1. Place sliced in a small bowl. Add salt and massage with your hands until the onion has wilted and has released water (about 1 minute). Add lime juice and massage again to combine. Add yellow cauliflower (if using) and mix to combine. Set aside.

Assembling the salad

1. De-stem the kale and cut it into either thin strips or bite-sized pieces. Place in a large bowl and add lime zest. Mix to combine. Start adding about 1/4 cup of the dressing and use your hands to massage it evenly into the kale. Taste and add more dressing if desired.

2. To plate, place a layer of the dressed kale on a plate and top with some parsley leaves and some of the pan-fried cauliflower. Add a layer of pickled onions, separating them and spreading them around. Continue with another layer of kale, then parsley, cauliflower, more pickled onions, and some of the pickled yellow cauliflower too. Top with some sorrel leaves and any extra parsley that you might have. Serve immediately.