SERVES 4–6
Kale is a powerhouse ingredient. It delivers loads of fiber, vitamin K, vitamin C, minerals, and antioxidants. This simple salad is a breeze to make, but the complex flavors will impress your friends and family. There’s a sweet and salty duality in this dish that cuts the bitterness of the kale. This is a salad we always set on the table when we’re hosting a dinner party or a big gathering. We switch the raisins to cranberries during the holiday season. It looks so pretty with those holiday colors of evergreen and deep red. Pair it with our Carrot Ginger Soup. We’re confident this will become one of your favorite salads, too!
For the dressing
1 clove garlic, peeled
¼ cup olive oil
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. tahini
⅛ tsp. Himalayan pink salt
⅛ tsp. black pepper
1 Place the garlic in a mini food processor and mince.
2 Add the olive oil, lemon juice, tahini, salt, and black pepper and process until smooth and creamy. Set aside until the salad is ready.
For the Walnut Parmesan Cheese
½ cup raw walnuts
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
⅛ tsp. Himalayan pink salt
1 Place the walnuts into a mini food processor and pulse until the nuts are reduced to small, rice-size bits.
2 Add the olive oil, nutritional yeast, and salt. Pulse again until the mixture looks like Parmesan cheese. Set aside until the salad is ready.
2 heads of dinosaur kale (the dark, leafy one)
Olive oil (for drizzling)
¼ cup raisins, soaked in water for about 5 minutes
1 Rinse the kale very thoroughly, pat the leaves dry, and destem them. Stack the leaves about five to six high and and cut them into very thin strips. Repeat with the remaining leaves.
2 Transfer the kale to a salad bowl. Drizzle with the olive oil. Massage the kale with your hands to soften it and help it absorb the oil.
3 Add the soaked raisins and toss together.
4 Toss the entire batch of Walnut Parmesan Cheese into the salad. Serve with as much dressing as you prefer.
You can easily double the Walnut Parmesan Cheese recipe, store the extra in an airtight container or mason jar in the fridge, and use often. For the salad, prepping the kale the day before can speed up the process.