Asian Kale Salad

Hey guys!  Just to make things clear, I’m in my early twenties… not 12.  Yeah, last night I was told I look really young.  I thought she was going to say maybe 18 at the youngest but no, she said I look 12!  When I’m 80 it will be nice to look half my age, but not right now.  I mean, 12 is that awkward stage when kids are in braces and going through puberty!  Ugh.  I guess I need to get more of a sophisticated look going on.

The other funny part about this is that when I came home and told my husband (who is always very kind and trying to build me up), he said in a logical manner “Well, maybe it’s because of your teeth…” Oh no he didn’t!  (We had a good laugh.)  But maybe.  I’m missing my lateral incisors (the teeth on the sides of the top two middle teeth) so when I had braces (at 12) they moved my canines next to my middle teeth and filed them down but they are bigger than normal lateral incisors would be.  Hopefully Carly doesn’t inherit my teeth genes, but at 13 months she still only has two teeth so it’s not lookin good.

Well, I have now tried kale!  I’m not gonna say it’s my favorite leafy green, but it was still good.  After trying the regular kale I ran into this red kale at the store and I just fell in love with the color!  The dark green, purple veining, and those ruffly edges.  Kale really know how to appeal to a girl!  Love the frills!

Let’s talk about kale real quick and why some refer to it as a “super food” (a food that is nutrient rich and provides health benefits).  In just one cup it has: 33 calories and 0 grams fat, 2 grams of protein (which is quite a bit for a vegetable), 206% of your daily need for vitamin A, 134% for vitamin C, 9% for calcium (great for vegans who are looking for more calcium sources), and then it has 684% vitamin k, let me say that again, six-hundred-eighty-four percent!  Wowzers!  Who needs a daily multivitamin when you’ve got kale!?

I thought this red kale (it looks purple to me but what ev) would look and taste great with a some Asian inspired ingredients… and it did!  A delicious crisp salad chalk full of nutrient rich veggies, protein packed legumes, crunchy nuts and noodles, and topped with a sweet sesame salad dressing.  It makes a great lunch, pot luck side dish, or you can make it a meal (meatless Monday!?).

Oh and it takes just 15 minutes to chop and throw it all together.  Oh yeah!

Print Recipe

Asian Kale Salad

Prep Time15 mins

Total Time15 mins

Servings: 4 -6

Author: Garnish and Glaze

Ingredients

For the Salad:

• 6 cups red kale, chopped
• 2 8 ounce packages frozen shelled edemame, cooked as directed on package
• 2 carrots, peeled into ribbons
• 1 cup red cabbage, shredded
• 1 11 ounce can mandarin oranges, drained
• 1/2 cup chow mein noodles
• 1/2 cup peanuts

For the Dressing:

• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 4 teaspoons sweet red chili sauce*
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

• Place all dressing ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Stir in the sesame seeds and set aside. (Shake/stir before adding to salad.)
• Chop up all your veggies and combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl (or you can arrange salad in individual bowls), drizzle with dressing, and toss to combine. Serve immediately.

Notes

*Found in the Asian aisle.

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Recipe Source: Garnish & Glaze original recipe
Nutrition Facts are calculated for 6 servings.