Fall Kale Salad with Almond Butter Dressing

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Well, it’s almost the Big Event! Two more days until I leave for the Salt Spring Island Yoga retreat! Exciting. I have never been on retreat, though I have done my fair share of yoga over the past few years. (My app with Modo Yoga says I am on class #820.) Woah, time flies. Before I leave, I need to share this salad recipe with you – Fall Kale Salad with Almond Butter Dressing!

Yoga Retreat and Plant-based Eating Presentations!

I am so excited about this retreat, partially because I have been asked, actually hired… (first paid gig ever!), to give three presentations on “The Power of Plant-Based Eating”. I have been working over the past 9 weeks to create what will hopefully be 3 powerful, one hour informational talks on how amazing plants are for our bodies, and souls.

Stowell Lake Farm

We will be retreating at Stowel Lake Farm on Salt Spring Island. It sounds like a mecca of organic foods, lovingly grown on a 25 acre parcel of fertile, supported land. They cook what they grow, and it is completely vegetarian in nature. So I will not be presenting, then having my audience sit down to the typical roast beef meal. Excellent! It sounds like it will be a veggie lovers dream.

What a perfect time to get away and retreat into quiet and movement amongst all of this madness and uncertainty. Right now we need to focus on the nature that we are so fortunate to be held in. We can only control ourselves and our reactions to our world. It’s the perfect time to slow down, move our bodies and appreciate all the good there is in this world.

The Power of Kale!

This brings me to Kale.

Is there a more lovely fall vegetable to feature? Kale is filled with calcium, iron, Vitamin K, A, C, nutrients that protect your eyes, and manganese. It is one of the most nutrient dense foods in the world!

Last Friday, we enjoyed dinner and conversation in our friends’ home. They treated us to a delicious kale salad with cabbage, edamame, carrots, onions and cashews, drenched in an almond butter dressing. It was just the right amount of spice and flavour without being too overwhelming.

I worked on my own version, to provide you with this recipe, Fall Kale Salad with Almond Butter Dressing. Hopefully you will enjoy it. One of the lovely parts of this recipe is the fact that the greens and cabbage are sliced so finely. Sometimes it’s nice to have a salad that isn’t all full of chunks!

You can prep this salad all in advance and just wait to toss the dressing until just before eating. Kale is also known for holding dressings well, so this salad should have no trouble sitting for a day or two in the fridge as leftovers.

I am so addicted to my Kale Caesar Salad that I eat it almost daily. I figured I really need to branch out and pull in some new flavours!

Kale, Cabbage & Vegetable Salad with Almond Butter Dressing

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Serves: 6 Prep Time: 15 minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• SALAD:
• 6 cups of curly kale, chopped finely and massaged between your hands with a teaspoon or two of olive oil until the kale softens
• 1 cup edamame beans, steamed according to package directions
• 1 cup red cabbage, sliced very finely
• 1 cup carrots, grated as finely as possible
• 1/2 cup cucumbers, diced finely
• 1 cup cashews, roasted until slightly brown
• 1/2 cup sliced green onion, (or regular onion if you don't have green)
• DRESSING:
• 1/3 cup almond butter
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon Braggs aminos, or soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice, (1/2 small lemon squeezed)
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
• 1/2 " cube of fresh ginger, peeled
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• pepper to taste

Instructions

1.  Place all dressing ingredients into a high speed blender and blend until smooth.
2. Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and roast cashews on a cooking sheet until lightly browned.   Or, fry lightly in a pan on the stove.
3. Wash kale and vegetables and chop finely.  Place into a large salad bowl.
4. Top with toasted cashews.  
5. Drizzle with dressing and toss.
6. Enjoy!

 

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